Tag: Gatwick Airport

A Review of Vueling A320-200 Economy LGW – LPA

En route to join our Windstar Cruise, we needed to fly to Gran Canaria. I thought a one way to Spain would cost an arm and a leg, but was surprised to find an excellent fare with Vueling. Vueling is a budget partner of British Airways, part of the Oneworld alliance, and is based out of Barcelona. So what is Vueling like? Join us as we travel from London Gatwick to Las Palmas in this review of Vueling A320.

This post may contain sponsored content or affiliate links that help support the blog. All opinions are our own.

Our Vueling and London Gatwick Airport Experience

Check In

Let’s start our review of Vueling with baggage. I decided to book one big bag between us as taking a large hand luggage each was more expensive. We were both surprised to see that outside the Schengen region, Vueling’s check in only opens 2 hours and 20 minutes beforehand. That throws my “three hours before the flight” schedule right out. Well, we arrive at London Victoria in time for an earlier train so we decided to go straight to Gatwick airport already.

Vueling’s Self Service Bag Drop

Happily, when we arrived at London Gatwick Airport, we found a self service check in and bag drop area that was already open. I had checked in online so getting our bag tag was really quick. I tagged the bag with expert flair (of course) and we popped it on the belt. The light turned green (thanks for the naughty 300 grams extra that we packed) and it trundled away. So easy!

With more time than expected, we zipped through security and found a lounge to hang out in before the gate was announced.

The Gate

Gatwick has cramped closed gates with no bathrooms so I was very glad that we had popped to the loo before walking down. British Airways staff were manning the gate. I guess they are the handlers at Gatwick. They referred to the airline as “vewling” which probably adds to everyone’s chronic mispronunciation of it.

We were there before most people and grabbed a seat next to the crew. People wandered up to the bank of vending machines with nothing else to do and the time ticked by.

There was an announcement to apologise for delayed boarding. It was due to a slow disembarkation of the inbound from Malaga. We eventually started boarding about ten minutes before we were due to take off. They called groups one and two, which had about thirty people in total. Then group three, which consisted of the rest of the plane. It was slow boarding. There was no call for people with small children and not using seat row numbers seemed a bit mad considering 80% of the plane was in group three.

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Vueling A320 Interior

The inside of the Vueling Airbus A320 plane was bright, but not super clean. The panels above our heads were mucky, as was the tray table and the exit door.

Our Seats

A few days before the flight, we got an email from Vueling advertising a bidding system for extra leg room seats. I popped in a relatively low bid (£13 each) and it was accepted. I hadn’t realised it was for the exit row. In my commuting brain, I was opting for the front rows (1-6 or so) which are called Space Plus. It was a little annoying but it was my misunderstanding and still very nice to have the extra room on a 4.5 hour flight.

The seats themselves were standard budget seats with not quite enough padding and lacking any recline. The colour scheme was odd. The seats were a dark taupe which I find distinctly unappealing with yellow head rest covers which were also leather.

There was small, adjustable tray and a mesh seat back pocket. This didn’t have sides so be careful when putting anything small in here. I think we all know by now that I don’t like to use these as they are hard to clean and can harbour nasty surprises left by previous flyers, but at least this one isn’t all enclosed.

The Storage

The overhead lockers were meant to be reserved for large cabin bags only. In fact, they had stickers that said as much. Most people adhered to the rule but of course, there was the odd handbag or coat in there too. There seemed to be a lot less hand luggage in general and I think that means everybody did as we did and opted for the cheaper check in option. It was nice to see that the crew weren’t struggling to fit everything in as they do on many other cheaper airlines. This does indicate that their boarding strategy is less than ideal though, as the hand luggage is usually what causes delays on the jet bridge.

The Entertainment

This part of our review of Vueling is easy; there is no entertainment but there is a USB A plug each between the seats so best to fill your phone with things before you leave. Saying that, our plugs didn’t work so make sure you’ve got a power bank too, just in case.

