Flying with Vueling
Vueling is a low-cost airline that's based in El Prat de Llobregat, near Barcelona in Spain. It is a relatively young airline, having been founded in 2004, with major hubs at Barcelona El Prat Airport and at Leonardo da Vinci Fiumicino Airport, near Rome. The airline also has further smaller hubs in A Coruna, Alicante, Bilbao, Madrid, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, Santiago de Compostela, Seville and Valencia in Spain, Amsterdam in the Netherlands, Brussels in Belgium, Florence in Italy and Paris in France.
Over 100 Airbus aircraft make up Vueling's fleet, which flies to more than 100 destinations across 3 continents. Particularly popular among Vueling flights are those to Algiers, Vienna, Dubrovnik and Prague. Although it is not part of any of the major alliances such as Star Alliance or Skyteam, the airline has codeshare agreements in place with Aer Lingus, British Airways, Qatar Airways and its fellow Spanish airline, Iberia.
Online check-in
Vueling flights offer passengers the ability to check in online and save time at the airport. Online check-in becomes available at different times depending on the passenger's ticket type. Passengers with Optima or Excellence tickets, or those who've paid to select a seat when booking, are able to check in immediately after making their booking. Those passengers who do not fall into one of these categories can first check in 7 days before a Vueling flight's departure. In all cases, online check-in closes 4 hours before departure. Passengers can either receive their boarding pass as a PDF to print or as a text message on their phone. Certain passengers will not be able to check in online. These include people traveling with an infant, children traveling alone, people flying with pets and those requiring special assistance.
Hand luggage allowance
Passengers on a Vueling flight are allowed to carry 1 item of hand luggage into the cabin with them. The maximum weight for this is 10 kg and the maximum size is 44 x 40 x 20 cm. The only exceptions to these limits are passengers travelling with an Excellence ticket. Excellence fare passengers may bring hand luggage that weighs as much as 14 kg, rather than the usual 10 kg. Infants do not have any hand luggage allowance, unless they have a separate seat booked for them, however, passengers with infants will be allowed to bring the child's stroller right to the aircraft's door. Vueling will charge a fee for any piece of hand luggage that exceeds either the maximum allowable size or weight.
Checked baggage policy
A standard flight ticket with Vueling does not include a checked baggage allowance, although passengers can add this online before their flight or at the airport. Adding it online is recommended as it will be cheaper than paying at the airport. Anyone holding an Optima, Excellence or Economy checked baggage ticket is entitled to a checked baggage allowance of 1 item. This item can weigh up to 23kg. Vueling also offers to carry various sports equipment, such as a bicycle, surfboard, set of golf clubs or musical instruments as checked baggage, granted they're added to a passenger's booking as a paid extra.
VUELING AIRLINES WEBSITE
Vueling Airlines has a quite convenient and informative website, that supports several languages.
Pay attention to the section 'TRAVEL'. Ηere, you will find not only a standard flight search engine but also a calendar with prices, a map of all directions and a schedule of arrivals and departures at the airports of Barcelona and Rome.
In the section 'TRAVEL INFO', can be found all needed information about baggage, passengers, flight status and more useful information.
Be sure to check out special offers for families and hotel reservations with transfers.
VUELING AIRLINES BOOKING
You can book your tickets either directly on the airline's website or through such a well-known online engine as www.skyscanner.com
There are 3 types of prices: basic, optima and time flex. Demetris and I booked the basic rate tickets which had a more attractive price and the ability to take a cabin bag up to 10 kg up in the plane with you.
BAGGAGE
Vueling passengers are each allowed two items of hand luggage, totalling 10 kilograms.
COMFORT
This is a budget airline, so you don't expect great things from Vueling, and on that count the airline delivers. The cabin is basic but functional, with seats that are suitable for a two-hour flight over the Mediterranean and little more. The 29-inch (74-centimetre) seat pitch feels comfortable enough, and at 17.7 inches (45cm), the seat width is generous enough to avoid too many elbow wrestles.
SERVICE
On budget airlines you tend not to have too much contact with the staff; in fact the best they can do, really, is be unremarkable. They greet you when you board; they wave goodbye when you leave. And that's just fine. It's also pretty much the story of our Vueling experience. The staff are friendly and smiley.
FOOD
Vueling does offer food on board but you have to pay for it. There menu includes a club sandwich, a vegetarian burrito, packets of chips, nuts and assorted drinks both hot and cold, which are pricey, but not outrageous (the club sandwich, for example, is €6.50, or about $10).
THE VUELING EXPERIENCE
The entire Vueling travel experience is much like the Vueling plane itself: adequate. Functional. This is an airline that can get you from the north of Spain to the centre of Italy for a bit over €100. There's no entertainment and no food included, but the service is friendly and professional, check-in is well managed, and we depart and arrive on time.
VUELING AIRLINES CHECK-IN
If you didn't select a seat during your booking, don't worry, you can сheck-in online between 7 days and one hour before your flight.
For your convenience, the cabin bag can be checked in; on the spot you pay (only by card) 4 euros for each.
Price/Fees/Baggage
Vueling is a budget airline so their prices are pretty reasonable, they're not quite RyanAir cheap but unlike RyanAir you don't have to print your ticket and you can bring a carry-on bag for free.
Additional information
Airline name: Vueling
IATA code: VY
Year Founded: 2004
Headquarters: El Prat de Llobregat, Spain
Website: vueling.com