Dicksbits

.. do you collect TP / avios at all, or is it a completely separate low-cost operation?

Dicksbits

For the same flight - Vueling - dates and times, it's £48 more expensive for 2 booking via BA.com than IB...

craigthemif

Yes... but you earn 5 Tier Points... LOL.

Dicksbits

Looking at the Vueling website it invites you to add your FF no. if you are an IBERIA, Aer Lingus or Vueling member (for avios collection), but not BA? Weirder and weirder ... so you only get avios + TP IF you book via BA.com (and pay a surcharge of higher prices)... The mind boggles...

corporate-wage-slave

The relationship doesn't have symmetry. BA - with BA codeshare - offers VY services earning TPs and Avios at a similar level to their own BA flights. But VY being a LCC this often means 5 TPs since low cost fares means the lowest buckets, but higher buckets are available and with it higher TP and Avios earning. Separately VY has its own Avios scheme which means even if you buy directly from VY on prime flight numbers you can earn Avios (but not TPs). You would have to transfer the Avios into your BA account and the process can be a bit shaky though I can normally get it to work. The VY Avios scheme is very similar to the Aer Lingus scheme, essentially a shell Avios system rather than the status system of BA and IB. IB, though, has a much more intensive relationship with VY than BA so you can quite practically get status and Avios as an Iberia frequent flyer on VY, a bit like those Loganair commuters who get Silver via LM but rarely fly BA.

Dicksbits

Very helpful thank you - I followed that and it makes sense to me now. One last Q: If I wanted extra legroom seats, I assume I wouldn't get them if I booked via BA nor IB, and would have to book via VY website ?

corporate-wage-slave

I think exit row seats are indeed blocked out from BA codeshare purchases but I think I have got the extra space rows at the front, which have about 2cm extra over the back of the aircraft. In theory IB can sell exit rows but IB's seating can be tricky even for their own flights. Personally unless you are doing BCN-TLV I'm not sure it's worth going to a lot of trouble, it's a cramped but you're only on board a couple of hours.

Tredders

I've just booked LGW -> AGP at the start of Sept via BA, and it turns out that these are Vueling flights. Just looking to prebook my seats (on the Vueling website, since there's no ability to do this on MMB), and I can change my seat, but for a fee. It's not clear to me whether I need to pay or whether I can do these FOC as a GCH. I can't see anywhere to enter my BA Exec number, so do I just need to pay, or is there a way of doing this for free? Either is fine, I just don't want to pay £50 for 2 seats if it's not needed.

Thanks in advance.

corporate-wage-slave

It should be a free move, but clearly you are best to wait until ticketed before dashing over to Vueling as soon as the booking is made, I would leave it a few days first. If this is BA codeshared on to VY, booked via BA.com then so long as it shows up in BA.com then you're ok. With Vueling the only time you enter your frequent flyer number (and that would be an Iberia, Aer Lingus or Vueling F number) would be during the Vueling booking system. They have a very stripped down process in VY so it's not got all the bells and whistles of BA.com.

Tredders

As ever, thanks CWS - appreciate your advice 👍

cpworld

Looking at taking a positioning flight on Vueling EDI-BCN to catch another flight the following day. Same flight but prices differently across 3 websites Vueling < Iberia < BA. Any advantages or disadvantages? I'm Alaska/OWE but occasionally transfer Amex points to Avios but not frequently so not really chasing points. I'm also a little worried about bags. my roller bag is 57 cm vs 55 stated limit and it won't be jammed but will exceed 10kg. How strict are they?

PDXNRTLHR

I've been flying Vueling for years and have never had them weigh my bag. As for dimensions, I would also expect it to fly given it's just a hair over the allowance, but be prepared to be graceful if they ask you to check it.

bisonrav

Just on seats as a point of information for the Aug 22 posts upthread, I have a pure Vueling out and BA ticketed Vueling return to Malaga tomorrow, and noted that the BA booking allows me to to select non-premium seats free (including rows fairly close to the front) but not front row or exit rows.

I also got swapped onto a Vueling service from BA after a cancellation.I believe I don't get lounge access in Malaga as it's not a BA operated lounge. That's a little more irritating than the seating given I wasn't told about the VY substitution (though to be fair I found out pretty much immediately the change was confirmed).

cpworld

I'll just purchase from Vueling then -- the TimeFlex option allows seat selection and priority boarding -- thanks for the advice. Wonder if/when they will join oneWorld?

CX HK

I noticed that booking Vueling via BA.com results in often significantly higher fares - is there any reasoning behind this other than BA thinks they can charge a higher price if the customer is already on BA.com, and perhaps for those who need the tier points? Or am I looking at this wrong.