Amenities

No inflight kit was provided.

The bathroom at the front was small but clean enough. It was odd that they had tiny hand soaps instead of hand wash. The amount of plastic waste this generates doesn’t feel great and the idea of touching someone else’s used soap can put a lot of people off. I think anything that makes hand washing harder should be discouraged, especially in the germs world of the aircraft bathroom. At least they had plenty of hand towels.

Vueling’s Inflight Food and Drink

I took a quick look through the on board menu (all chargeable) and was delighted to see the prices. Whilst not cheap by regular standards, when compared to other budget airlines, the prices were pretty good.

Two 20cl bottles of Cava for €11.95 was better than a London pub and a tea or coffee with free refills at €3.50 is a bargain! (I wonder how hard it is to get refills).

This was clear when the cart came down the aisle. Everyone bought something, and not just one thing, people were buying full meals. I decided it would be fun to try an “Codorníu Orange Spritz”. However, the crew got to our row, asked one side what they wanted and then disappeared! I thought they were just letting people through to the bathroom but no, they didn’t come back. A guy in the row behind pointed this out and another crew member went after them. They came down collecting empties and we both jumped at them to buy something. I got the spritz and it probably wasn’t worth the wait. It was nice-ish; a one and done.

Final Thoughts on this Review of Vueling

We hope you found this review of Vueling useful. If you can book early and get a cheap ticket, then it is a good shout. They go from major London airports and I did like the affordable food and drink options. However, if the tickets are a similar price as carriers like BA, I’d opt for the “full service” carrier. That said, I would definitely fly Vueling again.

Rosie xx

14/05/2024
A Review of Tunisair A320neo Economy LGW – TUN

Tunisia is a year-round sunny destination that is just 2.5 hours from the UK. It feels like another world with North African food, culture and sunshine. For many, Gatwick is the gateway to this jewel on the southern edge of the Mediterranean. We flew Tunisair from London Gatwick to Tunis for our 2024 trip on one of their newest planes. Here is our review of Tunisair A320neo Economy LGW – TUN.

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17/03/2024
A Review of airBaltic A220-300 Business Class LGW – RIX – LGW

AirBaltic is Latvia’s national airline, although you would never know it. Great prices and a lack of flag in their logo makes it seem like a private company, rather than 80% state-owned. Mind you, I only know this with hindsight. When I checked in for my airBaltic flight to Riga, I just thought they were a low-cost carrier in the Baltics and so I had no prior expectations. Here is my airBaltic business class review on the Airbus A220-300 from London to Riga.

Travelling to Riga? Check out our Long Weekend in Riga Itinerary HERE

A220-300 airBaltic business class review
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03/12/2019
A Review of British Airways A320-200 Economy LGW – FNC

British Airways is the UK’s flagship carrier. If you were around in the 1990s, it probably conjures up images of pearls, leather seats and in the background a sweet rendition of Aria on Air. However, in recent years, British Airways has changed. They have bought in lots of new initiatives and cost cutting efforts (do you remember when they took the second olive out of their martini and saved a bundle?). Our recent trip to Funchal, Madeira saw us booking on BA for the first time in years which gave us the chance to see the changes in British Airways economy for ourselves.

The Review of British Airways Economy

Airport Experience

The British Airways app is really very good. We used it to book our flight and then it reminded us to enter our advance passenger information. I did that one day when I was bored and waiting for a train…a very good use of time if I do say so myself. Twenty-four hours before our flight, a little reminder notification to check in popped up. As all our info was already in there, it was a very quick and easy process.

Mr Fluskey’s boarding pass

Our fare was a British Airways economy hand luggage only fare. We were free to take a large carry on bag with no weight restrictions, and a smaller personal item (handbag, laptop bag, or in my case, my beloved Cath Kidston rucksack).

