I’ve Flown LEVEL 6 Times. Here’s How to Have the Best Experience (And Get The Best Price.)
Barcelona is a second home to me. Over the past two years, I’ve gone there and back three times, and I keep flying on a relatively new airline called LEVEL.
I’ve found myself talking about this airline when people ask me about the best way to get to Barcelona from the U.S., so I thought it was time to just write an article about it.
After a handful of flights on LEVEL, I’ve seen the good and bad. I’ve got all the tips to get a crazy inexpensive flight to Europe, and to make the trip not suck. This is your LEVEL Airlines survival guide.
My Quick Summary of LEVEL
It’s easily the cheapest and most convenient way to get to Barcelona. For a budget airline, its amenities and service are good. It’s way way WAY better than airlines like Spirit. But, it’s still a budget airline, so everything is extra and if you need to change your flight/seats it’s an uphill battle with limited customer service.
Overall, I’m grateful it exists, because it’s an affordable way for me to go see my friends in Barcelona.
What The Heck Is LEVEL Airlines?
If you’ve browsed flights to and from Spain from the Americas, then you’ve likely seen it pop up as a direct flight option to Barcelona. (With Madrid coming soon, I think.)
They fly direct from New York, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami, and even Buenos Aires and Santiago to Barcelona. Most days of the year, it will be the cheapest direct flight from all of these cities, and frankly, one of the cheapest flights to Europe from America period.
If you’re wondering what the catch is, I’ll cover all that in this article and help you get both the best price and a good in-flight experience.
How Are Their Prices So Reasonable and Affordable?
A few reasons. First, they’re a budget airline. So if you want things like seat selection, meals, full-size carry-ons, and even snacks beyond crappy pretzels, you have to pay extra. Their business model factors in that many people will pay for some of these upgrades.
Second, they’re owned by the same group that owns Vueling/Iberia. This means they can benefit from network affects. They may not profit on your flight to Barcelona, but they calculate a percentage will take another flight from Barcelona to another Europe destination on Vueling, which you can book on your LEVEL ticket.
How To Get The Cheapest Flight on LEVEL: 7 Tips From a Cross-Atlantic Veteran
If you’re looking at flying LEVEL, you’re probably like me and just want the best price. Not to brag, but I’m an absolute master at this. I believe I have an intangible skill for finding cheap flights, after continuously budget traveling for the last two years.
Here’s how to get a crazy good price.
1) Go During Slow Months
You can save a few bucks by foregoing in-flight meals, but you can save hundreds by choosing a better time of year.
I’ve been in Barcelona in all seasons and all months. I prefer it when it’s less touristy anyway. As I wrote about in my articles on Barcelona for expats (digital nomads) and Barcelona travel tips, tourism has overwhelmed Barcelona. Barcelona is a compact city. In the touristy months, it’s hard to avoid a sense of overwhelm.
Locals have even led protests against unsustainable tourism.
With this in mind, avoid June-August.
It’s hot, it’s overcrowded, and the flights will be expensive. Just go during a different time of year.
I love the winter and early spring. March-April might be the best of all. By April, you can have an occasional beach day on the Costa Brava, yet you can still go skiing in Andorra if you want.
I have also spent Christmas in Barcelona and it’s a blast.
2) Search by Month, Choose the Cheapest Day
Next, LEVEL has the nice search feature that Sky Scanner has popularized where you can see the prices of each day within a month. Here’s a screenshot, for example.
Plan your trip around the day the flights are cheapest. In general, this is good travel advice if you want to get cheap flights. Be flexible with your dates. When you HAVE to go on a specific date, that’s when you end up paying $500+ for a one-way ticket.
3) Boston is Usually Cheapest
When I lived in New York, one time I actually took the Amtrak to Boston the day of my flight to Barcelona because it was $200 cheaper than the JFK flight. Typically the Boston flights are cheaper than the New York flights.
