EZS1498 Birmingham Airport to Geneva Airport
Birthday Adventures to Geneva
- Where the heck do I want to go?
- Off to Elmdom International Airport
- EasyJet EZS1498 Birmingham Airport to Geneva Airport
- Into Switzerland and Geneva
- Crowne Plaza Geneva
- A Morning Walk Around a Quiet City
- Back to Geneva Airport
- EasyJet EZS1493 Geneva Airport to Birmingham Airport
- Through to the coffee shop…or not…
- To New and Old Adventures
EZS1498 Birmingham Airport to Geneva Airport
Airbus A320neo, Seat 13F
Operated by EasyJet Switzerland
556 miles flown, 127 Avios earned (indirectly)
Whilst boarding was announced, in Birmingham Airport fashion, we would be stuck on the stairs for a few minutes as the crew got ready for us.
And of course, standing on a cold stairway means you’ve boarded, haven’t you?
Eventually, we were allowed out onto the stand, where we would be boarding the aircraft via a single set of steps.
I shall call you NEO.
New Engine Option.
I boarded the aircraft and said hello to the crew, then headed down the aisle to find the seat of the day.
I had allocated myself seat 13F – this would be the second row of exit seats, with a window for myself.
Given that standard plus allowed two bags, SpeedyBoarding and a decent seat allocation, I was happy I got £20 of value here.
I settled into this seat – which is one I’ve covered in the past at trade shows – the Recaro SL3510. It’s time to put the 10-minute discussions in trade shows into real-life use.
This seat is designed for this style of airline – it’s pre-reclined, and allows for dense configurations to be deployed – be you a budget airline or a full-service carrier. However, in the exit row, there was plenty of space.
With the aircraft filling up, there was a hunt for overhead bin space. This seemed to go well, with our aircraft running on departure a bit late at this point.
I was asked to put my coat in the overhead bin for take-off and landing as I had taken it off and bundled it by my side.
Oh well.
Pushback was delayed as we waited for the de-icing team to come and pay a visit. Eventually, they came to spray the magical fluid over the aircraft.
With that, we were ready for pushback.
The safety demonstration was conducted manually as the A320neo taxied its way around Elmdon International Airport.
With it concluded, our aircraft was able to taxi to a threshold point and onto the runway.
TUI Boeing 787
With a quiet roar, the A320neo’s engines propelled the aircraft into the sky.
As the aircraft climbed, the sales pitch began, with the crew conducting an onboard service, with a duty-free service to follow.
Whilst not advertised by voice, there was a lovely little QR code, inviting me to join the easyJet onboard network.
Well in this data-connected world, I can’t say no to that really. It would keep me entertained at least.
Once connected to the Wi-Fi, I connected to the portal. This would be an onboard portal, rather than an internet-connected flight, with Air-Fi providing the capability.
And sometimes it is nice to be disconnected for a short-haul flight.
The portal has a copy of the onboard shopping catalogue, which contains the food and beverage, duty-free. The portal also offered some games you could stream to your device, as well as the one feature that any aviation nerd loves – a moving map.
There were a few issues with the map – the rendering quality was pretty low – although this improved during the flight, it seemed to show where we were going, with ground speed and altitude.
At the beginning…
Later on in the flight.
I’ve been chatting to the supplier of this system – AirFi – on and off over the years and it was good trying their technology in action.
Remember, fixed backs, simple parts and fewer of them, mean seats cost less to maintain.
The crew did a single pass for food and beverage, using two trollies, which seemed to have a good uptake.
This was followed by the duty-free sales pitch, of which there were no takers. Sadly, the model aeroplane manufacturers that these airlines used to use – Premier Planes – were a victim of the pandemic,
I was pretty happy – I had a bulkhead to fall asleep into – and got a good 30-minute nap. For a short-haul flight, that’s a rather good score.
With the aircraft descending, the crew did a clean-up of the cabin, as we would shortly arrive at Geneva.
It seemed the cloud cover was pretty thick too, with the aircraft descending through the layers until the snow-covered Swiss countryside.
With ease, the Airbus A320neo landed at its Geneva base, ending the flight.
The aircraft quickly taxied off the runway and headed straight for a gate – which was a welcome thing to see.
The terminal in the distance
Passing a SWISS A220
Eventually, the aircraft pulled up at the gate at the Aile Est (East Gates), and the engines powered down. With that, the great scramble for people to escape the aircraft began. Being in the window seat, there was not a lot I could do.
A space finally opened up. It was time for me to grab my stuff and make it off the aircraft.
I thanked the crew and headed off into a new city.
Overall
A perfectly adequate method of getting from A to B, with a reasonable seat, with a friendly and chatty crew who were not heavy on the sales pitch – but were for sure there for your safety.
And it’s amazing how many people you can pack in an A320neo, with up to 186 in easyJet’s configuration.
Next
Choosing the right exit and into Geneva – and where the hell is the free transit ticket machine?
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