Vueling rating

5.7/10Axel score · #50 of 77

4.7/10Repriceability · #39

Checked October 26, 2026 · How Axel rates airlines

Strong punctuality, but Fly Light extras and limited flexibility weaken the bargain

Axel sees Vueling as a reasonable budget choice when your dates are firm and the fully priced fare is still competitive. Strong punctuality and a low cancellation rate support that choice, while paid baggage, seat charges and limited access to cheaper fares after booking weaken the value. Buy flexibility deliberately, because ordinary Fly and Fly Light tickets are normally nonrefundable.

Best
Cirium recorded 82.2% of flights arriving within 15 minutes of schedule in 2025.
Flight Credit from qualifying cancellations lasts 18 months and can fund someone else's travel.

Worst
Fly Light includes only a 40x30x20 cm underseat bag, with overhead baggage and seat selection costing extra.
Ordinary Fly and Fly Light tickets are normally nonrefundable after the 2-hour booking grace period.
Vueling publishes no direct guarantee of an adjustment when the same flight becomes cheaper.

If the fare drops after you book, can you get money back?

PartlyRepriceability 4.7/10

Partly, as credit rather than cash, and without a published price-drop guarantee. Fly Grande, or Fly and Fly Light with Flex Pack bought during booking, can be cancelled at least 2 hours before departure for Flight Credit. Rebooking the identical flight more cheaply is an inference, not an advertised entitlement. Unused credit remains, can fund anyone's travel and lasts 18 months from issue, subject to its displayed expiry. Ordinary Fly and Fly Light are normally nonrefundable after the 2-hour booking grace period. Their changes cost €50 to €60 per passenger per flight more than 15 days ahead, or €60 to €70 less than 15 days ahead, plus any applicable fare difference. Fly Grande waives change fees, while Flex Pack includes one fee-free change. Repayment of a lower fare difference on an ordinary change is not confirmed. The 24-hour booking-error correction waives change fees, not fare differences, and is not free cancellation. The grace period's refund method and deductions are unclear.

Axel's supplied observation data contains no measured savings or dated sample, so it cannot establish how often cancellation and rebooking produces savings.

Vueling fares
Fare	Changes	Cancel	Carry-on	Bags	Seat
Fly Light	EUR 50–60 per passenger per flight more than 15 days before departure; EUR 60–70 less than 15 days before departure, plus any applicable fare difference. Changes close 2 hours before departure.	Normally nonrefundable after the 2-hour booking grace period, unless a qualifying exception or previously purchased Flex Pack applies. Unused airport taxes can be reclaimed separately.	Fee	0	Fee
Fly	EUR 50–60 per passenger per flight more than 15 days before departure; EUR 60–70 less than 15 days before departure, plus any applicable fare difference. Changes close 2 hours before departure.	Normally nonrefundable after the 2-hour booking grace period. Unused airport taxes can be reclaimed separately. Cancellation for Flight Credit requires previously purchased Flex Pack or a qualifying exception.	Not confirmed	Not confirmed	Free choice
Fly Pro	No change fee	Normally nonrefundable after the 2-hour booking grace period, subject to qualifying exceptions. Fly Pro does not itself include cancellation for Flight Credit. Unused airport taxes can be reclaimed.	Included	0	Free choice
Fly Grande	No change fee	Free cancellation until 2 hours before departure, with the amount paid returned as Flight Credit rather than a routine cash refund.	Included	1	Free choice

