EasyJet and Air Berlin tracked down reporters this morning to announce that, in sharp contrast to Ryanair, they will not be removing their check-in desks from the airports they service. The airlines, in a bit of a throwback, cited the concept of "service" as the basis for their decision. How quaint:

'To have somebody in the airport you can ask questions to, and to take baggage for free, is a crucial part of our service,' said Alexandra Mueller, a spokeswomen for Air Berlin, Europe’s third-largest low-fare carrier... EasyJet, Europe’s No. 2 discount carrier, has 'no plans to go down the Ryanair route,' said Samantha Day, a company spokeswoman. The Luton, England-based airline may introduce free online check-in for all passengers this winter, she said. Now, only customers traveling with hand baggage can check in online.

]]> Omri 2009-10-02T15:57:25-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/9/3/64436/34001

Even in the short run, SkyEurope's sudden bankruptcy and full-scale flight cancelation will impact more than the passengers whom the airline left stranded all over Europe. The now-defunct airline was routinely ranked as Eastern Europe's #1 low-cost carrier, somewhat because of its services but also because it crowded a lot of its competition out of the region. Now Ryanair and EasyJet, Europe's top two LCC's, are looking to swoop into the airports and routes that SkyEurope used to dominate.

Ryanair and EasyJet have long had sparse-to-no presence in Central Europe. Aside from the occasional WizzAir route, SkyEurope had a firm grip on Slovakia, Vienna, and Prague, taking up gates and undercutting other airlines' prices. Not any more: ]]> Omri 2009-09-03T08:59:45-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/8/28/81925/8114

We haven't whined about European LCC EasyJet in a while, and you know we like to complain a bit about all those "cheap" airlines that keep adding charges. So you can imagine our delight to hear EasyJet in the news again, even if it's the bad news that the LCC was recently mean to a middle-aged, overweight Italian woman.

But then we discovered that the whole ordeal was faked. Anna Delluci went public about suing EasyJet after they apparently made her step on the scales in front of a bunch of other passengers, then told her that at 98kg (216 pounds), she would have to buy a second ticket to be able to fly. A day after her story went public, it was unveiled as a hoax.]]> amandak 2009-08-28T09:09:42-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/3/26/123332/432

Low Cost Carriers are notorious for their confusing and forever changing pricing schemes, and none mess with our common sense more than the European breeds.

With Ryanair releasing new fees left and right, it's become apparent that you can't take their bargain basement ticket prices at face value anymore. While a trip to Barcelona from London may only cost 53.39 pounds (including taxes), there are a host of dreaded extra fees which you must consider before clicking to purchase.

Here, we've done some sniffing around the websites of Ryanair, EasyJet, Iberia and British Airways to discover if opting for the hassle of an LCC remains worthwhile. Choosing the lowest fares for a random round-trip in April, we'll walk you through each carrier's potential fees and tell you what that cheap ticket really ends up costing. ]]> JetSetCD 2009-03-26T15:40:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/6/3/45233/53879

You read it here first. Now John Kohlsatt, the boss of the German part of budget airline EasyJet, agrees with us that rising fuel costs might cause the demise of the European low cost carrier industry.

From his point of view, though, there are a couple of exceptions. He's pretty sure that his own company, EasyJet, will survive. It's already the fourth-biggest airline in Europe (amongst all the non-budget carriers, too) and has more planes on order.

Kohlsatt was gracious enough to say that a few other airlines will survive fuel-cost-caused bankruptcy too: namely British Airways, Air France, Lufthansa and, the only other LCC on the list, Ryanair. According to him we just have to wait around for the rest to tumble. There might be new routes on the way, but they might not last long.

Related Stories:
· Fuel Costs Will Trigger Airline Bankruptcy Wave [Forbes]
· European LCCs Might Be in Trouble [Jaunted]
· Low Cost Carriers coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Valter Jacinto]]]> amandak 2008-06-03T09:15:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/5/27/6321/17888

Two of the European low cost carriers we like to complain about most, EasyJet and Ryanair, have apparently been the subject of complaints from others, too. Since neither of them have allocated seating, they both have programs where passengers can pay extra to be one of the first to board. But there's trouble in boarding paradise.

Britain's Trading Standards Office has been looking into a few complaints about priority boarding, particularly that passengers who've paid extra end up on a bus out to the plane with those who haven't, and don't get any boarding advantage at all. Unless they're really good at shoving and pushing, that is.

The Trading Standards people say this is all verging on fraud, and have put the airlines on notice that they're being watched. So are we.

Related Stories:
· Priority Boarding Charges Verge on Fraud [UK Times]
· Ryanair Finds More Ways to Earn a Quid [Jaunted]
· EasyJet Gives You an Expensive Reason to Be Loyal [Jaunted]

[Photo: vivido]]]> amandak 2008-05-27T09:15:02-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/3/16/82539/9071

Large European LCC EasyJet--the one that enjoys charging extra for everything--has found another way to take the "low cost" out of "low cost carrier, "although it says it's a new way for customers to save money.

The EasyJet Plus card is a kind of loyalty program that works in conjunction with the Speedy Boarding scheme. Until now, passengers who wanted priority boarding would pay between £2.50 and £7 per flight ($5-$14), or up to £9 ($18) a flight if they also wanted a dedicated check-in counter. With EasyJet Plus, you pay £100 ($200) per year (£125 in the first year) to get Speedy Boarding at no cost. Well, no cost apart from the astronomical charge per year.

You need to fly once every two weeks just to break even. Commentators are suggesting business travelers will benefit the most. Your best bet? Pick an airline that doesn't have so many extra fees.

Related Stories:
· EasyJet Launches Frequent Flyer Card [Business Traveller]
· EasyJet Adds A Checked Baggage Charge [Jaunted]
· Germanwings Gets A Loyalty Scheme [Jaunted]

[Photo: stillleben]]]> amandak 2008-03-17T09:38:00-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/