Darling Hold My Hand! Rhodes to Stansted with Jet2
Background
Over the past two decades or so, Jet2 has transformed itself from a relatively small low-cost carrier with a focus on Northern England, to the United Kingdom’s third-largest airline and its largest tour operator. With over 130 aircraft deployed from thirteen bases across the country, operating to a wide variety of leisure-focused destinations across Europe, Morocco and Turkey, Jet2 has become a household name across Britain. Furthermore, its usage of Jess Glynne’s Hold My Hand as its soundtrack for its advertisements has drawn significant attention, with a selection of good, bad and ugly parodies made of this.
Commencing operations with several Boeing 737-300s, Jet2 initially specialised in low-cost operations from Leeds Bradford, having deemed the airport to be underserved by low cost carriers. The airline did, however, have significant operational expertise, as this was the scheduled passenger arm of charter and freight specialist, Channel Express – hence Jet2’s callsign of ‘Channex’. Soon, Jet2 expanded, entering the competitive market from Manchester and adding Boeing 757s in 2005, followed by Boeing 737-800s in 2011, Airbus A321s in 2020 and Airbus A321neos in 2023. The latter of which will eventually become the mainstay of the airline’s fleet.
Despite Jet2’s initial focus on low cost operations, in 2007, the airline established package holiday provider and tour operator, Jet2Holidays, This marked a transition into the leisure market, and since then, this is where the airline’s focus has remained – with Jet2 essentially serving as the transportation arm of this business getting passengers to and from their holidays. Whilst most flights are bookable by those only looking for a seat on a flight, these are often more expensive than those on traditional low cost carriers such as EasyJet, Ryanair and Wizz Air.
Whilst no airline is immune from issues, since the pandemic, Jet2 has generally enjoyed a positive reputation amongst the travelling public. Unlike many carriers, during the pandemic, Jet2 was lauded for its prompt handling of customer refunds, whilst opting to provide in-house ground handling services at most of their British bases and a number of destinations abroad, including Alicante, Palma de Mallorca and Tenerife, the airline has avoided the worst of the post-pandemic staff shortages that have plagued a number of ground handlers.
Having laid out my itinerary for my Greek holiday in September, there was one missing puzzle piece – the journey back to Britain. Ending my saga in Rhodes, fortunately, there was no shortage of flights home with direct services between the two islands offered by EasyJet, Jet2, Ryanair and TUI. However, many of these depart Rhodes late at night and do not touch down until the very early hours of the morning, making onward travel rather difficult and leaving me with very little sleep before heading into the office the next day. Thankfully, Jet2 offered one of the few daytime flights available, departing Rhodes at 1250 and touching down in the UK at 1505. Whilst this would mean a long journey back up to Leeds, this still beat flying on a later service to a more local airport. Whilst Jet2 does offer complimentary luggage for all those who book a package holiday, unfortunately, this is not included when booking a seat-only ticket, and I was a little taken aback by the cost of optional extras which included seat pre-selection, inflight meals and snacks, and luggage. Fortunately, confident that I could squeeze everything into a hand luggage sized backpack, this was no issue.
The Journey
After well over a week hopping from island to island, I ended my journey on the island of Rhodes and the somewhat infamous seaside town of Faliraki. Whilst this may have a reputation for all-night partying and lads holidays, I have to say, that this has calmed down over the years and instead seems to be a popular spot for families and older travellers, as much as the younger generations heading off on their first holidays with friends. With a departure time of 1250, theoretically, I would have had no issue with getting to Rhodes Airport on public transport; however, this would involve a reasonable bus ride into the centre of Rhodes town, and then another down to the airport. Thus, I decided to bite the bullet and booked a little more pricey but far more convenient shared airport transfer, which would pick me up directly outside my accommodation. Being a firm believer in the theory that time spent at an airport is never time wasted, I decided to book my shuttle for 0800. Much to my delight, this rocked up on time and after a couple of stops at nearby hotels, we sped across the island, making it to the airport around 45 minutes later.
Being a fan of the island of Rhodes, of all the airports in Greece, Rhodes is the one that I have visited more than any other airport. However, I would not say I am particularly enthralled by the prospect of each trip through the terminal. This is large and utilitarian, lacking any notable features, but it does a fair job of processing the many tourists that pass through this every summer. My main complaint about the terminal is the lack of any reasonably priced eateries and shops in both the landside and airside portions of this. I won’t go into too much detail about my experience in the terminal in this report; however, you can read more about this in my report of my Neos Boeing 787 ride from Rhodes to Verona here or my McDonnell Douglas MD-80 ride to Linz here.
Having checked in online and with nothing to drop off, seeing as the landside portion of the terminal lacks any airside views, I decided to head up the escalators to the security checkpoints. Those departing can enter the airside area via two separate checkpoints, and both can be used by those heading to both Schengen and non-Schengen destinations. That morning, I decided to go to the quieter and smaller checkpoint, and I was delighted to breeze through this without issue, soon emerging in the busy airside area. Despite the peak summer season having ended, the airside portion of the terminal was absolutely rammed, and there were few available places to sit and wait. This consists of a larger Schengen portion as well as a smaller area that sits behind several immigration booths, which I had to pass through, seeing as I was bound for the UK.
