Having been into the complains corner and read the numberous posts about how awful airlines such as Ryanair and Easyjet are I thought I would start a thread where people can express their love for low cost airlines.

I use low budget airlines about 8-10 times a year and I think they are a great idea. When I travel I don't always need 20 kg of luggage, an inflight meal, a movie to pass the time etc.... and despite all the complaints I have never had a problem flying as a direct result of the low budget airline. When there have been problems I find the companies more than willing to help arrange a hotel for the overnight stay and some compensation for expenses incurred, e.g. food.

If you don't enjoy having to pay the extras to check in a bag then fly BA or Swiss but don't slag off the low cost airlines for making air travel cheap for the rest of us!

Being able to get cheap flights all over Europe is great and I can only hope these companies expand to offer more routes for great prices. What a shame it is that Ryanair no longer fly from Switzerland.

Agree on a company like Easyjet as I use them quite often.

My one gripe is, and will be until they change their system, is the seat scrum at the boarding gate when the announcement goes up that the plane is ready to board.

Why on earth can they not have assigned seats when you check in? Somebody in the know please explain this as I can never get a reply from Stelios' tribe.

The thing that annoys me about easyjet is that when I want to travel the easyjet Geneva to Edinburgh flight isn't all that cheap!

Example is that my mother's 50th bday is coming up at easter weekend. The prices are redonculous! It's about £60 cheaper to fly to manchester.

That is probably what we will do and hire a car and drive up to edinburgh. £120 saved between us and spend £40 on a hire car. Can't be that bad!

From the Swiss side it does seem to be a free for all. I feel sorry for the priority boarders who go through the gate first. Only to be squashed into the back of the bus so that they board the actual plane last!

There is only one reason: So that they can charge you for pre-assigned seats.

I thought they had their own bus, no?

Yes I have seen this at all airports using buses to haul passengers to the planes.

If EJ wants to board passengers quickly to have a swift turnaround, which is how their gig is played - as many flights in a day as possible - then seems like if there were assigned seats then they could call the back of the plane bodies first and the rest after.

Or am I missing something?

As the guy above has said there would probably be a charge for the seat reservation. I'm quite large so I back myself in the seat scramble to get the leg room seats. I just can't understand why people pay for priority boarding and then don't sit in the emergency exit seats. Is it the pressure and responsibility of sitting there?

I sat there once and it was freezing the whole time! Never again. I'd rather be squashed

honestly, I don't even mind the assigned seat snag... I'd just be happy with the flight taking me where I would like to go, something that my EX good friend Ryanair stubbornly refuses to do... try to fly to Verona ans see on a map where you actually land...

[try to fly to Verona ans see on a map where you actually land...[/QUOTE]

..and you didn't know this before you booked the ticket ?

everybody should know what they are getting into with EJ / Ryanair by now. I find them as punctual and efficient as mainstream airlines, but they aren't always the cheapest

Ha Ha! This is a common complain too. Luckily for me I can sort of get to where I need to go so far. If not then I would rather save some cash on a plane train affair than pay over the odds to fly direct.

Easy Jet are good when they fly. However, a tiny bit of snow and they ground all their aircrsaft!

I initially thought this was the fault of Easyjet too when I was stuck in Zürich for three days just before christmas but then found out it was the airports in the UK. I don't think we can blame the airlines for being forced to stay on the ground

Whilst other airlines ground flights for a morning and cancel flights. Easyjet ground flights for the whole day!

Sorry, that statement isn't a fact, it's just plain wrong. All airports have their minima based on RVR (Runway Visual Range) precipitation, snow clearance, de-icing pan queues, delays because of occupied gates, missing pax etc. EZ have to respect Category 1 , 2 or 3 conditions like everyone else. Believe me, if they can fly, they will fly.

Why were EJ cancelling flights at 0700 when they weren't due to take off in some cases until 1900?

I flew airBaltic to Riga last week and they were very good. OK I flew business class but the economy cabin looked fine. Yes - they are a low cost airline but they have a hybrid model with 3 rows of business class seats.

Riga itself is a great town and a must visit is the Skyline Bar in the city centre.

Same goes for parents with babies and toddlers. You get to board the bus first then when you get to the aircraft you have to faff about for so long trying to find out where you leave the pushchair (near the steps, near the bus, near the guy in the yellow vest), everyone else has boarded the plane, taken the aisle seats and used up all the space in the overhead bins with their gargantuan carry-on luggage.

Budget airlines: why have the convenience of checking your luggage into the hold when you can fill a polar expedition-sized rucksack with two weeks worth of clothing plus presents for the family back home and take it on board as carry-on?

I think the problem with easyjet is there is no room in their system if something unexpected goes wrong.... a flight is then cancelled instead of with other arilines where it may have been delayed.