If the price of the flight out of JFK is over $300, before you book it check Boston. There’s a good chance it’ll cost a lot less.
With these three tips, you can save hundreds of dollars. Next, here are the ways to save a few bucks.
4) Don’t Check Bags: Bring 1-2 Small Carry-Ons (They’re Not That Strict About It)
Airlines will crush you on the checked bags these days. I never check bags. I love to travel minimalist, and I hope you give a try too.
How strict are they with the carry-on policy?
If you travel a lot and don’t check bags, you probably know what I mean by this question. Some airlines charge you extra for a full-size carry-on, and LEVEL is no different. Taking this further, some airlines are very strict about what’s a handbag that fits under the seat, and what’s a carry-on that goes overhand. They’re so strict they even give you a tag for your carry-on bag and make you put your backpack into a box at the check-in counter at the airport. (I’m looking at you, Norse.)
LEVEL seems to not care that much. As long as your carry-on doesn’t have wheels, you’ll be good.
I bring a regular backpack and briefcase.
I’ve done this four out of six times (the other times I just went with the backpack), and they’ve never said anything to me.
Almost everytime, they had overhead space too, so I was even able to put my bag up.
My rule of thumb is, even if I bring two small bags, I make sure I can fit both underneath the seat if I need to. Thanks to this, I talked my way out of needing to pay extra on an Avianca flight once.
5) You’ll Likely Get a Good Seat If It’s Not Peak Travel Season, So Don’t Buy Your Seat
Next, don’t spend extra on a seat. I have more good news to report on this.
Since I fly in the offseason, the flights have never been full, so I’ve always gotten a window or aisle, even without paying extra. This is another reason to not fly during the peak season.
My girlfriend and I have also done this flight together without buying seats, and they’ve always seated us together. Again, I think this is because we don’t choose the busy flights.
6) Bring Your Own Food (and Water bottle)
Meals on planes always cost more than they’re worth. You know this. The simple way around it is good planning.
When I leave Barcelona, I always grab a few bocadillos, in particular fuet. It’s a last meal of sorts. The other direction, it’s a red-eye, so don’t need full meals. Your favorite deli sandwich for dinner will suffice.
Plan ahead with snacks.
Any meal you buy on an airplane in economy is going to be average at best. That’s the case here.
If you fail to plan on food, you can buy it in flight, so don’t stress about buying it beforehand. It does cost less online, though.
You do have to buy your own soft drinks and snacks
They have a few free options, but if you want a soda or a snack that’s not crappy pretzels, it’ll cost you a few bucks.
Also make sure you bring a water bottle you can fill up after security. They do come around to give you water throughout the flight, but never enough to stay hydrated.
Flying often leads to dehydration.
The cabin air on planes is very dry, with humidity levels typically between 10-20%, much lower than the comfortable 30-60% humidity found in most homes and buildings. The lower air pressure also leads to water loss. So bring a water bottle to stay hydrated!
7) Don’t Count on Easy Change
One time, my girlfriend and I wanted to change our seats so we knew we’d be next to each other.
Calling up just to change our seats was a huge pain. Luckily, I’ve never had to cancel, but if you do have to cancel or change your flight, you’ll be lucky if you get anything back, including flight credit.
One of the risks of budget airlines is you’ll lose your money if you need to change your flight. So don’t. Try to plan ahead.
If something extraneous happens, you may lose your money. But if that happens, then the less than $200 you spent on a cheap flight won’t be your biggest concern.
This is definitely a negative for LEVEL, but it makes sense given their business model. One of the downsides of cheap flights is often limited customer service, and limited options to change.
Let’s move on to the actual inflight experience.
The LEVEL Inflight Experience Is Actually Good
Frankly it’s better than even American and United economy. Let’s go through this piece by piece.
Legroom and Comfort: I’ve Had Worse
I’m not going to pretend there’s a ton of legroom. But for economy it’s a very normal amount of legroom. Of course, this will be worse than legroom on trains, but if you’re used to flying economy you won’t think much of it.
