LEVEL

[Noxegon]

IAG has announced its new low cost brand from BCN.

Initial routes are LAX, OAK, PUJ, and EZE - all operated by A330.

[Gulf Julliet Papa]

Lets see how quickly they get DoT permission...

[TBSC]

I bet the ladies will kill for pilots wearing this classy uniform.


http://cronicaglobal.elespanol.com/uploads/s1/38/13/09/Walsh-IAG-Level.jpg

[Cyrano]

Lets see how quickly they get DoT permission...
Isn't it operated by Iberia on their AOC, so no need for a new Foreign Carrier Authorisation?

[Pistonprop]

I just hope their callsign won't be "level"! :E

[toledoashley]

Seems to be IB operated for the moment, but that seems a little unclear if that is the long term plan. Some of the wording of the launch infers that its only a short term measure.

[A320.b744]

I'd be very surprised if Iberia were the long term operators - Iberia's pilot and cabin crew contracts are too expensive for the low cost market in the long term. I'd give at year, then LEVEL will operate in its own right.

[2Planks]

I thought that pic of the uniforms was Bucks Fizz 30 years on, until I spotted WW!

[canberra97]

I didn't even notice WW at first in the pic but what a pathetic looking uniform, it looks like a very cheap looking sports shirt bought from a 'cheaper' version of Sports Direct.

[Logohu]

It looks like something the pub darts team might wear. No wonder WW looks slightly embarrassed.
The race to the bottom in search of the cheapest possible fare continues.

[01475]

I don't understand why they wanted to create a new brand when they have so many good ones.

[crewmeal]

Really? Which ones? do tell.

[ORAC]

The Times:

British Airways is to get a low-cost sister airline offering transatlantic flights from £86 this summer as the budget long-haul market takes off. Level, a new airline from International Airlines Group (IAG) which owns BA, will initially fly from Barcelona, but there are plans to expand to other European cities in a challenge to low-cost long-haul carriers such as Norwegian.

The four destinations for Level flights, starting in June, will be San Francisco (Oakland); Los Angeles; Buenos Aires; and Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. Level will use two new Airbus A330s operated by crew from Iberia, creating 250 new jobs. Flights will have 21 “premium economy” seats with free checked-in luggage, meals and films, and 293 economy seats with a range of paid extras. Level will be the fifth airline within the IAG group, joining British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia and Vueling.......

Willie Walsh, chief executive of IAG, said that Barcelona had been chosen because it was the home airport for Vueling and would allow passengers to connect to Level flights from Vueling’s short-haul network. Flights will operate to Los Angeles and Punta Cana twice every week, and to San Francisco and Buenos Aires three times per week. Prices will start from £86 each way........

Tickets went on sale on flylevel.com yesterday as the site went live, with flights to the US from €99 (£86) and to Argentina and the Dominican Republic from €149 (£129).

[A320.b744]

52,000 tickets were sold yesterday according to their twitter page - quite impressive given total weekly seat capacity will be just 6,280.

[racedo]

British Airways "Go" Mark II.........................

BA and IB customers will just ask ......................... well how come you can fly to the US for $99 and you are charging me $300
Second question will be why are you not flying from Heathrow and Madrid.

I don't see the upsaide just a brand cheapening.

[PAXboy]

It has been said many times before, GO was GOOD and Cassani was GOOD. They threw them both away and now? Just think how much more experience of the market they would have? Not to mention a fine collection of customer email address'.

Well, good luck to them. I mean it.

[runway30]

I don't think that IAG will again make the mistake of competing with themselves in the UK. However they want to compete in Europe, the first experiment, Open Skies, concentrated on the premium end of the market but hasn't expanded. The mass market answer for Europe is the combination of Vueling and Level.

[A320.b744]

I'd say Vueling could merge into LEVEL in a few years time in order to consolidate iAG's low-cost operations, given that the two airlines are expected to codeshare on a number of routes. Gatwick could be a future base, though I predict Paris and Rome as the next operating bases, given Vueling's extensive operations from each airport.