Check out all our flight reviews including Virgin Atlantic and Emirates

Breezing through the airport, not having to stop at check in, we were done with security in a matter of minutes. We bought some food (more on that later) and then the app updated to show our gate number.

Oh the joys of a departure lounge

Here we go!

Boarding was swift and simple. Everyone is assigned a “group” and then they are welcomed forwards by group number. Easy peasy.

Interior

The plane was just that, plain. White lights lit the navy blue and white cabin. Despite the cold colour scheme, the welcome from the crew was very warm…and actually the crew were lovely throughout, so that made the whole flight much more pleasant.

Mr Fluskey with his trusty Fjallraven

The normal light and air conditioning blowers are in the panel above you.

The windows were the Airbus A320 standard. They aren’t huge, and the second layer makes them even smaller.

Seats

The configuration is the normal 3, 3 set up, as seen on most Airbus A320s. Travelling as a couple, this is always irritating. We like the window and so we are always hemmed in by a stranger; not good when you need to pop to the loo.

British Airways have chosen a very nice seat. Well, not the seat per se, but the seat covers. They have a navy blue leatherette cover with nice stitch detailing. On both our outbound and return flight, we were greeted by a previous passengers crumbs. It wasn’t very nice but at least the leather made it easy to wipe it off.

The economy seats

The leg room was pretty average at 30 inches. The width was 17 inches, which was fine.

The head rest is nice and adjustable. It goes up quite a way. The side flaps bend well, and are nice and stiff, but they are not that big so are a little too small to hold your head very well. It also has an indent of the BA logo which is cool.

Head rest goes down

It rest goes up

Head rest goes round

The logo

The arm rests are a little thin, and ours had a sticker that wouldn’t come off.

Not the end of the world, but it shows a little carelessness.

The seat back pocket space is pretty good. There is a magazine pocket at the top of the seat. It only has a plastic piece at the bottom to stop the magazines falling out so don’t put little bits and bobs in here or they will get lost.

The magazine pocket

Below the table is a mesh pocket. On our outbound flight it was nice but on the way home, both Mr Fluskey’s and my pockets were ripped. It was a bit shabby.

The seats reclined, but by about half an inch. I have read that they are doing away with even that on their new planes. Four hours is quite a long flight, surely that deserves a better level of comfort.

Storage

British Airways has a very clear policy when it comes to hand luggage. You are allowed one larger piece of hand luggage to go above you in the overhead locker. Additionally, you can have a smaller item that must go under the seat in front of you. This got a yellow tag in the airport.

The overhead lockers were a bit battered

Check out Top Ten Tips to Pack Your Liquids Bag for Carry On Luggage Like a Pro!

Some people didn’t understand this so the crew had to go along and request that anything with a yellow tag was removed from the overhead bins. The bins weren’t deep enough to have bags on their thin side. This always reduces the capacity quite badly. People near us had their bags somewhere near the front as there was no room left nearby.

Feeling smug because we managed to get our bags in the locker above us

Read all about our travels in Portugal

Entertainment

Considering this was a four hour flight, the entertainment provision was very poor. British Airways considers this a short haul flight and so they provide no video or audio. This is the same for economy and business.

The only entertainment was the High Life and Business Life magazines in the seat back pocket. Neither interested me all that much so after a quick flick through, they were abandoned.

Thank goodness we had brought the iPad chock full of Netflix content!

Amenities

We weren’t given any kind of amenity kit on this flight.

The bathrooms were very tight and had no cute little extras in…it was just like being on a budget flight.

Food

So if you are flying on British Airways, you get a snack right? Wrong! Again, as this was a short haul flight, no food or drinks were included. Luckily we already knew about this and so had bought lunch at the airport before boarding.

If you are in British Airways economy you are given a book full of Marks and Spencer’s products that you can purchase. I like to have a look through and see what’s on offer.

Bottoms up!

The only things that appealed to me were the Globetrotting Percy sweets (who doesn’t love Percy Pigs?) and the drinks at the end. We decided to treat ourselves and got a drink each.