You’ll also notice from this picture that there’s a pouch in front of the seat. This may seem standard, but lots of budget airlines don’t have this and it’s infuriating.
I didn’t take a photo, but the head rest also has flaps you can adjust and a bit of padding. It’s nothing crazy, but it is on par with any average economy seat.
Seats: Of Varying Quality, But With headrests for Sleeping
This photo of the seat is the only time I’ve had a rugged-looking seat. I think it was just an older plane. However, I’m so glad it has the head pillow built in. This isn’t common on budget airlines, and without it I would’ve slept a lot worse.
Tray Table: Not Bad
Not much to say here. Very standard for an economy flight. It folds up in half too. Better than many budget airlines and on par with what you’ll get from bigger airlines.
Entertainment: Lots of Movies and TV Shows For Free
It’s such a dagger to show up for a long flight and not being able to watch movies for free. Luckily, every seat has a TV with lots of movies, TV shows, and more. It’s a solid entertainment selection.
They even had it updated with relatively new movies, like Wonka and Barbie, as well as classics like Midnight in Paris.
Just remember to bring headphones with the old headphone jack, otherwise you’ll need to buy headphones for a few bucks. I always have old headphones in my travel backpack for this purpose.
You May Get an Older Plane With a worse TV
On my most recent flight in March 2025, The TV screen was old and crappy. It still had the same entertainment option.
Wifi: Free Messaging and You Can Buy Browsing
Even if you don’t want to buy wifi, you can use the wifi to send messages for free. It works for iMessage and WhatsApp. American and United both don’t have this.
You can buy wifi, but it may not be reliable.
My girlfriend bought it once so she could study on the plane, and it didn’t work most of the flight. At best, it was in and out. I can’t say whether that was just a one-off situation because I’ve never bought the wifi myself.
Overall the inflight experience is good, and for the money it’s great.
Airport Experience: Pleasant and Easy
If you’ve flown budget airlines before, then you’ve probably played the game where you can see how much stuff you can bring without paying more.
LEVEL’s employees are chill. They won’t ask you a million questions, and they won’t weigh your backpack or handbag.
How to Find The Check-In at El Prat
Since it’s an international flight, you’ll have to get your passport checked and boarding pass printed before security. This is where you’ll want to underplay how much stuff you have with you, and insist that it all fits under the seat if they ask.
Since LEVEL flights go out of the European Union, at El Prat terminal 1 you’ll have to walk very far to the D and E gates after going through security. That’s because you have to go through the passport line. Non-EU passport lines are usually the slowest, but it’s a very easy customs line.
How to Find Check-in At JFK
JFK had the same exact process. I took the train to terminal 8 and went to find the LEVEL counter. It’s kind of hidden around the corner, and they don’t have that many staff there. This means for JFK I recommend giving yourslef plenty of time.
Online I was not able to put in my TSA Pre-Check number when I booked, but the staff at JFK took care of this in a second. I told them, gave them my known traveler number, and my printed boarding pass had my Pre-Check.
Between the passport check, security, and customs, make sure you get there early.
Security at El Prat is not bad for a big airport, but it’s a big airport, so you never know what kind of line and mayhem you’ll get. As for the U.S., side, their small number of staff means you’ll have to wait a long time to check your passport if you’re not early.
Especially but early if you’re not TSA Pre-Check.
Overall, I’m Grateful LEVEL Exists
Look, flying in general sucks. Security sucks, not having wifi for free sucks, being jet lagged afterward sucks. But I’m grateful for it, because it’s a miracle we can see other places in the world with so much ease.
LEVEL’s existence has saved me more than a thousand dollars at this point. Before LEVEL, I used to stay with my parents in Vermont, then drive to Montreal and take a flight from AirTransat (still the second best option, and I’ll write a few for them soon). Or, I’d fly to London first on Norse which is nearly as cheap, but then I had to get from London to Barcelona. Plus, Norse’s service is worse.
