It's definitely trendy these days for airlines to do a bit of merging. The latest one's taking place over the Spanish skies, and we highly approve because it's bringing together two low cost carriers that we actually like.
Spanish LCCs Clickair and Vueling Airlines have agreed to shack up together--with Vueling taking the top bunk. (Sadly, that means Clickair's cool name will disappear.) The two airlines have been negotiating details of the merger for months but just this week agreed that it's the best way to deal with rising costs.
The deal's not a sure thing quite yet: The Spanish authorities have to decide whether this merger goes against competition guidelines. We say go for it, in the hope that we'll get the perfect LCC with on-time flights and luxury leg room.
Spanish LCC Vueling has co-branded two of its A320s with MTV, covering the exteriors with street-inspired art. Inside, the in-flight entertainment systems have been stocked with MTV shows--including "True Life" and "Super Sweet 16"--and some new audio playlists.
The project obviously has a complementary microsite, where there's talk of on-board DJs and parties in Athens, Barcelona, Ibiza and Rome. There's also a newsletter advertised, but you can't seem to sign up for it just yet. Maybe things don't start till later this summer?
While we wait for the extras, the two planes are already flying. One was decked out by Pepa Prieto; the other was done by 3ttMan.
Last year, Spanish LCC Vueling, was getting solid ratings on luxury, friendliness and value. But passengers also warned that late flights were a sure bet, too. Seems old habits die hard.
We booked a solid €122 deal to Barcelona on Vueling's user-friendly website but a few weeks later an email arrived saying our departure would be delayed due to "operational circumstances." The first delay was 25 minutes, then a month later we got an email with another 1 hour delay, making the estimated departure from Venice 10:10 pm.
At the airport, all systems seemed "GO" but just before boarding, the flight was delayed another 30 minutes making the total delay from our original reservation almost 2 hours. That put us at our digs in the grittier section of El Raval at about 1:30 am, apparently the hour for horny Spaniards and prozzies.
Despite the trouble, we're still major fans of Vueling's short check-in lines, cushy leather seats and bright-eyed flight staff. The carrier also recently announced a connection between Madrid and Malta, making it the only Spanish airline to have regular routes between the two destinations.
We love luxury lines. But what we love even more? Budget flights that make it feel like we paid an arm and a leg. Maybe that's why Vueling Airlines is our new carrier of choice for flying from Spain to France, Italy or the Netherlands.
Vueling's planes have roomy leather seats, friendly flight attendants, and yes, even delicious treats. But you don't have to take our word for it. Here is what one recent flier said:
Clean, tidy aircraft with decent leg room. snack for sale.
What you shouldn't expect
On time Flight Departure. I have never been on a vueling flight that left on time. whether it be 20 min or 4 hours, i wouldn't schedule connections. They have few aircraft and short flights so...
Another flier was to the point -- he is giving up Spanair:
I went Malaga to Barcelona and no longer have any reason to fly Spanair.
Spanish LCC Vueling Airlines got its passengers a bit nervous this week on a Lisbon to Madrid flight. On one side of the plane, 29 rows were taped off and unable to be used, leaving just 3 rows of people on the other side.
The reason was simple: "a safety problem with the door at the front". Oh, only a safety problem. Nothing to worry about then. Apparently aviation regulations do allow such aircraft to fly when there is a problem with one door, as long as passenger capacity is adjusted appropriately. But not a way we'd especially like to travel.
Vueling is a Spanish LCC, based out of Barcelona. Founded in 2004, they follow the JetBlue model quite strictly: They only fly A320s, they're based from a major metropolitan city, and they've poached some managers from the U.S. airline to help them start-up.
So we came in with high expectations, beyond really digging the arty map concept. We liked Vueling, which is definitely in the top tier of LCC web sites. Fare searches are pretty flexible and display surrounding dates. You also get to pick your seat, which is a rarity with these types of airlines, and a welcome level of service. You can also search the "calendar of prices": Pick your destination and see when it will be cheapest to fly there. That's pretty sweet if you ask us--it's like a built-in version of FareCast.
We were impressed with Vueling. If there was only some way to ensure that they served Iberico ham on board--then we'd be first in line for a ticket.
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by amandak
