European Low-Cost Carrier Head to Head Review: Ryanair Versus easyJet

On our trip to Corfu, we had to get from Manchester Airport (MAN) to the Greek island. The only nonstop options were Ryanair and easyJet. I decided to book one way on one carrier and the return on the other. It was interesting to see the differences on these flights in terms of passenger behavior, airplane upkeep, food and beverages, and more.

We flew from Manchester Airport (MAN) to Corfu International Airport “Ioannis Kapodistrias” (CFU) on Ryanair and the return on easyJet. In both cases, I booked three seats in the bulkhead row to give us a “European Business Class” experience. Both airlines have pretty bad reputations with passengers and are often the source for videos of passengers fighting, getting drunk, and acting like fools. easyJet played an announcement before takeoff that bad behavior would be met by the authorities upon landing. Ryanair had not such announcement and the crowd behaved much worse.

Booking

Both sets of tickets were booked on the carrier’s respective websites. The outbound flight on Ryanair cost $440 for three bulkhead seats, Fast Track security, Priority Boarding, and for each of us to bring a large cabin bag (I had to purchase these options for all including the empty seat). The return cost $667 for three bulkhead seats, Speedy Boarding for my husband and me, as well as a large cabin bag. I liked that easyJet did not make me buy these extras for the empty seat.

Winner: easyJet

Check-In & Boarding

I checked in online for both flights. Ryanair would not issue boarding passes and had me print these other pages to bring to the airport. easyJet was much simpler. I booked Priority Boarding and Speedy Boarding for both flights. The Ryanair flight did not require boarding a bus, but the easyJet one had us on one even though we were mere feet from the aircraft. This was annoying, but we were the first passengers on the plane in both instances and it did not impact boarding. Both gate agents called for passengers in the correct order.

Ryanair required us to go to a desk to get boarding passes because our passports needed to be checked. easyJet allowed me to print them at the hotel without this check.

Winner: easyJet

Seat

Both flights were operated in all Economy Class configurations. The Ryanair flight was on a Boeing 737-800 with 189 seats and the easyJet flight was on an Airbus A320 with 180 seats. We were in row one on both flights with the middle seat purchased for extra space. On the Ryanair flight we were seated in 1A, 1B (empty middle), and 1C.

These seats face the flight attendants without a wall at the bulkhead. Passengers all gather here to use the lavatory and it’s quite annoying.

The easyJet flight has a bulkhead wall (complete with advertisements) and does not have anyone standing around them. We much preferred being in seats 1D, 1E (empty middle seat), and 1F. Even when the woman behind us decided to stick her toes through from row two and we had to use a magazine to block her. Neither airlines offers seats that recline.

Winner: easyJet

Power

Neither flight offered outlets and USB ports at the seats. This is standard and why I carry backup batteries and chargers.

Winner: Tie

Air Vents & Lights

Both flights offered individual air vents and lights. Each pair of seats had three lights and three air nozzles. One of the lights on the Ryanair flight was missing.

Winner: easyJet

Food & Drinks

Both airlines sell food and drinks. Ryanair made an announcement at the beginning of the flight that hot meals, sandwiches, and other food were not available. I did not purchase any drinks, but the couple behind us and their neighbor each had eight or nine cocktails on the 3.5-hour flight and were quite inebriated (more here).

On the easyJet flight, we bought several food and drink items. The crew offered them proactively and then discounted all fresh food by 50% during the last hour of the flight. I understand this is common practice for unsold items.

Winner: easyJet

Ryanair sink

Ryanair toilet

easyJet sink

easyJet toilet

Lavatory

Ryanair and easyJet offered lavatories that were approximately the same size. Both were typical airplane lavatories with a sink and toilet. They were equally clean.

Winner: Tie

Service

Service on both carriers was warm and friendly. Flight attendants collected trash and were chatty.

Winner: Tie

easyJet gets bonus points for clearly labeling the overhead bins in the first row as reserved for that row as nothing can be stowed below for takeoff and landing in the bulkhead seats. The passengers on Ryanair also did not help (not the airline’s control, but the crew did nothing). The man behind me shouted, talked about how the plane would crash, and fought with the woman across the aisle the entire flight.

Overall: easyJet was the hands-down winner. The crowd was subdued and kept in check by the flight attendants. They had the food and beverages listed on the menu and served them with pride. I found the easyJet aircraft in better condition and liked that row one had reserved overhead bins. Would I fly both airlines again? Yes. If the schedule was right and I could get three seats in the bulkhead.