The low-cost revolution

To Edinburgh yesterday with easyJet. I thought I'd engage in a spot of comparison for your edification and my amusement.

British Airways:

• Return from Heathrow to Glasgow for £68.90.
• Online check-in means you can choose your seat 24 hours in advance; so if you want a port side window seat as far forward as possible, well, go for it.
• Allocated seats. So no train-style "is this seat taken?" malarkey, and no free-for-all boarding.
• Free drink. I'm a nervous flyer, and my medication of choice is gin.
• Free food (although frankly picky vegetarian + airline sandwiches = misery for all).

easyJet:

• Return from Gatwick to Edinburgh for £70.89.
• Online check-in is available, but puts you in boarding group D for "definitely getting a middle seat next to a screaming child, because you're getting on last". Not that it's the child's fault - he probably wanted to fly BA.
• Aforementioned free-for-all at boarding.
• Hideously overpriced food and drink. I'm sorry, but if I wanted to pay £4.50 for a limp cheese 'baguette' (which would cause any self-respecting French boulanger to stick his head in his oven) and £1.80 for drain coffee, I'd have lunch at Waterloo. And don't even get me started on the bar prices.
• What kind of service industry of any sort sells singing Crazy Frog toys? On a means of transport with no means of escape? That sort of thing really ought to get Stelios in a playpen in a court at the Hague.

Plus the flight up was an hour and a half late. Still, a special mention should go to the woman who offered me an M&M. If you were that nice sharing person on EZY 703 yesterday, I appreciated the gesture, even if I do hate peanuts.

So yes, I really don't see what's so great about the no-frills carriers. Me, I like frills, and if they can't even manage to be cheaper, then what the hell is going on?