Vueling Priority boarding

Vueling has joined Ryanair in introducing priority boarding. Priority boarding comes with a price of €5 per ticket. You may be asking yourself what Priority boarding is and if it’s worth the money.

Vueling is a Spanish airline based in Barcelona that is part of the IAG group . The IAG group includes BA,Iberia,Vueling and several other smaller airlines. Vueling has various hubs in Europe and is one of the largest European low cost carriers.

What is Priority boarding?

Priority boarding basically means you will board the plane before the non priority passengers. Unfortunately it doesn’t allow you to disembark first. Boarding first allows you to avoid the scrum that the boarding line tends to develop into. In addition it makes it easier to find space for your carry on. If the plane is full and the flight crew needs to gate check some carry ons priority passengers aren’t likely to be chosen.

Is it worth it?

The main advantage is finding space for your carry on. If you have a laptop , camera or other valuable and fragile items in your carry on you may find the €5 a small price to pay. On the other hand if you’re returning from a trip with nothing but dirty laundry you likely don’t care if your bag is gate checked. Boarding first replaces the wait in line with a wait on the plane. You’ll need to decide for yourself if sitting on the plane is better than waiting in line.

If Vueling follows the Ryanair pattern they may “add” more value to priority boarding in the future. Ryanair has done this by increasing the check in window to sixty days while restricting it for all other passengers to four. Pay attention to what the airline is including when you are deciding for or against spending the €5.

Like always finding a low cost flight ends up being a math problem. The headline price often not being what you’ll pay in the end. Compare what is being offered against your needs and pick the ticket that provides you personally with the best value.