Fare difference on a cheaper change: Not confirmed. The date/time-change help page requires the applicable change fee and fare difference but does not explain a negative difference. The carriage conditions explicitly deny repayment of lower-price differences in passenger/name-change provisions; that does not establish the rule for ordinary date/time changes. Cancellation and rebooking with Flex Pack is a separate option.
Same flight, lower price: No published direct same-flight price-drop adjustment was found. With Fly Grande, or Fly/Fly Light with previously purchased Flex Pack, travelers can cancel through My trips or the app at least 2 hours before departure, receive Flight Credit and make a new booking. Applying this to the identical flight at a lower price is an inference, not an advertised price guarantee. Unused credit remains available. Ordinary Fly without Flex Pack has no routine entitlement after the booking grace period.
Credits (Flight Credit): Credit from Fly Grande or Flex Pack cancellation is valid for 18 months from issue. Check the individual credit's displayed expiry. The terms permit booking any available flight before that deadline. Transferable: yes.
24-hour rule: Vueling publishes a cancellation grace period of 2 hours after booking for otherwise nonrefundable bundles. Its refund method and any deductions are not clearly distinguished from other cancellation cases. Separately, booking mistakes can be corrected by changing the flight date/time within 24 hours without a change fee, but any applicable fare difference remains payable. This is not a universal 24-hour free-cancellation promise.
Same-day change: Bring Your Flight Forward allows an earlier departure on the same day, subject to seats, through the app or an airport with a Vueling sales office. When not included, the published charge is EUR 40 per passenger. It is included for Fly Pro, legacy TimeFlex and Vueling Club Plus/Premium customers. It affects everyone in the booking, is available until the new flight's check-in closes, and excludes bookings made on the travel day and partner-operated connections. Fly Grande permits ordinary fee-free changes with applicable fare difference, but its dedicated earlier-flight entitlement is inconsistently described.
Schedule changes: The carriage conditions provide a full refund of amounts paid for the affected flight when Vueling changes departure by more than 5 hours before travel, the change is unacceptable and no acceptable alternative can be arranged. Statutory rights remain separate: AESA states that moving departure earlier by more than 1 hour constitutes cancellation, allowing reimbursement or rerouting. Vueling states that cancellation refunds use the original payment method within 7 days of application. Its passenger-rights notice also permits reimbursement when a departure delay reaches at least 5 hours and the passenger abandons travel. A voucher need not replace a statutory refund.

