The main course landed on Paul Lucas's tray table before Jet2's aircraft had even reached cruise altitude. That alone would have been a decent result for an economy pre-order meal on a leisure carrier. Then came the cracker and cheese, and then a chocolate pot dessert. This sequence, Lucas said(11:20), he hadn't anticipated when the tray first arrived.
Lucas took a flight from Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA) to Málaga Airport (AGP) service operated on one of Jet2's Boeing 737-300s, a narrowbody type that entered service in the mid-1980s and which Jet2 continues to operate long after most European carriers have retired theirs. Lucas examines why Britain's most popular package-holiday airline keeps these jets in the fleet, and what flying on one actually feels like in 2026.
Leeds Bradford Before Boarding
The experience started at Leeds Bradford, a regional airport Lucas had not previously reviewed. The lounge was closed on the day of travel, which left him at a Starbucks in what he described as the quietest corner of the terminal, waiting to board. The airport's newer extension drew a more positive reaction.
“This is a vast improvement. There's plenty of natural light, and the ceilings are high and airy.”
Inside the older part of the terminal, Lucas also noted a memorial to the RAF (Royal Air Force) squadron that operated from the site during World War II, when it was known as RAF Yeadon (4:48). The detail is easy to miss amid the departure-gate bustle, but it grounded the airport in a history that predates commercial aviation at the site by decades.
On Board the 737-300: A Cabin Frozen in Time
The LBA–AGP sector gave Lucas his first look at the 737-300's interior in a current Jet2 configuration. The aircraft's age shows in the fixtures: overhead bins, trim panels, and hardware that belong to a design generation well removed from anything flying new today. Rather than treating this as a straightforward negative, Lucas leaned into the novelty of it.
“I love the heavy metal fixtures here, which are totally out of step with modern aircraft.”
He did note one design element in the lavatory, a large camel motif, as something he could do without, but the comment read more as a passing observation than a serious complaint. The broader point Lucas made about the cabin was that its age gives it a character that newer single-aisle jets, with their standardised interiors, simply don't have.
On the ground at Málaga, Lucas described being struck by the scale of widebody traffic taxiing past, specifically the A380s operating at the airport, a contrast that underlined just how far removed the 737-300 is from the current generation of commercial aircraft (14:56).
Catering: The Clearest Win of the Flight
Jet2's pre-order catering was the part of the experience Lucas praised most directly. The meal arrived quickly after takeoff, and the full offering, main course, cracker and cheese, chocolate pot dessert, exceeded what he expected when he placed the order.
“This was top quality for economy food and absolutely worth the pre-order.”
That verdict carries some historical context. Lucas reviewed Jet2 on a Prague to Birmingham service nearly a decade ago, calling it "cheap and cheerful with emphasis on both" and praising its value. The catering assessment on this Leeds Bradford to Málaga flight lands in the same territory: economy-class food that punches above its price point. It is great to see that Jet2 has maintained its high-quality food in its operations for a decade, while other airlines used the COVID-19 pandemic to cut down on the quantity and quality of their catering.
The overall verdict on the flight was positive, with the vintage aircraft framed as a curiosity rather than a dealbreaker. For passengers who book Jet2 primarily for the price and the destination, the 737-300 delivers the basics. Whether Jet2 keeps these jets flying long enough for Lucas to review one again is a different question, the type's days in commercial service are, by any measure, numbered.
