p14-15 news May 8 6/5/09 22:17 Page 14
news air special
ttglive.com
Head to head: Aer Lingus v easyJet
Aer Lingus v easyJet
Aer Lingus stepped up its battle with easyJet at Gatwick this Check-in
week by launching another wave of marketing. The Irish carrier
Aer Lingus’s check-in area is hidden away at
has sparked a price war by going head to head on routes
Gatwick in Zone B down some stairs right next to
from the Sussex airport. Chris Gray compares the rivals after
easyJet’s 21 check-in desks, which dominate the
area. The area itself is small but could be
flying to Vienna with Aer Lingus and returning with easyJet cramped when busy, particularly as passengers
with oversize luggage had to retrace their steps
to drop off their bags.
Stacking up: How the extras compare
However, carrying only hand baggage and
using the self-service check-in machines, I
whizzed straight through in seconds.
Assigned seating meant no unseemly scrums
at the gates and a relaxed Aer Lingus experience
throughout.
On the way back easyJet’s two Vienna check-in
Card fee £4pp credit or debt card £3.50 credit; £1.95 debt; £0 Visa Electron desks were even more difficult to find, but equally
Priority boarding Assigned seating £6 Speedy Boarding efficient.
Hold baggage 20kg total Max weight of 32kg per bag allowance But the unassigned seating meant sharp
First hold bag charge £10 per bag online £8 per bag online elbows came out at the gate, leaving only those
£15 per bag at airport £12 per bag at airport with Speedy Boarding tickets able to sail
Cabin bag allowance One bag up to 6kg, One bag, no weight restriction, serenely onboard.
max 56cm x 45cm x 25cm max 55cm x 40cm x 20cm
Excess bag charge £9 per kilo at airport £9 per kilo at airport Seating
Name change fee £80 (£16 if obvious mistake) £20 The 174 seats on the Aer Lingus A320 had 106
Coffee onboard £2 £2 (£2.10 Starbucks on some routes) passengers on board, so was operating at 61%
load factor, below the 75% level that no-frills
carriers like to maintain.
14 08.05.2009
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