With there being more to do in the Schengen portion of the terminal, I lingered around and watched as a diverse plethora of narrowbody aircraft came and went from destinations across Europe and Israel. Whilst there were no aircraft there that were particularly rare, I did spot a few examples that are not commonly seen in Britain, such as a Bluebird Airways Boeing 737-800 and an Israir Airbus A320, both operating rotations from Tel Aviv. Eventually, after a few hours, the Boeing 737-800 that would be carrying back to Britain came floating down over the picturesque blue waters that separate Rhodes from Turkey, before returning to Earth with a puff of smoke.
All aircraft in Jet2’s own fleet are painted in either the original distinctive red and silver livery or the more white Jet2Holidays livery that some claim was heavily inspired by Allegiant (I’ll let you be the judge!). Whilst many enthusiasts prefer the former, that day I would end up on a Jet2Holidays liveried Boeing. Specifically, this came in the form of Boeing 737-8MG G-JZHM. Manufactured at Boeing’s Renton plant, this aircraft made its first flight in October 2016, making it just under seven years old at the time of my flight in September 2023. Delivered directly to Jet2, this aircraft has been in service with the carrier ever since.
Once this touched down, I wandered over to an immigration booth and, after a short queue formed mostly of Israeli holidaymakers returning to Tel Aviv, I was stamped out of the European Union and made my way over to the already busy gate where a mixture of passengers, as well as outsourced and in-house Jet2 staff could be seen waiting. One of the notable aspects of Jet2 is that, wherever possible, the airline self-handles, doing so to maintain high service standards and mitigate the risk of staff shortages. With the airline doing this at most of its bases, as well as some of its busier stations abroad. Even where this is not possible, the front-of-house handling staff seem to be a mixture of Jet2 agents dressed in the airline’s unmissable red uniform and outsourced, in this case, Swissport, agents.
As with many leisure airlines, Jet2 schedules in nothing more than a short turnaround for many of its flights downroute, and so, once the aircraft had landed, it wasn’t long until boarding for passengers was called in the terminal – with this scheduled to commence 45 minutes before departure. As with most of Rhodes Airport’s stands, a short bus ride to the aircraft was required, and thus all passengers were invited to board the aircraft at once. Following a short wait, my boarding pass was scanned and my passport checked by one of the friendly gate agents before I headed outside and walked down the ramp to the waiting bus. Unlike some of my previous departures from Rhodes, no wait was required in the sunshine before being able to board my bus and once onboard, it wasn’t long before the doors closed and we were driven down the ramp to the Boeing, glistening in the Greek lunchtime sunshine.
As soon as we came to a halt, the doors slid open and boarding commenced. That day, this was to be undertaken via both the forward and rear doors; however, there were no ground staff provided to guide passengers to one of these. Seated in Seat 23F, I headed to the rear door, and after soaking up the last Greek sunrays of my holiday, I stepped into the rear galley, where I received a friendly and lively greeting from the two cabin crew members standing there. Without delay, I entered the 189-seat all-Economy cabin, where I was greeted by the deep red mood lighting that filled the modern Sky Interior cabin. Inside, there are no differences between those jets that sport the Jet2 and Jet2Holidays livery, and I was presented with plenty of red and silver. Specifically, each Acro seat was thin and modern, with these covered in either a silver or red Jet2 branded pleather cover and complete with a small tray table and a fold-down cup holder. Meanwhile, each came with a literature compartment featuring a safety card and a copy of Jet2’s JetAway magazine.
Once seated, I found the seat itself to be reasonably comfortable for a leisure carrier, offering a decent amount of space. Meanwhile, other than a few marks on the passenger service unit, this appeared to be clean and in good condition, thereby leaving me with nothing to complain about. Furthermore, unlike some airlines, advertisements were limited to several decals promoting Jet2Holidays on the seatbacks – with no advertisements for any external products or services. Once strapped in, passengers continued to board as a stream of buses continued to arrive at the aircraft. During this, a small playlist of upbeat hits from the likes of Fleetwood Mac, Haim, S Club 7, and of course, Jess Glynne’s Hold My Hand, rang out on a loop. Eventually, this came to an end, and that day, the flight appeared to be largely full, although I did luck out and end up with a vacant seat separating me from my neighbour in the aisle. Once all were onboard, a slew of pre-recorded announcements rang out through the cabin, welcoming passengers onboard and featuring the usual warnings. As I had noted on my previous Jet2 rides, very few announcements were made by the cabin crew, with most being pre-recorded. However, the Captain undertook a pre-departure announcement, welcoming passengers onboard, thanking passengers for flying with Jet2 and providing a brief overview of our route.
