After a long time resisting their business models, I am going to give in and take one of these airlines for a short hop that has no other good alternatives. (BCN-Italy, some time in August) I don't know much about the airport experience for either, so seeking your advice!
Both airlines have a 7:30am flight -- which I mention as part of my wondering which will be less hassle / unpleasant experience of getting to the airport and dealing with their strict checkin procedures so early in the morning.
I am willing to spend a few euros on seating / other conveniences if worth it. (US passport, btw)
What would you recommend / what are your experiences? Thanks!
Both airlines have a 7:30am flight -- which I mention as part of my wondering which will be less hassle / unpleasant experience of getting to the airport and dealing with their strict checkin procedures so early in the morning.
I am willing to spend a few euros on seating / other conveniences if worth it. (US passport, btw)
What would you recommend / what are your experiences? Thanks!
Personally, Vueling is my preferred poison. I've had an early morning 6:55 flight out of CDG without any issues but I usually arrive early anyway. BCN might be different due to the size of their operation there but shouldn't be a factor unless you need to check bags or check in with an agent. Might want to consider if either airline has any frequency advantage on the route you are considering in case something happens to your scheduled flight. It's probably a toss up.
A bit too late for the OP, but as a BCN "captive", I avoid VY and fly FR. (when I can't get a Oneworld or Star Alliance alternative)
Once you get over the mental block of paying for priority boarding and an exit row seat, FR is far more efficient at getting you to your destination on time.
Once you get over the mental block of paying for priority boarding and an exit row seat, FR is far more efficient at getting you to your destination on time.
FR has the better seat pitch and is generally more on-time.
VY is a LCC/conventional hybrid airline.
I've flown both. If the price is the same, I'd probably take VY, as you can get to the airport later than on FR. While in theory, the carry-on policy is the same, FR's is better if you buy speedy boarding. I've had VY give me trouble over my 1+1.
VY also tends to operate from 'normal' terminals, whereas FR operates from LCC terminals - whether this is a plus or a minus depends on the airport and your origin/destination.
VY's customer service is marginally better.
VY is a LCC/conventional hybrid airline.
I've flown both. If the price is the same, I'd probably take VY, as you can get to the airport later than on FR. While in theory, the carry-on policy is the same, FR's is better if you buy speedy boarding. I've had VY give me trouble over my 1+1.
VY also tends to operate from 'normal' terminals, whereas FR operates from LCC terminals - whether this is a plus or a minus depends on the airport and your origin/destination.
VY's customer service is marginally better.
Well, of course, I pulled the trigger on booking Vueling, and now a week later (still 2 months until flight) they reschedule/delay it by 4hr45min, just enough not to trigger a cancellation right. (according to their email, 5hr threshold)
So as a replacement/rebooking, I have chosen the same day earlier flight, which I could've booked if I had wanted the inconvenience of an 8am flight, for €20 less to begin with.
I guess that's just money burnt for the airline gods and not coming back.
So as a replacement/rebooking, I have chosen the same day earlier flight, which I could've booked if I had wanted the inconvenience of an 8am flight, for €20 less to begin with.
I guess that's just money burnt for the airline gods and not coming back.
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I guess that's just money burnt for the airline gods and not coming back.
Yeah. I was going to make a snide comment about [MENTION=72375]Palal[/MENTION] suggesting that VY customer service is better than FR.Originally Posted by TA
I guess that's just money burnt for the airline gods and not coming back.
Although that may be true to some extent, VY customer service is horrible, probably because far more bad things happen to VY, especially in terms of schedule/delays/staffing/etc...
So it's almost expected that in COVID times you'd see a schedule change from VY that is designed to avoid refunds / compensation.
I really wish all these vile airlines would just get wiped out. It's high time to get back to something normal and decent. Maybe passenger behaviour would improve in such a scenario, although this is not such a problem in Europe. It seems that the more solvent an airline is, the more vile it is.
Ambassador: Emirates Airlines
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Vile airlines? They fly millions of people a year without any issues. I was a regular with RyanAir/ Easyjet for a few years, and rarely had any issues. There is very little difference between an Easyjet flight and a BA/KL/AF/LH flight. You get to the airport, you queue to get on the plane, you're stuck for a couple of hours in a seat, and you have the option of buying some food or drinks. Originally Posted by Concerto
I really wish all these vile airlines would just get wiped out. It's high time to get back to something normal and decent. Maybe passenger behaviour would improve in such a scenario, although this is not such a problem in Europe. It seems that the more solvent an airline is, the more vile it is.
Customer Service? Just check the BA (and probably other boards) to see how well regarded their CS is!
It's right. Customer service at the legacies is dreadful now. I still think Ryanair and Vueling are pretty horrible, though. Though totally true that I've had decent enough flights with Ryanair and easyJet, although I have a grudge against Sleazy for something they did in the past. I maintain that somehow, sometime, service standards have to go back up. They can't go any lower. Can they???
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Although that may be true to some extent, VY customer service is horrible, probably because far more bad things happen to VY, especially in terms of schedule/delays/staffing/etc...
So it's almost expected that in COVID times you'd see a schedule change from VY that is designed to avoid refunds / compensation.
I've gotten someone on the phone who was able to provide me with answers on VY. That wouldn't happen on FR. You'd be hard-pressed to get to someone on the phone without paying a fortune.Originally Posted by craigthemif
Yeah. I was going to make a snide comment about [MENTION=72375]Palal[/MENTION] suggesting that VY customer service is better than FR.Although that may be true to some extent, VY customer service is horrible, probably because far more bad things happen to VY, especially in terms of schedule/delays/staffing/etc...
So it's almost expected that in COVID times you'd see a schedule change from VY that is designed to avoid refunds / compensation.
In case of IRROPS - you're SOL on either airline. If you have a substantial schedule change, you're probably better off on VY (more rebooking options).
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I really wish all these vile airlines would just get wiped out. It's high time to get back to something normal and decent. Maybe passenger behaviour would improve in such a scenario, although this is not such a problem in Europe. It seems that the more solvent an airline is, the more vile it is.
The number of problematic flights I've had on LCCs is comparable to legacies - in both cases the absolute numbers are low. If you're on an LCC, getting a refund/rerouting is more difficult than on a legacy airlne - that's the only difference.I really wish all these vile airlines would just get wiped out. It's high time to get back to something normal and decent. Maybe passenger behaviour would improve in such a scenario, although this is not such a problem in Europe. It seems that the more solvent an airline is, the more vile it is.
On-board experience is pretty much the same everywhere.
I'm in the same boat here. Looking at VY vs FR for a short BLQ-BCN hop. I think that the train, which is my preferred means of travel, is 2+ changes. Seems like the same crap from both.
I don't understand all the hate for VY. I've flown them probably 100 times and have never had a bad experience, other than two delayed flights due to capacity restrictions in BCN, and I hate bus gates, which they are fond of. But for a 50€ ticket plus 25€ for the upgrade to "Vueling Business" (that's a first-row seat, a sandwich, and a Coke) I'm in a comfortable-enough seat on a clean new plane, have a competent if not amazing crew, and don't have to deal with a planeload of lager louts and garish ads plastered everywhere. The few times I've reached out for customer service issues I've had quick and courteous responses. So...I mean, take RyanAir if that's what you really want, I see no reason to do so.