Level is a Spanish low-cost virtual airline based at Barcelona-El Prat Airport in Spain. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the multinational airline holding company International Airlines Group (IAG), which operates several independent brand names. Flights for the brand are currently operated by Iberia, but Level is to be become an independent subsidiary airline of IAG with its own operator certificate in the near future. Level is marketed as a low-cost, long-haul carrier; it began operations in June 2017 with transatlantic services from Barcelona, and further services are due to start from Paris Orly in July/September 2018.
Video Level (airline)
History
Initial launch in 2017
Level was established by IAG in response to increased competition in the long-haul market from low-cost airlines, including Norwegian Long Haul. Despite initially being poised to launch in 2018, on 15 March 2017, IAG CEO Willie Walsh announced the new brand, together with its four destinations out of Barcelona, with operations beginning in June of that year. A 1-year contract is in place with Spanish airline Iberia, such that Iberia operates Level flights under IB flight codes and provides the necessary personnel. IAG expressed the intent to continue with future expansion of the airline by adding routes from other European cities.
All Level flights are currently operated by the Spanish airline and IAG subsidiary Iberia AOC, however the brand is slated to become an independent airline within IAG in the near future. Willie Walsh, CEO of IAG, stated the corporation due to take over operation of the brand would most likely be based in Spain.
Level sold 52,000 seats within two days of being established, and over 147,000 after little more than 1½ months, far exceeding IAG's expectations. Rome, Paris and Milan were mentioned as possible locations for future expansion of the airline in Europe, together with additional routes out of Barcelona-El Prat Airport.
Expansion from 2018
On 28 November 2017, Level announced four new routes from Paris Orly to start from July 2018 and one from Barcelona. Flights from Paris Orly will be operated under OpenSkies AOC and staffed by OpenSkies crew.
Maps Level (airline)
Destinations
In 2017, Iberia launched flights branded as Level to four initial destinations in North America and South America from its Barcelona base. These were Oakland, Los Angeles, Buenos Aires and Punta Cana.. In 2018, Level will start flights from Barcelona to Boston as well as launch flights to Montreal, Point-à-Pitre (Guadeloupe), Fort-de-France (Martinique) and New York (Newark) from its new base at Paris Orly.
As of July 2017, the airline has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:
- American Airlines
- British Airways
- Vueling
Fleet
As of July 2017, Level's fleet consists of the following aircraft:.
Services
Frequent-flyer programme
In common with all IAG subsidiary airlines, Level's frequent-flyer programme is Avios. Passengers may thus earn and redeem Avios points on Level in addition to Iberia, British Airways, Vueling, Aer Lingus and Flybe. Avios points may also be used for travel on airlines in the Oneworld alliance.
Cabins and service
Premium Economy
Premium Economy is available on all A330 aircraft. The cabin features 21 reclinable seats featuring 37" seat pitch in a 2-3-2 layout, each equipped with a 12" TV screen and noise cancelling headphones. Passengers are offered a full, three-course meal, and Wi-Fi is available for purchase. Passengers are also given a baggage allowance of one cabin bag and two hold bags.
Economy
The Economy cabin of Level's A330 aircraft feature 293 seats in a 2-4-2 layout. Seats are equipped with a 9" seat-back TV screen, featuring a selection of films and TV shows. Despite being a low-cost carrier, Level provides free on board entertainment to passengers. In-flight wifi, meal service and checked baggage are all available for purchase by passengers in the main cabin, and provided free-of-charge for those in the premium cabin.
See also
- List of airlines of Spain
- List of airports in Spain
- List of companies of Spain
- Transport in Spain
References
Source of article : Wikipedia