EasyJet is the UK’s biggest airline, carrying almost 89 million passengers in 2018. In 2004, the company removed seat-back pockets from its aircraft fleets in a bid to slash turnaround times at airports. Less time spent cleaning between flights meant the pilots could get the planes back in the skies again and keep costs down and ticket sales high.
However, with jets expected to be ready to takeoff again less than half an hour after the final passenger leaves, sometimes these captains have to muck-in too.
ITV’s series “easyJet: Inside The Cockpit” revealed how this plays out.
The narrator said in 2017: “Plane turnaround time stood at an hour for nearly 50 years until the low-cost airlines slashed that to just 25 minutes.
“This means even captains need to roll-up their four stripe sleeves.
“While their wannabe First Officers check under the bonnet to make sure all is in good shape for the return flight.”
The series then showed a pilot checking seats for any items passengers may have left behind.
Captain Simon Lewis, a veteran pilot, explains why the process is key on easyJet’s website.
He writes: “Our Ground Crew are responsible for the quick turn-around of flights, which in easyJet’s case happens in only 25 minutes.
“Less time on the ground means more time in the air and if we can utilise our aircraft more each day, we can offer you lower fares.
“The ground crew wear a headset which is plugged into the nose wheel and they’re able to talk directly to us in the cockpit.
“This is our cue that all their relevant checks and inspections have been carried out and that they are ready for us to push back from the stand and start engines.”
The same show revealed how a training pilot dealt with a terrifying mid-air engine stall.
Sophie Truran was in charge of the controls of the easyJet light aircraft during the final stage of her endeavours to become a fully fledged pilot.
The amateur aviator was accompanied by trainer Cliff Rand, who was assessing her ability to cope in the worst of situations at L-3 Airline Academy in Bournemouth.
Trainees must complete a number of tasks, including flying blind, upside down and safely controlling the plane after a stall.
Mr Rand then cut the engine to see how his student would deal with the dreaded situation.
The narrator continued: “Pilots need to be able to cope with up to four G’s, that’s the same force you experience on the Nemesis ride act Alton Towers.
“Then Cliff confronts Sophie with a pilot’s worst nightmare – a stall.
“He switches the engine off and the aircraft begins to plummet towards the ground.
“Passenger planes almost never stall, but when they do, it’s crucial a pilot knows exactly how to manage the potentially fatal situation.
“As she falls from 3,000ft, Sophie has to battle to regain control of the aircraft.”
Sophie successfully regained control of the aircraft and it was safely landed.