We flew with the Spanish low-cost carrier, Vueling Airlines, from London Gatwick South to Bilbao and returned 10 days later to Heathrow. Overall, the experience was straightforward and good value, despite a couple of minor frustrations.
Our outbound journey got off to an interesting start. On arrival at Gatwick, we found ourselves behind a group of around 80 teenage schoolchildren, but a helpful member of staff directed us to the front of the self-service bag drop area where another assisted us with the process.
Our departure gate, announced 45 minutes before the flight, was only a short walk. It soon became apparent that the entire school group was travelling on our flight, which explained why, when selecting seats online, the complimentary allocations were unusually towards the front of the aircraft. We were in seats 7C and 7D across the aisle from one another, and I was fortunate that the middle seat beside me remained empty.
The aircraft departed around 30 minutes late. If an announcement explaining the delay was made, it was impossible to hear over the excited chatter of the children, and when I asked a crew member for an update, the response was rather dismissive. Fortunately, the pilot made up the lost time en route and we landed in Bilbao on schedule at 4pm local time.
One feature that stood out was Vueling’s strict enforcement of disembarkation by row number, but as we were seated near the front, we were among the first off. While it created an orderly exit, it wasn’t obvious that it was any quicker overall, particularly for passengers whose hand luggage was stored several rows behind them.
As with most low-cost airlines, there were no complimentary refreshments, although a buy-on-board service was available throughout the flight.
Our return journey from Bilbao was equally uneventful. Check-in initially looked daunting, with a long, slow-moving queue and only a couple of desks open. However, staff soon separated passengers on domestic flights into a different queue, dramatically reducing our wait.
Boarding was efficient, and once again we had seats across the aisle from one another, this time in Row 9. At the last moment a couple with a baby occupied the remaining seats in my row, but fortunately as my husband had an entire row to himself, I moved across once boarding was complete to give us three seats between us.
The return flight departed 15 minutes behind schedule, and once again the onboard catering consisted of a paid trolley service. This time, however, we made up the delay and more, arriving at London Heathrow 30 minutes ahead of schedule.
Overall, Vueling delivered exactly what we expected from a low-cost airline: uncomplicated flights, comfortable enough seating, and punctual arrivals despite delayed departures.
