Easyjet believes some passengers will be willing to pay for extras

The carrier, which keeps its ticket prices down by cutting overheads deemed unnecessary, operates a non-reserved seating policy.

But after checking in, passengers on flights out of Luton have been able to avoid possible queues and a scramble for seats by paying �10 for an early-boarding privilege.

"Business people might like to have a particular seat so they would be able to leave the plane quickly on arrival," a spokeswoman explained.

Airport lounges

Faced with intense competition in the sector from the likes of Ryanair, Easyjet has also been looking at other ways of boosting revenue by providing facilities more akin to the traditional airlines.

The company confirms it has been considering introducing airport lounges and has long weighed up the attractions of a frequent flyer programme.

All the low-cost carriers have managed to win favour with the increasingly price-conscious business sector.

Easyjet believes corporate travellers may now be happy to part with a little bit of extra cash for added convenience.

A spokeswoman said the fast-track scheme was being offered up until Thursday to 10 passengers on each flight when they check in.

The scheme was not promoted in advance and there "has been a varied take up," she said.