Review of Level Airlines
Earlier this summer I decided to plan an autumn trip to Barcelona, Spain. My ideal travel month was October however shortly after searching flights I was distressed to find prices were greater than $1,200 for a basic economy seat departing from Atlanta with a single layover. The sole airline that flies direct to Barcelona from Atlanta is Delta Airlines and those tickets were greater than $1,400 for basic economy. As an American traveler this is often the story when planning a vacation to Europe and leads many Americans to defer their plans to go abroad. I began to search alternative flights departing from the Northeastern United States as those tend to be more affordable given the shorter flight time. I stumbled upon an airline I had never heard of called Level Airlines. What grabbed my attention about this airline was that a round-trip flight from New York City’s JFK Airport to Barcelona cost as little as $360.
Level Airlines is a Spanish-based low-cost, long-haul carrier operated by International Airlines Group. Other Spanish airline brands operating under this parent company include Iberia Airlines & Vueling. Level Airlines offers direct flights to and from Barcelona. The hubs in North America include 5 major cities which are Miami, Boston, New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco. I was fortunate to have enough Delta Sky Miles to book a round-trip flight from Atlanta to JFK and that was enough motivation for me to give Level Airlines a try. I am here to offer my honest review if this is a reasonable option for those looking to save money on flights to Barcelona.
Flight Times
For the North American hub cities, I found the departure times for Level Airlines to be on par with other major airlines. You can expect a nighttime departure with an arrival to Barcelona the next day. My departure from JFK left at 11:40 p.m. & landed in Spain at 1:35 p.m. with a flight time of 7 hours and 45 minutes. I found this to be a good option & it allowed me to sleep at a more traditional time coming from the Eastern Standard Time zone which is 6 hours behind Barcelona.
Arriving back to America presented a bit of a problem as the arrival times for Level were all after 8 p.m. and past the point of catching a return flight to Atlanta the same day. My return flight landed at JFK at 9:40 p.m. Because of this, I opted to stay a couple nights in New York City before returning to Atlanta.
Finding your Gate
After landing in New York, I needed to exit my Delta terminal and reenter the airport at the terminal for Level Airlines (Terminal 8). This required a lengthy walk and a ride on the AirTrain but I found the signage in JFK to be fairly straight forward. The sign for the check-in area for Level was well-marked and was also listed on the online terminal map. As I entered TSA, I realized that my boarding pass listed the terminal number but did not list a gate number. I found this stressful as there were greater than 40 gates in this terminal spanning in opposite directions. With no information desk available, I resorted to looking at the flight board for guidance. Level Airlines was not listed but I did find a flight to Barcelona from Iberian Airlines with my same departure time. The gate was in an American Airlines gate and did not have Level listed on the electronic gate board however a flight attendant confirmed this was the correct gate for my flight.
Finding my gate for my departure from Barcelona was a much easier process. Level Airlines Departs from Terminal 1 at the Barcelona-El Prat Airport. Again, I did not have a gate listed on my boarding pass, but the flight board listed my flight as a Level Airlines flight with the corresponding gate number. At the gate, the screen confirmed this was a Level flight.
The standard for Level Airlines is for all groups to queue prior to entering the gate. This caused congestion as well as prolonged standing time & overall I found this to be less efficient than announcing the gates systematically.
In Flight
My flight to Barcelona was on an Airbus A330 with a seat grid of 3 x 3 x 3. I booked a window seat but found much of my legroom was taken up by a box and could not fit my bag. The seats were also fairly narrow. Because of these factors, I felt the comfort of the plane was lacking however you do have the option of upgrading to seats with more legroom.
My flight returning to America was also an Airbus A300 but with a seat grid of 2 x 3 x 2. I found this flight to be much more comfortable with ample legroom and wider seats.
Level offers free Wi-Fi for basic messaging like in iMessage or WhatsApp. For full internet access you can purchase hourly or for the full duration of the flight. I opted to purchase Wi-Fi for the full flight but found it to be unreliable and spotty.
Other inflight amenities are available (blankets, neck pillows, socks, etc.) but be prepared to pay for them. I purchased earbuds for my return flight & they were a modest €3.50 and came in an attractive, compact case.
Food & Drink
When choosing your seat for Level Airlines you can opt for a basic ticket which does not include meal service or a checked bag or one that includes both for a higher price. I opted for the 1st option. Online reviews of Level Airlines mention to expect to pay for any food or drink items (including water) so I purchased water at the terminal to take on the plane.
On my return flight, I opted to purchase a meal. Despite expecting to pay for food and drinks, I was not charged for either. I found the food options to be reasonable with sandwiches, snacks, desserts & vegetarian friendly options also. There is a decent selection of both non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages.
So, should you book Level Airlines?
The short answer to this question is- maybe. I found Level Airlines to be an overall fair-to-good experience. My flight was close to $1,000 less than I would have paid booking directly through Atlanta however I had the benefit of booking my connecting flight with reward points. My experience on the flight to Barcelona was suboptimal and my flight back to New York was good.
Final points to consider in your decision:
1. The cost of your flight can vary significantly based on the day of your departure. There are many options that changed by $200 or more booking within a single day of each other.
You will benefit most from a Level Flight if your travel dates are flexible.
2. If you do not live within a reasonable drive from one of the airports serviced by Level, prepare to spend a night at that location upon your return. This should factor into your cost considerations when comparing other flight options. You should also factor in the cost of the additional flight or drive to and from the departing airport.
3. You are not given your gate number on your boarding pass & do not know it until you have arrived at the terminal. Finding the appropriate gate can be unclear which adds additional stress to an already busy day.
I suggest building in an extra 30 minutes to 1 hour to find your appropriate gate.
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