As much as we complain about budget airlines, I’m glad this one exists. It makes it so much easier for me to get to Barcelona. Flying sucks, and it will continue to suck, but hey, at least they take us across the world for a few hundred dollars. Thank you LEVEL.
Got a Question Ahead of Your LEVEL Flight? Let Me Know.
Just hit my contact form. Whatever your question is, I’ll probably add it to this article.
Where to Stay in Barcelona
Note: these links to hotel booking sites are affiliate links. This means I make a small commission if you book. Thank you for supporting small bloggers.
I’ve gotten asked a lot where to stay in Barcelona. The most central region with the most to do that’s not too touristy is l’eixample, so you can check out hotels in l’eixample here.
If maps are more you thing, I chose an address smack in the heart of l’eixample. This is the 5th Avenue of Barcelona.
I would AVOID the gothic quarter and the old towne (Ciutat Vella) in general, because they’re way too touristy.
Need more Barcelona tips? I lived there, so check out these articles.
More on Flying and Transit Reviews
First, I’d like to say that for climate reasons, I have been limiting how much I fly, as I discuss in this article on why I gave myself a personal flying limit.
I prefer trains. For example, you can check out my experience in an overnight Amtrak train and my experience on Florida’s high(ish) speed rail.
If you’re looking for another cheap way to get to Europe, you can check out my thoughts on Norse Airways. They’re great if you’re going to London.
Do they have any upgradeable seats on sections that have reclining larger more comfortable seats?
Yes, it’s funny they actually go around asking people if they want to upgrade once we’re boarding, or even mid-flight you can get an upgrade. On my flight last month, there was an empty row of upgrade seats that nobody bought.
Great blog. Thanks 4 advice
How strict are they on the 22lbs for carryon suitcase??
Every time I’ve had a carry-on, they haven’t actually weighed in. I think you can get away with it being heavier. But don’t come back and yell at me if they do lol!
do the economy or economy light seats recline at all if so, one or 2 inches. Do you know the amount of recline?
Yes, they recline. Maybe not the very back seats though. I’m not sure how much. Next time I fly with them (hopefully in a month or two), I’ll get back to you on how much.
very helpful! thank you for posting this.
Is it cold on Level airplanes? Do they provide a blanket or should I bring a travel one?
It’s as cold as other flights. There are blankets for purchase.
Thanks for the info. The headphone jacks are the two prong ones or 3.5 mm?
On my most recent flight, yes, it was the two pronged ones. So to use your own headphones you could only listen in one ear.
Lots of very good info .. much appreciated as it now compels me to check out level and see where it takes me.
When you say not to bring a checked bag, is that only because of the extra fee or is their risk of luggage getting lost?
Because of the price.
Very very helpful. Thank you!
Upgrading to comfort class is still really reasonable for a flight to Lisbon. Is it worth it? I don’t care so much about the food and drinks but a comfortable seat would be a nice change and maybe worth the increased fare.
Good question. Your seat will be a bit bigger with more legroom. You’ll get to board earlier and get off earlier. It depends how important these things are for you.
Also I’ll say, they often try to upsell these seats to people once you’re on the plane. As I mentioned, I fly offseason, so there are seats available. If you’re flying during a slower month, you could book a lower-priced ticket and then look at the comfort seat once you’re on the plane and decide.
…you stated you cannot carry on any luggage with wheels if booking Level?
You can, but you will have to pay for that carry-on.
Level canceled my flight. They rescheduled me 4 days before I was booked to fly back meaning only 3 days in Spain instead of a week. It has been a month since they canceled it. I’ve called emailed and Facebook messaged them and gotten nowhere. Flight is in a week. Every time I talk to them they tell me it is noted and to call back. Currently I have no flight home with my child. So if you have time constraints or don’t like to have to keep calling then I suggest booking another airline.