Cheers

Final Thoughts

Considering the length of four hours, this was not a particularly comfortable or enjoyable flight. Other than the fancier seats, and the extra handbag in out hand luggage allowance, we may as well have been on the easyJet flight that goes to Madeira! It would have saved us a bit of money and we would have spent the same on food and drink anyway.

Hello Madeira

Honestly, I am quite disappointed in British Airways economy offering on this short haul route. The hand luggage allowance is great, as is the app, but other than that…? I can’t say I would recommend it. At least their long haul offering is still very competitive.

Now you’re in Madeira, why not go Whale and Dolphin Watching with VMT Madeira

Rosie xx

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24/06/2018
Virgin Atlantic – When Lightning Strikes – Flight VS65 LGW to MBJ

On 22nd March 2017, our Virgin Atlantic plane was hit by lightning, which was very normal. We returned to London Gatwick Airport, which was not. What happened? Is lightning dangerous? Will I finally get the right things out of the overhead locker!?
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25/03/2017
A Review of Emirates A380 Economy LGW – DXB

£390 return to Sri Lanka? And on Emirates!? And confirmed!!? A no brainer! We booked that evening.

When January 2017 finally rolled around, we packed our bags and head off to London Gatwick Airport to catch our flight.

The Airport Experience

Emirates uses Gatwick North terminal which (when we visited) was undergoing a large airline switch. As Emirates economy hand luggage allowance is one piece at 7kg (15 1/2 lb) we had to check a bag in. The check in staff were polite enough but uninterested.

The gate we were allocated was up and over the bridge to a remote area with gate numbers in the 100s. These closed gate rooms are not designed to house the 400 plus people that can squeeze onto an Airbus A380. It felt quite cramped and seeing the business and first class passengers through the glass, seated in spacious comfort was a little irritating (especially after one has got up at 05:00 for ones flight). But then I wasn’t prepared to pay an extra £2000 plus for business class, so I can’t really complain.

The Emirates Airbus 380

First Impressions

Boarding was called in sections. We were sitting in zone D and our turn came in the second economy call. Airbus A380s are long planes and so it took a little while to walk back to our seats. If you are travelling with reduced mobility, I would definitely recommend advising the airline in advance to make sure you get a seat near the front.

I had gambled on our seats a little. The seating configuration in economy is 3-4-3 and so when choosing seats I had put us in the 3 seats on the side, me in the window and Mr Fluskey on the aisle. My thinking was that if someone did take the middle seat, it would be easy enough to swap for their preference of window or aisle. If in doubt, we could always cough on them, or start smooching across them. (Only joking, but I bet these tactics could work).

Read all our flight reviews including British Airways, EasyJet and Turkish Airlines

The Storage

The first thing I noticed, standing a measly 5 foot (or 152 cm) high, was the overhead lockers. They came right down and had loads of space. Even I could get a full size cabin bag in one without looking slightly pathetic. It did mean that I actually had to watch my head though, a novelty. There was also ample space under the seat in front. However, Emirates has a reasonably strict hand luggage limit in economy of one piece at 7kg, so there’s little risk that they would run out of room anyway.

The Interior

The inside of the plane has been artificially reduced so that there is a fake wall between the interior and shell. This allows the windows on the inside layer to be about a third bigger than you might expect. It also keeps the temperature a little balmier for those who, like me, need to lean on the window to sleep.

The lighting as we boarded was bright white and so lacked a touch of flare. I think I have grown used to Virgin Atlantic’s use of mood lighting. They did have music playing which I always enjoy; a little Frank Sinatra.

The Seat

I was pleasantly surprised with the size of the seats on the Airbus A380. As I’ve mentioned, I’m a shorty and so legroom isn’t really an issue for me while I’m sitting. I do appreciate a little more room when I’m doing the awkward bum shuffle out to the toilet though.