Score breakdown

Repriceability 35%4.7
- Standard fare change fee: 4.0/10 · Fly: EUR 50–60 per passenger per flight more than 15 days before departure; EUR 60–70 less than 15 days before departure, plus any applicable fare difference. Changes close 2 hours before departure.
- Lowest fare flexibility: 4.0/10 · Fly Light: EUR 50–60 per passenger per flight more than 15 days before departure; EUR 60–70 less than 15 days before departure, plus any applicable fare difference. Changes close 2 hours before departure.
- Lower fare on the same flight: 4.0/10 · No published direct same-flight price-drop adjustment was found. With Fly Grande, or Fly/Fly Light with previously purchased Flex Pack, travelers can cancel through My trips or the app at least 2 hours before departure, receive Flight Credit and make a new booking. Applying this to the identical flight at a lower price is an inference, not an advertised price guarantee. Unused credit remains available. Ordinary Fly without Flex Pack has no routine entitlement after the booking grace period.
- Credit terms: 10.0/10 · Credit from Fly Grande or Flex Pack cancellation is valid for 18 months from issue. Check the individual credit's displayed expiry. The terms permit booking any available flight before that deadline.; transferable: yes
- Cancel the standard fare: 0.0/10 · Normally nonrefundable after the 2-hour booking grace period. Unused airport taxes can be reclaimed separately. Cancellation for Flight Credit requires previously purchased Flex Pack or a qualifying exception.
- Risk-free window: 4.0/10 · Vueling publishes a cancellation grace period of 2 hours after booking for otherwise nonrefundable bundles. Its refund method and any deductions are not clearly distinguished from other cancellation cases. Separately, booking mistakes can be corrected by changing the flight date/time within 24 hours without a change fee, but any applicable fare difference remains payable. This is not a universal 24-hour free-cancellation promise.
- Same-day change: 7.0/10 · Bring Your Flight Forward allows an earlier departure on the same day, subject to seats, through the app or an airport with a Vueling sales office. When not included, the published charge is EUR 40 per passenger. It is included for Fly Pro, legacy TimeFlex and Vueling Club Plus/Premium customers. It affects everyone in the booking, is available until the new flight's check-in closes, and excludes bookings made on the travel day and partner-operated connections. Fly Grande permits ordinary fee-free changes with applicable fare difference, but its dedicated earlier-flight entitlement is inconsistently described.
- What Axel saw: does not apply · fewer than 10 attempts · Axel repricing attempts
Refunds and disruptions 20%7.6
- Commitments when the airline causes the problem: 8.0/10 · Covered by: EU261, UK261; Vueling publishes commitments to rerouting or reimbursement, meals and refreshments, communications, and necessary overnight accommodation with airport transfers. These implement EU261/UK261 duties rather than independently established benefits beyond the law. Its notice provides statutory compensation where applicable. No general, separately documented promise of additional cash compensation or an unconditional competitor-airline rebooking guarantee was verified.
- Refund conduct: 9.0/10 · 2025-07-18 France civil aviation ministry / DGAC
- Refund complaints: no data, median 5.1/10 used · too few US passengers to measure
Reliability 15%9.0
- On-time arrival: 8.9/10 · 82.2% on time (2025-01-01 to 2025-12-31; Europe ranking, Vueling (VY). Cancellation percentage derived as 100 minus the published 99.23% completion factor.) · Cirium On-Time Performance Review 2025
- Cancellations: 9.4/10 · 0.77% cancelled (2025-01-01 to 2025-12-31; Europe ranking, Vueling (VY). Cancellation percentage derived as 100 minus the published 99.23% completion factor.) · Cirium On-Time Performance Review 2025
Fees and transparency 15%2.8
- Carry-on in the lowest fare: 0.0/10 · Fly Light includes a free 40x30x20 cm underseat bag only. A 10 kg, 55x40x20 cm overhead bag requires a paid addition or qualifying seat, package or passenger benefit. Advance prices vary by booking; a current public advance-fee range was not verified. Published gate charges are EUR 60–75 for an oversized underseat bag and EUR 110–140 for luggage exceeding 55x40x20 cm, per item and flight.
- First checked bag: no data, median 6.0/10 used · Fly Light includes no checked bag. Published advance web/app prices per bag and flight are EUR 10–95 for 15 kg, EUR 14–96 for 20 kg, EUR 18–99 for 25 kg, and EUR 25–120 for 30 kg, depending on destination. The 25 kg airport price is EUR 50–160. Fly can include one 25 kg bag instead of its overhead-bag option; Fly Grande includes one 25 kg bag. No current USD tariff was verified.
- Seat in the lowest fare: 3.0/10 · fee
- Children seated with a parent: 5.0/10 · Vueling's own Flying with children (2 to 12 years old) page says it tries to seat children and their companions together during check-in; if limited availability prevents this, it recommends requesting assistance at the airport on departure day. Its Free Random Seat Assignments page likewise says it tries to keep passengers on the same booking together, subject to availability. These pages support policy_with_conditions as a best-effort seating policy, not a guaranteed free-adjacency entitlement. Neither page displays a publication or last-updated date; both were checked on October 26, 2026, and their actual revision dates could not be confirmed. There is no published guarantee here covering every child aged 13 or under on every fare. Fly Light charges for selecting seats; random assignment is free, normally from 24 hours before departure online or at the airport if necessary. Fly, Fly Pro and Fly Grande include selection within their eligible seat categories.
- Price shown is price paid: 1.0/10 · 2026-02-18 Andalusia Directorate-General for Consumer Affairs / Seville territorial consumer authority; 2024-05-10 Spain Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and Agenda 2030; 2024-05-07 Italy AGCM
Complaints and handling 10%5.2*
- Complaint rate: does not apply · too few US passengers to measure
- Mishandled bags: does not apply · not reported to DOT · U.S. DOT, April, May, July and August 2026
- Mishandled wheelchairs and scooters: does not apply · not reported to DOT · U.S. DOT, April, May, July and August 2026
- Bumping: does not apply · not reported to DOT · U.S. DOT, April to June 2026
Loyalty fairness 5%5.8
- Miles expiry: 7.0/10 · Avios expire after more than 36 months without earning or spending activity. On Vueling's own booking channel, Avios provide full or partial payment against the live cash price, including eligible extras; fully_dynamic denotes this fare-linked redemption model rather than a fixed award chart.
- Devaluations: 6.0/10 · 2026-01-23: The 2026 programme relaunch removed Vueling-flight Avios earning for Basic-tier members. Current official rules confirm no flight Avios for Basic, versus 3 per euro for Smart, 5 for Plus and 7 for Premium; an official May 2025 fare page had advertised 2 Avios per euro. This is an earning-value reduction, not merely an elite-qualification change.
- Award pricing: 3.0/10 · fully_dynamic

Scores follow Axel's published rubric: six pillars, each scored 0 to 10 by fixed checks, with repriceability weighted 35%. Facts were checked October 26, 2026. No data at all for Complaints and handling, so it takes the median of all rated airlines. No data for 2 checks (Refund complaints, First checked bag), each scored at the median of all rated airlines.

