Time and Date: 06.40 16.08.2024
Airline: easyJet
Flight number: U23953
Aircraft type: A320
Duration: 1.05h
Two days before the trip, I decided I wanted to go visit my cousins in Dalmatia if I were to find an affordable flight to Split or Dubrovnik since they have a summer home on the Pelješac peninsula. And indeed, I found cheap flights to both destinations, Bergamo – Dubrovnik with Ryanair for €35 on 17.08.24, and Milano Malpensa – Split for €64. I decided to fly to Split due to the time of arrival, which was 08.00 in the morning, while the arrival time in Dubrovnik was a bit after midnight and it would complicate my trip to Pelješac. I was surprised that both flights were under €100 if we take into account the time of booking and it being mid-August. I also checked the price for the same flight the evening before departure and it was €100
Disclaimer Milano Malpensa Airport has changed the name to Aeroporto Silvio Berlusconi, and I cannot process that information still. 😀
My departure was from Terminal 2 which has been reopened since June after more than four years. It was closed at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. Terminal 2 has been the original base for easyJet since the early 2010s making it its second main base after London Gatwick. Over the last year and a half, it was refurbished and is used only by easyJet.
I reached Terminal 2 using the first morning train to the airport from Milano Cadorna train station at 04.24 (one-way ticket €13), and I arrived at the terminal at around 5.20, which included a 10min walk from the train station to the terminal building. It was busy but even though the terminal was full due to the morning rush, waiting for the security check overall was around 20min. There were 8 tracks for security checks, and it was interesting that they did not ask us to take out liquids but only electronic devices. I do not know what the terminal looked like before, but I liked it. There are a lot of bars and restaurants, even before security. There is also a Burger King after security. There are less shops than in Terminal 1 which is full of luxury boutiques. I had my Italian breakfast espresso and croissant for €4.10. What I liked also is that the terminal is full of vending machines for food and coffee.
My gate was D17 at the end of terminal, which required some 10-15min of walking. Boarding started an hour before departure and interestingly, despite regularly flying with easyJet since 2018, for the first time I encountered staff checking the size of carry-on bags. They did not allow passengers to have two pieces of carry-on even is it was a small one (they charged a lot of them an extra fee for oversized begs).
Boarding was completed 20min before departure. We walked to the aircraft, which was parked in front of the terminal. I was lucky with my appointed seat as I got 17D and there was enough space for my legs. Occupancy was high around at 85%-90%. Interestingly, the cabin crew were all male, and I would say all older than 40 years old. They were friendly, welcomed passengers at the door, gave announcements, passed with shop service, few times picking up garbage, and the captain made his announcement twice, first explaining the routing and informing us about the weather conditions, and another mid-flight.
We landed a few minutes before our scheduled time. The flight passed smoothly and nice under the morning sun.
What was interesting for me at Split Airport was the long taxi time from the runway to the terminal building because the aircraft had to make stops to let vehicles with luggage pass and for the Wizz Air plane to turn around and start taxing…. I love the new terminal building at Split Airport. It is bright and open. From the airport to the port, I took a shuttle bus that cost €10. It is a bit expensive for a 20min ride and it is double to what it used to be 2 years ago.
Overall, I am always satisfied with easyJet, and I always try always to choose them over other low-cost carriers. I have flown with them multiple times over the last 12 months between Milan Linate and Berlin Brandenburg airport, and I have never experienced any major delay, or unpleasant experience.
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Article source: http://www.exyuaviation.com/2024/09/trip-report-easyjet-milan-split.html