The seat pitch was 34 inches, which is pretty good by economy class standards. The seat itself was 18 inches wide and that I really liked. I like to curl up on flights to get comfortable. I do it on chairs at home and at the cinema, I have to stop myself doing it at fancy dinners, it’s just how I feel cozy. The head rest was adjustable so it even came down to my height.

Check out the best place to sit on SeatGuru

My favourite touch was the stickers that were provided. These send a message to the crew about when to prod you awake, or leave you to snooze.

The Entertainment

Emirates’ entertainment is called ICE (Information Communication Entertainment) and is exceptional. The touchscreens are huge for an economy cabin at 13.3 inches, the size of a decent laptop screen. Emirates provide thousands of options, headlined by hundreds of films including recent releases and Disney classics. I had to look all the films up in advance so I could plan my viewing or I may have spent the whole flight trying to pick. The touch screens are pretty responsive, but they are never perfect when we are used to our smartphones.

All of the seats had USB plug sockets, and two out of three had a proper plug. I’m not sure why this isn’t all of them, but if you need to work on your laptop, I’m sure you can do some negotiating with your nextdoor neighbour.

The Amenities

Here I think the Emirates product is a bit of a let down. The blankets provided were well above average in their size and quality, but the headphones were of the two-prong connector variety and more than a little clunky. I know they do this so that you aren’t tempted to walk off with them but I didn’t enjoy using them and switched back to mine very quickly.

No wash kit was provided. I’ve come to expect this on other airlines and so I was left disappointed. However, there were hand lotions and other helpful things in the toilets, a nice touch in economy.

The Food

Salty, salty, salty! I know why they do this, tastebuds are deadened at altitude, but in an already dehydrating environment, it left me gasping for water. There has been research into the umami taste at altitude but it seems Emirates haven’t gotten that far.

Saying that, I had a meat option and I was pleasantly surprised at how tender the chicken was. It was also a very good portion size.

If you wanted an alcoholic drink with your food, you had to ask specifically as they weren’t out on the trolley, and the first drinks service was just soft drinks. I suppose this is probably obvious when you think that it’s a Middle Eastern airline, but they do have a bar upstairs in business/first so I guessed the drink might be more plentiful.

A word of warning!

If you are vegetarian PREBOOK YOUR MEAL! We took four flights to Sri Lanka and back and not one meal service had a vegetarian option as standard.

The Crew

The crew were delightful. Emirates is very proud of its multinational staff, they even make an announcement to tell you how many countries are represented and how many language they speak.

Considering they have to look after almost 400 economy passengers on a full flight, they stayed calm, friendly and attentive

So should I fly Emirates?

I would definitely recommend flying on the Emirates Airbus A380. It is a comfortable plane and they have multiple flights from London Gatwick and London Heathrow so you can choose a time that is right for you. However, next time I will bring a big bottle of water and my own teeth-cleaning kit. It is also worth noting that their Boeing 777 planes are older and smaller. The seats are less spacious and the screens are also much smaller and poorer quality. If you have he choice, go with the Airbus A380.

Read all our blogs on the United Arab Emirates

Rosie xx

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23/03/2017
No1 Traveller Lounge Gatwick North Review

Welcome to this No1 Traveller Lounge Gatwick North review. Having not been away for many months my planning for our trip to Sri Lanka got a little out of hand. I had booked the hostels, the flights and the trains, and with little else to do, I booked us into an airport lounge. Hence we found ourselves with two passes to the No1 Traveller Lounge Gatwick North terminal.

The No1 Traveller Lounge Gatwick North Terminal costs from £32 (when booked online) for three hours unless you have a Dragonpass card or are a Premium passenger on China Eastern, Finnair, Georgian Airways, Icelandair, Royal Air Maroc, Rwand Air, TUI, Westjet or Rossiya.