Refunds and disruptions

EU261 and UK261 provide reimbursement or rerouting, care during qualifying disruptions and statutory compensation where applicable. Vueling publishes commitments to meals, refreshments, communications and necessary overnight accommodation with airport transfers, implementing those duties rather than promising extra compensation. It says cancellation refunds return to the original payment method within 7 days of application. A delay of at least 5 hours also permits reimbursement if you abandon travel. A voucher need not replace a legally owed refund.

On July 18, 2025, France's civil aviation ministry / DGAC imposed €110,000 for reimbursement or rerouting and passenger-information breaches. The reviewed record does not establish a routine, airline-wide pattern of delayed refunds or forced vouchers during the last 2 years.

Regulator actions since October 2021

February 2026, Andalusia Directorate-General for Consumer Affairs / Seville territorial consumer authority: Andalusia upheld a separate €60,000 cabin-baggage surcharge penalty following complaints from approximately a dozen passengers. This records the underlying penalty once, using its publicly reported confirmation date; the original imposition date was not established. Conversion uses the February 18, 2026 ECB reference rate of $1.1845 per euro. Source
November 2025, EU Consumer Protection Cooperation network and European Commission: Vueling was among 21 airlines agreeing to change environmental marketing practices following coordinated consumer-protection dialogue. This was an agreed consumer-protection resolution concerning environmental claims, not a refund or compensation ruling; no monetary penalty was identified in the official announcement. Source
July 2025, France civil aviation ministry / DGAC: Decision 233 imposed €110,000 in total: €20,000 for four breaches of the right to reimbursement or rerouting under EU261 Article 8, and €90,000 for 18 breaches of the obligation to inform passengers fully of their rights under Article 14. A date-matched USD conversion was not verified. Source
May 2024, Spain Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and Agenda 2030: Spain imposed a €39,264,412 penalty concerning cabin-baggage charges, adjacent-seat charges for accompanying children or dependent passengers, cash-payment restrictions and price transparency. The USD amount uses the May 10, 2024 ECB reference rate of $1.0779 per euro. Vueling challenged the sanction; its latest annual accounts report that a court granted a stay on July 1, 2025, pending judgment. Source
May 2024, Italy AGCM: In case PS12650, decision 31197, AGCM accepted and made binding Vueling's commitments addressing insufficient disclosure of different cabin-baggage prices across its website, app and devices. This was an agreed, binding resolution without an infringement finding or monetary fine; adverse reflects the commitments resolution, not a finding of unlawful conduct. Source

Reliability

Reliability is a strength. Cirium's On-Time Performance Review 2025 covers 228,611 Vueling flights during calendar year 2025, with 82.2% arriving within 15 minutes of schedule. The cancellation figure is 0.77%, derived from the published 99.23% completion factor rather than a separately labelled cancellation statistic. These results support choosing Vueling for operational reliability, although they do not guarantee an individual flight.

Fees

Fly Light includes only a 40x30x20 cm underseat bag. Its paid 10 kg overhead-bag price varies, with no verified public advance range. Published 15 kg checked-bag prices are €10 to €95 online per flight. Seat selection costs extra, while random assignment is free. Family seating is best effort, not guaranteed. Extras increase the displayed fare, but an unavoidable charge added later was not confirmed.

Spain's Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and Agenda 2030 imposed a €39,264,412 sanction on May 10, 2024 over baggage, seating, payment and transparency practices. Vueling challenged it, and a court stayed the sanction on July 1, 2025.

Complaints

A comparable complaint rate per 100,000 passengers is unavailable because there were too few US passengers to measure. Mishandled bags and wheelchairs or scooters were not reported to the U.S. DOT for April, May, July and August 2026. Bumping was not reported for April to June 2026. These reporting gaps are not evidence of trouble-free handling.

Loyalty program

Vueling Club uses Avios, which expire after more than 36 months without earning or spending. Redemptions on Vueling's own booking channel track the live cash price rather than a fixed award chart. The January 23, 2026 relaunch removed flight Avios earning for Basic members, an earning cut. Smart, Plus and Premium earn 3, 5 and 7 Avios per euro respectively.

