So, after years of living in Leeds and using Leeds Bradford Airport, we finally plucked up the courage to use Jet2 to whisk us abroad for some winter sun. Here is our lowdown on Jet2 and whether they offer a decent flight experience for families!

Our review is based on our 4 hour 25 minute flight on a Boeing 757-200 from Leeds to Gran Canaria in October.

Comfort

Offering a decent seat pitch for a low cost airline of 30″, Jet2 don’t leave you feeling so squashed in that you feel more like a sardine than someone going on holiday. That said, the seat width wasn’t wonderful on the 3 – 3 layout of our plane but it was certainly no worse than other low cost airlines. There was a decent amount of room in the overhead lockers and under the seat in front, so we didn’t feel trapped in by our luggage.

The only major gripe I have with Jet2’s seating arrangement is that they have very narrow plastic seat-back pockets, so you can’t store the usual paraphernalia like books, playing cards, passports etc in there.

All in all, though, for a long short haul flight this was bearable!

Cost

Jet2 flights are on the same level as the majority of other low-cost airlines, meaning that additional extras are chargeable e.g. checked baggage, pre-booked seating, and on-flight meals and drinks.

Having booked our flight as part of a Jet2Holidays deal, our baggage was included in the cost, making it far better value. It seems that pre-booking seating is essential as we found that several other families had been separated having not done so in advance. Whilst it’s not an extravagant cost to pre-book seats, you should factor in this cost when working out your overall flight bill.

As for the food and drinks, the prices are certainly higher than at the airport, but we managed to get a coffee and a tea for a fiver. A can of Coke, a small lemonade, and a Twix came to a similar price. Sandwiches started from around £4 and hot food was available for those who had pre-booked it.

Clearly there is a huge emphasis on selling inboard products and often, if you needed the loo, you could find yourselves being held up while the cabin crew operated the trolley service. Many of the products seemed to be good value but the emphasis on selling throughout the flight seemed a bit much. If you did want to get hold of a bottle of whiskey or vodka, though, this approach would be right up your street!

Family friendly?

Jet2 clearly cater for a lot of families due to the locations they fly to. Despite this, their family-friendly appeal on board is more limited.

There are no bassinets on offer that we were aware of, and there weren’t baby changing facilities in all of the toilets. The toilets that did have facilities offered little more than a fold-down changing table which was quite narrow and had no safety straps.

That said, the baggage policy and staff attitude towards families was very positive. Parents are allowed to take a pushchair, car seat, and travel cot within weight limits, and the staff were very helpful at every stage when we were figuring out where to drop various pieces of luggage.

Conclusion

Compared to the likes of Ryanair and Easyjet, Jet2 offer a good service. Flight times are sensible and for those travelling from Leeds, the Jet2 only check-in area makes the pre-flight experience simple and straightforward. The airline doesn’t have a particularly bad reputation for delays, but it’s worth bearing in mind that options are out there for claiming compensation, in the region of several hundred pounds, if you are delayed (this doesn’t just apply to Jet2, but to other airlines as well).

All in all, we certainly wouldn’t hesitate recommending Jet2 to families heading abroad; just hope that your little ones don’t need to be changed too many times during the flight and take your own food and drink!