Looking outside, the cones were removed from around the aircraft as the crew undertook their all-important safety demonstration along to a pre-recorded soundtrack. Whilst this was underway, at 1303, thirteen minutes after departure, the Boeing jolted backwards as we commenced our pushback, and once the safety demonstration had been completed, the crew passed through the cabin, ensuring that all was secure and in place for departure. Upon coming to a halt, the familiar sound of the two CFMI CFM56-7B26E engines filled the cabin as these whirred and vibrated into life before the flaps were partially extended and we commenced our taxi to the end of Runway 24.
Once at the end of the runway, the two engines spooled into life and at 1312, the Boeing performed an expectedly gentle takeoff roll, vibrating as its nose was pointed skywards and it took to the sunny Greek skies. From my position, parting views of Rhodes were limited to the island’s sandy coastline before we turned westwards and headed out to sea. Making a very smooth climb with almost no lumps or bumps, the crew were soon released from their seats and began their preparations for the first round of inflight service. Meanwhile, the seatbelt signs were extinguished as soon as we climbed through 10,000 feet.
As we climbed, the small islands of Simi and Nirsyros could be seen, followed by the larger island of Kos – another popular destination for European holidaymakers. At this time, a pre-recorded announcement rang through the cabin advising of the soon-to-commence onboard service before two service carts were rolled out into the aisles. Browsing the menu, this contained the usual smorgasbord of snacks, hot and cold, soft and hard drinks, sandwiches and a few hot meals; however, passengers are encouraged to pre-order these and sandwiches in advance of departure, and the airline does not load catering items onboard en route and thus stock can be limited, especially on the return sectors back to the UK. Making their way down the aisle, plenty of passengers seemed to opt for some end-of-holiday refreshments; however, I decided to pass on such offerings and instead passed the time by looking out of the window.
From Kos, the aircraft continued onwards to the Greek mainland, roughly travelling the sea route that I had took during my holiday from Athens to Rhodes via Naxos and Astypalea. By the time we reached Naxos, the Boeing levelled off at its cruising altitude of 32,000 feet and we headed inland over the mixture of beige and green landscapes of Greece. At this point, the cabin crew passed through the cabin undertaking a round of onboard shopping. However, unlike the refreshment service, they seemed to have few takers for this and thus sped through the cabin before retreating to the galleys.
With my neighbour having stood up, I decided to make the most of my newfound freedom and headed to one of the two lavatories at the rear of the cabin. Entering this without having to wait, I found this to be clean, in good condition, and customised, with a holiday-related decal on the wall, and I thus found myself staring at a camel!
Once back in my seat, clouds rolled in below and blocked vistas of Europe as we sped through the skies of Southeast Europe. Having had a poor night’s sleep, I ended up drifting off and failed to wake up until we entered the final third of so of the flight. As we cut high across Germany, the aircraft followed a standard routing, passing the likes of Wurzburg, Frankfurt and Cologne, whilst inside the cabin the crew undertook the second refreshment round of the flight – this time having comparatively few takers. I should note that all cabin crew seemed to be incredibly warm and friendly in their interactions, thereby leaving me with absolutely nothing to complain about as they went about their duties.
From Germany, the Boeing soon entered the skies of Belgium, heralding the beginning of the end of the flight. As we crossed over the country, the Captain’s calm tones filled the cabin once more as they notified passengers of our expected arrival time into Stansted, before advising that the seatbelt signs would soon be reilluminated in preparation for our arrival. This was soon followed by a rubbish collection round, with the crew understandably appearing to be eager to tidy everything up in good time for our arrival.
Following a quick journey through the skies of Belgium, the aircraft crossed over the country’s North Sea coastline, at which point the aircraft could be felt descending, and the seatbelt signs were reilluminated, and a pre-recorded announcement rang out advising of our imminent arrival. In the usual manner, the cabin crew then made their way through the cabin, ensuring that all was secure and in place for our arrival before strapping themselves into the jumpseats in the forward and rear galleys.
Almost as soon as we crossed over the British coastline, the Boeing sank into the reasonably thick layer of clouds, and in the usual manner, we were thrown around a little as we bumped our way back towards earth. Eventually, the green fields of Essex appeared before the flaps were extended in stages, followed by the landing gear. As we made our way towards Stansted, the aircraft continued to shake and bounce a little, whilst inside the cabin, the moodlighting was transformed onto its deep Jet2 red setting.
A few minutes later, the Boeing sped over the perimeter fence and made a soft touchdown on Stansted Airport’s Runway 22, 3:50 after taking the skies of Rhodes. As we slowed, a selection of rare and usual private jets and government aircraft could be seen on the north side of the airfield as we decelerated before taxiing off the runway to the left. After a few minutes, the aircraft came to a halt at Stand 15L, pulling in next to a HiFly Airbus A321 operating on behalf of Jet2.
Summary
All in all, my experience with Jet2 left me with nothing to complain about. The aircraft was comfortable enough, the crew were friendly and I arrived in London ten minutes ahead of schedule. Granted, whilst Jet2 is more expensive than its low cost competitors – I have to say that Jet2 offered a higher level of service than many such carriers.