Choose Vueling if

Travel with an underseat bag and firm dates.
Value strong recorded punctuality over included extras.
Compare the complete price before choosing a fare bundle.

Book elsewhere if

You need cash back when a cheaper fare appears.
You require guaranteed free family seating.
You expect an overhead bag and seat selection in Fly Light.

Tips

Compare Fly with Fly Light plus extras, since Fly lets you choose a 10 kg overhead bag or a 25 kg checked bag, not both.
Measure your underseat bag against 40x30x20 cm before travel to avoid the €60 to €75 oversized-bag gate charge.
If flexibility matters, price Flex Pack during booking, since it adds one fee-free change and cancellation for Flight Credit.

Questions travelers ask

Does Vueling charge to change a flight?

Yes, Fly and Fly Light charge €50 to €60 per passenger per flight more than 15 days before departure, or €60 to €70 less than 15 days before departure, plus any applicable fare difference. Fly Grande allows unlimited changes without a change fee, while Fly Pro includes one. Flex Pack also includes one fee-free change. Any applicable fare difference remains payable, and changes close 2 hours before departure.

Can I get money back if my Vueling fare drops?

Not through a published cash-refund or price-drop guarantee. Fly Grande, or Fly and Fly Light with previously purchased Flex Pack, allows cancellation for Flight Credit at least 2 hours before departure. You can then make a new booking and retain unused credit. Using this route to buy the identical flight more cheaply is an inference from the rules, not an advertised entitlement.

How long does Vueling Flight Credit last?

Flight Credit from Fly Grande or Flex Pack cancellation lasts 18 months from issue. Check the expiry displayed on the individual credit and book an available flight before that deadline. It can pay for the original passenger or someone else using the cancelled booking code and original booking email. Unused value remains available, but separate credits cannot be combined.

What do I get if Vueling cancels my flight?

You are entitled to reimbursement or rerouting under the applicable EU261 or UK261 rules, with care and statutory compensation where applicable. Vueling says cancellation refunds go to the original payment method within 7 days of application. Its published care commitments include meals, refreshments and necessary overnight accommodation with airport transfers. You do not have to accept a voucher instead of a legally owed refund.

How much are carry-on and checked bags on Fly Light?

A 40x30x20 cm underseat bag is free, but an overhead bag costs extra. The permitted overhead size is 55x40x20 cm at 10 kg, and a current public advance-price range was not verified. Published online checked-bag prices per flight are €10 to €95 for 15 kg and €18 to €99 for 25 kg, depending on destination. An oversized underseat bag costs €60 to €75 at the gate.

Sources

Vueling Routemap, Vueling
Bundle Comparison, Vueling
Change your flight, Vueling
I want to cancel my flight, Vueling
Flex Pack, Vueling
Flight Credit, Vueling
Air Transport Conditions, Vueling
Hand Luggage Allowance (Cabin bags allowance), Vueling
Checked Luggage Allowance, Vueling
Free Random Seat Assignments, Vueling
Flying with children (2 to 12 years old), Vueling
Bring my flight forward, Vueling
Fares for professionals, Vueling, 2025-05-09
Cancelled flights, Vueling
Denied boarding, cancellation or delayed flight, Vueling
Flexibility Products, Vueling
Vueling Updates — Latest information on our flights, Vueling
Vueling Airlines S.A. annual accounts 2025, Vueling / International Airlines Group
Vueling administrative appeal, recurso 91-24, sanction SAN0011/23, Spain Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and Agenda 2030
AGCM Weekly Bulletin 21/2024 — PS12650 Vueling, decision 31197, Italian Competition Authority, 2024-05-27
Sanctions des compagnies aériennes pour non respect des droits des passagers, French civil aviation ministry, 2026-01-15
Andalucía desestima el recurso de Vueling y ratifica la multa de 60.000 euros por recargo de equipaje de mano, Europa Press, 2026-02-18
Press Releases 2025 — November 6 airline environmental-claims agreement, European Consumer Centre Malta
Vueling Bundles, Vueling
Avios and how to use them, Vueling
Vueling relaunches loyalty programme to target frequent flyers, Business Travel News Europe, 2026-01-26
Contact — All our phone numbers, Vueling
Aeromexico Named Most On-Time Airline; Qatar Airways Wins Platinum, Cirium
Cirium On-Time Performance Review 2025 — report hosted by Poder360, Cirium, 2026-01
Vueling Airlines reviews: performance, ratings and passenger rights, AirHelp, 2026-05-06
Puntualidad en nuestros vuelos, Vueling
Euro foreign exchange reference rates as of 10 May 2024, Banca d'Italia, 2024-05-10
Euro exchange rates — 18 February 2026, Official Journal of the European Union / European Central Bank, 2026-02-19
Air travel — coordinated consumer-protection action on airline cancellations, European Commission