No1 Traveller Lounge Gatwick North review

We arrived at about 06:45 in time for our 09:00 flights. My first impression as I walked in, was of a hotel breakfast buffet. The chatter, the clatter of cutlery and the whirring of coffee machines filled the air.

The island bar is the first thing you see as you enter the lounge

The Seating

Passing the island-bar, we took a look around at the seating areas immediately in view.

Firstly, to the right of the bar was the mini cinema, which appeared to be the middle age men den. The news was on quietly and it was quite dark.

Between that and the window was the busiest seating area. It’s the first area you reach after the bar and sits to one side of the breakfast buffet.

The temperature in the lounge was a bit too cold for comfort. I overheard people saying they had moved seats several times to avoid the worst of the air conditioning. The temperature outside was -3°c/37°f and so I was hoping for a cosier inside experience. You can see the people sitting by windows in their jumpers and scarves.

On the other side of the buffet was the bistro area. It consisted of a few sets of tables and chairs, rather than the front room feel of the other areas. The larger tables had all been reserved and so there wasn’t much room.

Feeling a little disheartened at the crowds and cold, we decided to have another look for a good spot. Turning back towards the bar area, I spotted a doorway that I hadn’t seen on the way in.

The Library

Down two steps lay a room of tranquility. This clearly had a bit more thought put into the design elements. It felt vaguely reminiscent of a gentlemen’s club, but with rather hipster additions. Round to one side lay a snug, the reading room which is where we based ourselves. It had a larger corner sofa/bunkette which was surprisingly comfortable, spotlight lighting and small marble topped tables.

Turning left led to a larger room with vast leather sofas, a meeting table for eight and another meeting room for more private business lunches. Both of these areas were much emptier and the clients were quieter.

The Drinks

Once we were settled in, it was time for breakfast. We started with a quick trip to buffet and the bar.

The coffee machines were fine, but the coffee was a little uninspiring. I managed to walk off with a cup of hot milk when one of them forgot to put the coffee in my coffee.

No exciting surprises here, it’s pretty standard stuff on the buffet

The Food

On the buffet you’ll find fruit, yogurt, cereal, cheese and crackers, and jams etc. The cheese was a bit on the boring side; mild cheddar and Red Leicester but we took some of that and a few mini pastries.

Mr Fluskey said his orange juice tasted rubbish. The mini pastries were chewy rather than crisp, but they had a good flavour.

Starters done, we ordered beans on toast, and kedgeree from the a la carte menu. We were informed that there was no toast as the ovens weren’t working properly (I can only assume he meant toasters) and so would we like our baked beans and cheese with a roll? We would!

Is it me, or is this just wrong!?

This kedgeree felt very indulgent. Shame it was more rice and less fish. Poached egg was super though!

The Staff

We found all the staff to be very friendly and attentive. We overheard some other people who were disgusted at the lack of toast and the staff’s response when they asked to know more. Honestly, I think they just couldn’t bear the thought of a roll with their baked beans (which nobody should order before they get into an enclosed metal capsule anyway!).

The Bathrooms

Determined to make the most of my time and money, I took a quick trip to the ladies. I was quite impressed with the facilities. There was obvious thought put into the design, with enough room in each bathroom to change clothes, brush teeth if needed. The only problem with having individual sinks in each bathroom, is that the queue can get quite bad as people spend longer in there.

On the way out, we spotted another little room that was completely empty. It sits next to the concierge room at the front. It would be a lovely spot as nobody seems to notice it. Mind you, it could be a complete nightmare getting any table service.

Check out our other reviews of fights from London Gatwick including airBaltic, British Airways and Emirates

Final Thoughts

Overall impressions? Not a bad lounge. A bit too busy in some areas, but when you take everyone that wants to pay, it would be and definitely too cold! I’m not sure if £32 per person (online price) is worth it. If you have free or discounted access then go for it, but I’m sure you could have a nicer time as a couple with £64 elsewhere in Gatwick airport.

Rosie xx

26/01/2017