Spanish low cost airline Vueling travel guide and flight review
A bit about the Spanish Airline Vueling,
Low cost airline Vueling began life in 2004 and they now have around 126 aircraft made up of Airbus short haul frames the A320, A319 and the A321.
They now fly to over 140 destinations around the world in multiple continents!
They offer the following fare types on its flight network,
Basic Fare: Cheapest rates for backpackers with a single hand-carry.
Optima Fare: Affordable rates for 25 kg checked-in luggage, 2 hand-carry, and free seat selection.
Family Fare: Reasonable option for families with 25 kg luggage, 2 hand luggage, free seat selection, 2 freehold items for parents with kids under 2 years old, and priority boarding.
TimeFlex Fare: Ideal for frequent travelers with last-minute plan changes. Features include 2 hand luggage, unlimited flight changes free of charge, flight credit as a refund option, and priority boarding.
Where do Vueling fly from in the UK?
Vueling are offering more and more flights from London Gatwick with a lot more expansion from Vueling UK since 2022.
They now fly London Gatwick to
Malaga
Granada
Cadiz (Jerez)
Menorca
LA Coruna
Almeria
Oviedo (Asturias)
Barcelona
Bilboa
Paris
Valencia
Florence
Valencia
Seville
From London Heathrow to
Madrid
They also fly from Cardiff to
Paris (CDG)
Alicante
Malaga
From Manchester to
Barcelona
Madrid
From Birmingham to
Paris (Orly)
Barcelona
Edinburgh to
Barcelona
Check out Vueling Fares with SkyScanner.
Take a look at my quick Vueling Review Trip Report on TIK TOK!
My Vueling Flight Review from Barcelona
VY7822
BCN - LGW
EC-MBD A320-214 (2008)
2hrs 20 minutes
Foolishly I had booked the early morning first flight from Barcelona to London Gatwick at 0700! This meant getting to Barcelona el Prat Airport for 5am! So a short walk down Las Ramblas from my hotel in Barcelona (Great hotel BTW will link it here) to catch the Aerobus to the airport.
The Airport was very busy at that time but security at Barcelona El Prat was a breeze I was through pretty Pronto! (thats spanish for fast!)
Boarding!
Well this was just chaos!! A free for all, my flight had around 100 Spanish excited students onboard. Think lots of crowdy group behaviour, loud cheers at every pinnacle flight moment (push back, take off, landing you get the idea!)
Boarding was slow disorganised and stressful.
Boarding with Vueling!
The flight
Pretty standard Low cost airline, drinks and snacks were available at extortionate prices, with occasional announcements about duty free. Did you even fly with a Spanish airline if they didn't sell Paco Rabanne?
I booked an extra leg room seat for an additional €30. I noticed from the seat map from checking in it seemed like a pretty full flight and at 6ft 1" I splashed the cash!
I also noticed Vueling have WIFI onboard which is a huge difference between the other low cost carriers, as most in Europe don't have this.
WIFI onboard Vueling Priced at €5.99.
Around an hour into the flight the crew curtained off the front toilets, whilst the crew had a break in the forward galley. So it was just the rear toilets available for over 200 passengers, this seems like a strange approach to customer service onboard Vueling and looking at their ratings and reviews on Tripadvisor this seemed to be a common occurance not just a one off.
The Summary
The flight was ok and pretty standard low cost style flight, I think they just need to be better organised at communicating and managing boarding, the signs alone don't work. I like how Vueling seems to be quite progressive in its approach to technology as an airline which gives it a slight edge.
Here is a full trip report on Vueling on my Youtube channel,
To be honest it wasn't that bad, but Youtube is all about the headline grabbing titles!
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Can you book extra leg room seats with Vueling?
Yes they have a variety of options,
Space one, this is row 1, they come with priority boarding and 2 pieces of cabin baggage.
Space plus, more space between rows 2 and 4 and come with priority boarding and 2 pieces of cabin baggage.
Space, (usually exit row seats) they claim to have 20% more space , from €10 each way.
Front and Back rows, from €2 each, (perhaps this is for people who like to get off first?)
Is Vueling owned by British Airways?
Well Kind of, this Spanish airline is part of the International Airlines Group, the parent company of British Airways, they currently own the following airlines,
Aer Lingus
British Airways
Iberia
Iberia Express
Vueling
Level
Is Vueling an okay airline?
Well they're currently rated as 2.5 on Tripadvisor,
With lots of terrible reviews!
With a 3/10 on Skytrax!
A lot of the negative reviews are down to cancelled flights and delays so I don't get the impression they are the most reliable airline.
Looking further at this according to the European leader for airline on-time performance in 2022 Vueling came 4th! With 82.04% of flights leaving on time out of 197,546 flights!
They also have an excellent safety record with no noticable incidents since they began in 2004. What I do like about Vueling is that they will let you change your flight within 24 hours of booking it for no extra cost!
In short, Vueling Airlines is an OK option for budget travellers.
Is Vueling a Spanish airline?
Yes Vueling is a Spanish Airline, It originated in Barcelona in 2004, the name comes from the Spanish word for flights Vuelo and the english suffix 'ing' they also have bases in Italy and France.
Do you get free hand luggage with Vueling?
Vueling’s Budget fares include an under seat bag
40x20x30cm
Vueling vs EasyJet
Well, both are really similar low cost airline concepts.
When it comes down to it the difference is in the baggage costs, the route network service and reliability.
With EasyJet you can take a hand baggage item for free which is slightly bigger than Vueling.
EasyJet's free hand baggage dimensions are 45cm x 36cm x 20cm and it doesnt matter about the weight, it just has to fit under the seat in front of you.
Vueling
You can change your flight within the first 24 hours
They have the option of wifi onboard
Vueling came 4th out of all the European airlines with 82.04% of flights leaving on time
Easyjet
Bigger hand luggage allowance
Better service standards
Bigger route network
Which do you choose?
0%EasyJet
0%Vueling
Where do Vueling Airlines fly too?
Vueling Air now fly to over 140 destinations around the world on multiple continents from as far as Dakar in Senegal, The Gambia and Amman in Jordan.
What is Vueling's luggage policy?
Vueling’s Budget fares include an underseat bag
40x20x30cm.
Vueling Airlines currently offers four packages:
Basic Fare which is single piece hand luggage only
Optima Fare- checked in bags up to 25kg, 2 carry on items and free seat selection
Family Fare- 25kg checked luggage, 2 carry on hand luggage items free seat selection, 2 freehold items for parents with kids under 2 and priority boarding
Time Flex Fare- This is ideal for regular frequent travellers as you can change the fare last minute and it also includes 2 hand luggage, unlimited flight changes free of charge! Flight credit as a refund option and priority boarding.
What is the service like on Vueling?
Pretty much like most short haul low cost carriers you can buy a selection of drinks and snacks from the trolley onboard, items are priced in line with other low cost carriers. No Business class on Vueling, but of course you can purchase more legroom seats.
Do you get free drinks on Vueling?
Erm NO.
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Travel and flight expert Paul has spent over 15 years giving first class service with a London based airline. This travel and flight expert has been crossing the Atlantic sometimes 10 times a month!
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