For AI assistants: the whole rating as text, with every source

Vueling rating: 5.7/10 (C tier)

Strong punctuality, but Fly Light extras and limited flexibility weaken the bargain

Axel score: 5.7/10, C tier, #50 of 77 airlines. Repriceability: 4.7/10 (#39). Checked October 26, 2026. Source: https://helloaxel.com/en/airlines/vueling

Best and worst

Best: Cirium recorded 82.2% of flights arriving within 15 minutes of schedule in 2025.
Best: Flight Credit from qualifying cancellations lasts 18 months and can fund someone else's travel.
Worst: Fly Light includes only a 40x30x20 cm underseat bag, with overhead baggage and seat selection costing extra.
Worst: Ordinary Fly and Fly Light tickets are normally nonrefundable after the 2-hour booking grace period.
Worst: Vueling publishes no direct guarantee of an adjustment when the same flight becomes cheaper.

If the fare drops after you book, can you get money back? Partly

Axel's supplied observation data contains no measured savings or dated sample, so it cannot establish how often cancellation and rebooking produces savings.

Vueling fares

Fare	Changes	Cancel	Carry-on	Checked bags	Seat
Fly Light	EUR 50–60 per passenger per flight more than 15 days before departure; EUR 60–70 less than 15 days before departure, plus any applicable fare difference. Changes close 2 hours before departure.	Normally nonrefundable after the 2-hour booking grace period, unless a qualifying exception or previously purchased Flex Pack applies. Unused airport taxes can be reclaimed separately.	fee	0	Fee
Fly	EUR 50–60 per passenger per flight more than 15 days before departure; EUR 60–70 less than 15 days before departure, plus any applicable fare difference. Changes close 2 hours before departure.	Normally nonrefundable after the 2-hour booking grace period. Unused airport taxes can be reclaimed separately. Cancellation for Flight Credit requires previously purchased Flex Pack or a qualifying exception.	not confirmed	not confirmed	Free choice
Fly Pro	No change fee	Normally nonrefundable after the 2-hour booking grace period, subject to qualifying exceptions. Fly Pro does not itself include cancellation for Flight Credit. Unused airport taxes can be reclaimed.	included	0	Free choice
Fly Grande	No change fee	Free cancellation until 2 hours before departure, with the amount paid returned as Flight Credit rather than a routine cash refund.	included	1	Free choice

