easyJet Luton versus Gatwick versus Stansted for a UK new joiner: the three London bases compared on commute, routes
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#1 easyJet Luton, and the easyJet base threads on here are Gatwick (Leah), Manchester (Amy), Bristol (Claire), Edinburgh (Georgia) and the continental ones. The three London bases are the ones the UK new joiners are allocated to most and nobody has compared them. Here they are, with the Gatwick and Stansted crew's input.
Luton
The easyJet headquarters base, the biggest easyJet base by some measures, the A320 and A321, the whole European network with a heavy Eastern European and sun component, the Wizz and Ryanair bases across the apron. The commute: the M1 and the Thameslink, the crew in Luton, Dunstable, Harpenden, Hemel, St Albans, 20 to 40 minutes. The crew room: huge, the head office next door (the easyJet version of Anita's shop window), the base management visible. The cabin manager course: two to three years for the clean records because the base is big and the turnover creates positions.
Gatwick
The other giant easyJet base, the south London one, the A320 and A321, the whole network with a heavy sun and Mediterranean component. The commute: the M23 and the Gatwick Express and the Brighton line, the crew in Crawley, Horley, Redhill, Brighton, Horsham, 15 to 40 minutes. The crew room: huge, Leah's thread describes it, the two terminals. The cabin manager course: similar to Luton, two to three years, the biggest number of positions in the network.
Stansted
The smaller easyJet London base, the Essex one, the A320 mostly, a smaller network with the Eastern European and sun routes, the Ryanair giant base next door. The commute: the M11 and the Stansted Express and the Essex towns, as Sean described for Ryanair, 20 to 40 minutes. The crew room: small, everyone knows everyone, the Essex warmth. The cabin manager course: longer wait because the base is smaller, three to four years, but the base's crew are known and the recommendations are personal.
The London rent, which is all three
The crew at all three London bases live outside London in the towns near the airport and the London flat with the 4am sign on is the mistake at all three. Luton and Stansted have the cheaper towns; Gatwick has Brighton as the expensive temptation.
The honest comparison
Luton: the headquarters base, the biggest network, the Eastern European routes, the head office next door. Gatwick: the biggest base, the sun routes, the most cabin manager positions, Brighton. Stansted: the small base, the known faces, the Essex community, the longer wait and the personal path. The UK new joiners who want the fast course go to Luton or Gatwick. The ones who want the small room go to Stansted.
For the UK applicants with a London allocation
All three are good bases with the same contract and the same aircraft. The commute town is the decision. The cabin manager course is two to four years depending on the base size. And the Ryanair and Wizz crews at the same airports are at the same bus stop and will argue with you about the uniform.
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#2 Gatwick, and Ollie's Gatwick is mine: the biggest base, the sun routes, the most cabin manager positions, and Brighton as the expensive temptation I fell for in year one. The three London bases compared is the thread the UK new joiners needed.
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#3 Ryanair Stansted, and the easyJet Stansted crew are the small room next to our big one and the two crew rooms share the Essex towns and the M11 at 4:30. Ollie's Stansted is the easyJet version of mine with a kettle instead of a machine.
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#4 easyJet Manchester, and the cabin manager course at two to three years at the big London bases and three to four at Stansted matches the northern picture: the big bases promote faster and the small ones promote personally. Both are paths.
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#5 Leeds, aspiring, and I had assumed the London bases were one base. Three bases, three commutes, three crew rooms. The allocation question is now one I will think about. Thank you.
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#6 BA Heathrow, one year, and the easyJet London bases being three separate things with Luton as the headquarters one is something the BA crew do not know because our London is Heathrow and Gatwick. Good to have the easyJet map.
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#7 BA Gatwick, and the Gatwick easyJet crew and the Gatwick BA crew share the Brighton line and the Crawley flats and the Brighton temptation. The airport has two airlines and one commute. Ollie's Gatwick is the one I see from the other terminal.
