It’s been nearly 6 months since our last flight and we didn’t think we would be flying anywhere for the rest of 2020. So when the quarantine free ‘airbridges‘ started to open across Europe we took our chance and booked a trip.
Although it hasn’t been a simple process with changing flights, overnight regulations and unexplainable, short notice blanket quarantines which sent tourists scattering throughout Europe. We finally settled on a flight to the Greek island of Crete. Deciding, if a little cynically, that if Boris Jonson’s father has a Greek holiday home then the route will less likely be shut down.
Luckily, we avoided any quarantine restrictions during our trip but what was the ‘NEW’ flight experience like? Here is our experience flying with EasyJet from Bristol to Heraklion, Crete.
Arrival And Check-In At Bristol Airport
On arrival at Bristol airport, the main noticeable difference is that only passengers are allowed in the terminal building. However, before you enter the building via a single entrance all passengers must pass through a temperature screening point. This isn’t as sinister as it sounds, you simply walk through a marquee where your temperature is scanned, this was very unobtrusive, no need to stop, you just walk through the tent.
Once inside, as you would expect the wearing of masks is mandatory. The obligatory arrows direct you to the check-in area and although the queues may appear longer because of the social distancing they do move quite fast. We arrived slightly early which usually isn’t a problem but on this occasion, they were only allowing check-in 2 hours before departure. So don’t turn up too early as there is nowhere to sit and wait and the coffee shop is closed.
Passing through security was much quicker and the sections where you place your bags in the trays were screened off. Once through security you still have to run the gauntlet of the Duty-Free shop, on the plus side there are no overly eager assistants attacking you but on the downside, there are no free drink samples.
Inside the departure lounge, it was much quieter than a usual August and there is plenty of social distanced seating. There are a few shops open and a couple of places to get food and drink. To be honest, waiting in the departure lounge was a far more comfortable experience than normal.
Boarding The Aircraft
This is the part where any social distancing is definitely not possible, the procedure is exactly the same as it used to be. Everyone is called to the gate and how closely you’re packed in depends entirely on how big the gate area is. Luckily the plane was ready to board within 5 minutes of our arrival at the gate so we weren’t all crammed in for long.
Onboard The EasyJet Airbus A320
The plane was only 2 months old so was in a good condition, we had the extra legroom emergency exit row seats located next to the wings. Both row 12 and row 13 are extra legroom seats on the EasyJet Airbus A320.
Again, there isn’t any social distancing as all seats are in use. However, we were lucky and didn’t have anyone sitting next to us so had the three seats to ourselves. The only time you are allowed to remove your masks is to eat or drink and unlike some other airlines, EasyJet staff were actually making sure masks were being worn properly. All the passengers we saw were complying with the rules and luckily there were no idiots onboard.
Gone are the inflight menus and magazines, they do ask you to download the EasyJet App prior to take-off although we found it easier just to ask. Also, if you do want to use the toilets they ask for no more than two people to wait in the aisle.
Arrival At Heraklion Airport, Crete
The flight itself was uneventful which is exactly what you want on any flight. We actually landed 30 mins early which was good. Disembarking the plane was far more civilised than usual, everyone was asked to remain seated and a member of staff allowed only one row at a time to leave. This is a procedure which would nice to see adopted permanently.
Unfortunately, the transfer to the terminal was by the dreaded airport bus. They did have a number of buses waiting and you didn’t feel too crowded together. At the terminal, it initially appeared to be a bit chaotic but fortunately, the queue quickly eased. The main delay was caused by passengers not having a copy of their passenger locator form ready for inspection.
So overall how was the new EasyJet flight experience and did we feel safe? Apart from the mask, it didn’t feel that different and we did feel safe, well safer than other forms of transport such as buses and trains.
On arrival at the resort in Greece, it actually felt much safer than in the UK. Quiet beaches, pools and restaurants, open-air dining and all staff wearing gloves and masks. Pending any more hastily imposed quarantines, we would definitely fly again.