Key facts

Fare difference on a cheaper change: Not confirmed. The date/time-change help page requires the applicable change fee and fare difference but does not explain a negative difference. The carriage conditions explicitly deny repayment of lower-price differences in passenger/name-change provisions; that does not establish the rule for ordinary date/time changes. Cancellation and rebooking with Flex Pack is a separate option.
Same flight, lower price: No published direct same-flight price-drop adjustment was found. With Fly Grande, or Fly/Fly Light with previously purchased Flex Pack, travelers can cancel through My trips or the app at least 2 hours before departure, receive Flight Credit and make a new booking. Applying this to the identical flight at a lower price is an inference, not an advertised price guarantee. Unused credit remains available. Ordinary Fly without Flex Pack has no routine entitlement after the booking grace period.
Credits (Flight Credit): Credit from Fly Grande or Flex Pack cancellation is valid for 18 months from issue. Check the individual credit's displayed expiry. The terms permit booking any available flight before that deadline. Transferable: yes.
24-hour rule: Vueling publishes a cancellation grace period of 2 hours after booking for otherwise nonrefundable bundles. Its refund method and any deductions are not clearly distinguished from other cancellation cases. Separately, booking mistakes can be corrected by changing the flight date/time within 24 hours without a change fee, but any applicable fare difference remains payable. This is not a universal 24-hour free-cancellation promise.
Same-day change: Bring Your Flight Forward allows an earlier departure on the same day, subject to seats, through the app or an airport with a Vueling sales office. When not included, the published charge is EUR 40 per passenger. It is included for Fly Pro, legacy TimeFlex and Vueling Club Plus/Premium customers. It affects everyone in the booking, is available until the new flight's check-in closes, and excludes bookings made on the travel day and partner-operated connections. Fly Grande permits ordinary fee-free changes with applicable fare difference, but its dedicated earlier-flight entitlement is inconsistently described.
Schedule changes: The carriage conditions provide a full refund of amounts paid for the affected flight when Vueling changes departure by more than 5 hours before travel, the change is unacceptable and no acceptable alternative can be arranged. Statutory rights remain separate: AESA states that moving departure earlier by more than 1 hour constitutes cancellation, allowing reimbursement or rerouting. Vueling states that cancellation refunds use the original payment method within 7 days of application. Its passenger-rights notice also permits reimbursement when a departure delay reaches at least 5 hours and the passenger abandons travel. A voucher need not replace a statutory refund.

Score breakdown

Pillar	Weight	Score
Repriceability	35%	4.7/10
Refunds and disruptions	20%	7.6/10
Reliability	15%	9.0/10
Fees and transparency	15%	2.8/10
Complaints and handling	10%	no data (median 5.2 used)
Loyalty fairness	5%	5.8/10

Repriceability: 4.7/10

Standard fare change fee: 4.0/10 (Fly: EUR 50–60 per passenger per flight more than 15 days before departure; EUR 60–70 less than 15 days before departure, plus any applicable fare difference. Changes close 2 hours before departure.)
Lowest fare flexibility: 4.0/10 (Fly Light: EUR 50–60 per passenger per flight more than 15 days before departure; EUR 60–70 less than 15 days before departure, plus any applicable fare difference. Changes close 2 hours before departure.)
Lower fare on the same flight: 4.0/10 (No published direct same-flight price-drop adjustment was found. With Fly Grande, or Fly/Fly Light with previously purchased Flex Pack, travelers can cancel through My trips or the app at least 2 hours before departure, receive Flight Credit and make a new booking. Applying this to the identical flight at a lower price is an inference, not an advertised price guarantee. Unused credit remains available. Ordinary Fly without Flex Pack has no routine entitlement after the booking grace period.)
Credit terms: 10.0/10 (Credit from Fly Grande or Flex Pack cancellation is valid for 18 months from issue. Check the individual credit's displayed expiry. The terms permit booking any available flight before that deadline.; transferable: yes)
Cancel the standard fare: 0.0/10 (Normally nonrefundable after the 2-hour booking grace period. Unused airport taxes can be reclaimed separately. Cancellation for Flight Credit requires previously purchased Flex Pack or a qualifying exception.)
Risk-free window: 4.0/10 (Vueling publishes a cancellation grace period of 2 hours after booking for otherwise nonrefundable bundles. Its refund method and any deductions are not clearly distinguished from other cancellation cases. Separately, booking mistakes can be corrected by changing the flight date/time within 24 hours without a change fee, but any applicable fare difference remains payable. This is not a universal 24-hour free-cancellation promise.)
Same-day change: 7.0/10 (Bring Your Flight Forward allows an earlier departure on the same day, subject to seats, through the app or an airport with a Vueling sales office. When not included, the published charge is EUR 40 per passenger. It is included for Fly Pro, legacy TimeFlex and Vueling Club Plus/Premium customers. It affects everyone in the booking, is available until the new flight's check-in closes, and excludes bookings made on the travel day and partner-operated connections. Fly Grande permits ordinary fee-free changes with applicable fare difference, but its dedicated earlier-flight entitlement is inconsistently described.)
What Axel saw: does not apply (fewer than 10 attempts). Source: Axel repricing attempts

