Easyjet schedules a 20 mnts turnaround at Berlin Schoenefeld for a flight arriving from Paris at 19.50 and scheduled to leave again at 20.10. This is gutsy at the end of the day after several rotations and I was not surprised that the flight was announced as delayed by 20 mnts. It landed at 20.10, and stopped at the gate at 20.14, 24 minutes late.

Then followed an extraordinarily precise operation which even Southwest in the US does not match and that I watched in awe: All passengers, a full load, were out of the plane at 20.19. Boarding started at 20.21, with the incoming baggage still being off-loaded. Boarding was completed at 20.27, but the captain made an announcement that baggage loading was still going on. The doors were closed at 20.32, the engines started at 20.33 and push back occurred at 20.35. 21 minutes is not bad between 2 full flights. Take off was at 20.42 and parking in Paris at 22.07, only 17 minutes late.

Seated in the first row by the main door, I observed a perfectly efficient cabin crew expert at moving passengers quickly in the cabin. One can feel that they have been trained to gain time second by second.

Add that, contrary to crew members of most other low cost airlines, they are courteous at all times and never vulgar or aggressive, and one can conclude that they run a very impressive operation.