Easyjet, a UK-based budget air carrier, is to close its check-in desks and promote on-line advance check-in for all of its passengers.
All of the check-in desks across the company’s network will become bag drop desks from April 30 this year, and it hopes that the measure will see all passengers downloading their boarding cards in advance from its website. Passengers are currently being notified of the change by e-mail.
In a statement the airline said, ‘Easyjet is always looking to make travel easier and more affordable. Online check-in has proved popular with passengers, for whom it saves time queuing at the airport, and has helped Easyjet keep its costs, and therefore its fares, low. 80 per cent of Easyjet’s check-in is already done online and Easyjet is now trying to encourage the remainder to use online check-in as well. Accordingly, Easyjet has launched a passenger information campaign to demonstrate how easy and quicker it is to check in online.’
Unlike rival budget airline, Ryanair, Easyjet will still allow passengers that forget to check in on line or fail to print their boarding pass to do so at the airport without the imposition of a fine, but they hope that this facility will only be required in exceptional circumstances. An Easyjet spokesman was reported in the Daily Telegraph, saying, ‘We try to be a bit more customer friendly than Ryanair, and hope passengers choose to check-in online without the threat of punitive charges.’
Easyjet has also announced a new route to Bergen in Norway from Gatwick airport in the UK. Flights will commence in May with tax-inclusive fares starting from £35.49 one way.