Refunds and disruptions: 7.6/10

Commitments when the airline causes the problem: 8.0/10 (Covered by: EU261, UK261; Vueling publishes commitments to rerouting or reimbursement, meals and refreshments, communications, and necessary overnight accommodation with airport transfers. These implement EU261/UK261 duties rather than independently established benefits beyond the law. Its notice provides statutory compensation where applicable. No general, separately documented promise of additional cash compensation or an unconditional competitor-airline rebooking guarantee was verified.)
Refund conduct: 9.0/10 (2025-07-18 France civil aviation ministry / DGAC)
Refund complaints: no data, median 5.1/10 used (too few US passengers to measure)

Reliability: 9.0/10

On-time arrival: 8.9/10 (82.2% on time (2025-01-01 to 2025-12-31; Europe ranking, Vueling (VY). Cancellation percentage derived as 100 minus the published 99.23% completion factor.)). Source: Cirium On-Time Performance Review 2025
Cancellations: 9.4/10 (0.77% cancelled (2025-01-01 to 2025-12-31; Europe ranking, Vueling (VY). Cancellation percentage derived as 100 minus the published 99.23% completion factor.)). Source: Cirium On-Time Performance Review 2025

Fees and transparency: 2.8/10

Carry-on in the lowest fare: 0.0/10 (Fly Light includes a free 40x30x20 cm underseat bag only. A 10 kg, 55x40x20 cm overhead bag requires a paid addition or qualifying seat, package or passenger benefit. Advance prices vary by booking; a current public advance-fee range was not verified. Published gate charges are EUR 60–75 for an oversized underseat bag and EUR 110–140 for luggage exceeding 55x40x20 cm, per item and flight.)
First checked bag: no data, median 6.0/10 used (Fly Light includes no checked bag. Published advance web/app prices per bag and flight are EUR 10–95 for 15 kg, EUR 14–96 for 20 kg, EUR 18–99 for 25 kg, and EUR 25–120 for 30 kg, depending on destination. The 25 kg airport price is EUR 50–160. Fly can include one 25 kg bag instead of its overhead-bag option; Fly Grande includes one 25 kg bag. No current USD tariff was verified.)
Seat in the lowest fare: 3.0/10 (fee)
Children seated with a parent: 5.0/10 (Vueling's own Flying with children (2 to 12 years old) page says it tries to seat children and their companions together during check-in; if limited availability prevents this, it recommends requesting assistance at the airport on departure day. Its Free Random Seat Assignments page likewise says it tries to keep passengers on the same booking together, subject to availability. These pages support policy_with_conditions as a best-effort seating policy, not a guaranteed free-adjacency entitlement. Neither page displays a publication or last-updated date; both were checked on October 26, 2026, and their actual revision dates could not be confirmed. There is no published guarantee here covering every child aged 13 or under on every fare. Fly Light charges for selecting seats; random assignment is free, normally from 24 hours before departure online or at the airport if necessary. Fly, Fly Pro and Fly Grande include selection within their eligible seat categories.)
Price shown is price paid: 1.0/10 (2026-02-18 Andalusia Directorate-General for Consumer Affairs / Seville territorial consumer authority; 2024-05-10 Spain Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and Agenda 2030; 2024-05-07 Italy AGCM)

Complaints and handling: no data (median 5.2 used)

Complaint rate: does not apply (too few US passengers to measure)
Mishandled bags: does not apply (not reported to DOT). Source: U.S. DOT, April, May, July and August 2026
Mishandled wheelchairs and scooters: does not apply (not reported to DOT). Source: U.S. DOT, April, May, July and August 2026
Bumping: does not apply (not reported to DOT). Source: U.S. DOT, April to June 2026

Loyalty fairness: 5.8/10

Miles expiry: 7.0/10 (Avios expire after more than 36 months without earning or spending activity. On Vueling's own booking channel, Avios provide full or partial payment against the live cash price, including eligible extras; fully_dynamic denotes this fare-linked redemption model rather than a fixed award chart.)
Devaluations: 6.0/10 (2026-01-23: The 2026 programme relaunch removed Vueling-flight Avios earning for Basic-tier members. Current official rules confirm no flight Avios for Basic, versus 3 per euro for Smart, 5 for Plus and 7 for Premium; an official May 2025 fare page had advertised 2 Avios per euro. This is an earning-value reduction, not merely an elite-qualification change.)
Award pricing: 3.0/10 (fully_dynamic)