I'm surprised that IAG haven't expand OpenSkies since it started operations - they've recently received a 767-300, but other than that there's no change in the destinations served. Post financial crisis I would have thought that Amsterdam would have been re-established, as well as Washington DC. Maybe the A321LR could play a role in future operations. Would be interesting to have IAG operating extensive premium, standard and low-cost networks out of Europe.

[Logohu]

I don't think that IAG will again make the mistake of competing with themselves in the UK.

I wouldn't be so sure. If the objective is to take on the likes of Norwegian I wouldn't be at all surprised to see Level turn up in the UK regions in the next couple of years. In the longer term perhaps even at LGW as well, although BA's move to "densify" it's 777 fleet by adding more seats would suggest there is no plan to introduce Level to LGW any time soon.

[toledoashley]

The press release clearly said that it will supplement the operations of the current airlines, rather than replacing them. So more leisure routes (esp to Latin America from Gatwick could happen), or new bases within the UK - for example Manchester.

[runway30]

I think it is pretty clear that hubbing through Dublin is their offer for the UK regions. I can't see WW wanting to take traffic away from that.

[inOban]

Does EI have flights to Punta Cana and Buenos Aires?

Are these already hubs or are IAG working with local LCCs make them into hubs?

[nguba]

Willie Walsh has said that Level needs short-haul feed to make it work, so any growth is likely to be where Vueling or other IAG airlines can offer short-haul feed such as FCO.

[rutankrd]

Punta Cana is PURE Point to Point leisure

Buenos has Oneworld connections available by LATAM Group however is actually a heavily local and traditionally high yielding market in the main.

BTW Aer Lingus are highly unlikely to serve the South American mainland continent any time soon.

Also runway30 you are wrong on the IAG hubbing over Dublin from the UK regions , its not happening . In fact Aer Lingus has reduced ! available UK - Dublin connection opportunities into the main North Atlantic departure banks ,Liverpool gone , Doncaster gone , Cardiff gone ( left to a Flybe codeshare).
Manchester and Birmingham flight have just one daily flight into the bank with an ATR meeting the later west coast and Hartford bank.

The other flights are very much UK-Eire Point to point traffic .

The numbers connecting across Dublin from the UK regions are much lower than many think/believe/expect.

In 2016 there were 1 million transits made over Dublin out of 26 million passengers - Just 4% and that included what ever Ethiopian were carrying and the price sensitive US-EU trade.

It small fry in the scheme of things. Heathrow remains the BA/AA hub of choice with Madrid serving the Southern part of the continent imho!

[runway30]

Build a Vueling hub and then add Level long haul seems a pretty good strategy. It's a pity that the names are so terrible, I'm flying Vueling Level really trips off the tongue..............

[runway30]

The reality is that in the U.K., IAG is competing with itself. Yes, other hubs and other alliances are available from the UK regions but the main competition is surface transport to Heathrow.

[BigFrank]

I don't think that IAG will again make the mistake of competing with themselves in the UK.

On which side of your "again" does the current, and fairly recently instituted, BCN-LGW scenario with both Vueling as Vueling and Vueling as BA/Iberia/Vueling operating this route fall?

[runway30]

Come on Frank. Connecting a large market to your most important low cost hub in Barcelona is a bit different to setting up a Vueling hub at Gatwick which would demonstrate that your major British brand has an uncompetitive cost base.

[Fairdealfrank]

The reality is that in the U.K., IAG is competing with itself. Yes, other hubs and other alliances are available from the UK regions but the main competition is surface transport to Heathrow.

...which is not really convenient if referring to rail. The problem is the lack of a comprehensive domestic network (currently only 8 destinations) to feed longhaul. A series of codeshares could allow the convenience of through-ticketing.

Rail cannot offer that, what rail offers is the inconvenience of travel via London, as no long-distance trains stop at Heathrow.

As always with Heathrow, it comes back to the old chestnut: chronic lack of rwy capacity over many decades.

[Heathrow Harry]

"what rail offers is the inconvenience of travel via London,"

ah yes - the dreaful inconvenince of several stations all on the Circle Line,. walk up and depart, no security, no limit on checked baggage, seats bookable for free, departures to all major cities at least every hour from 06:00 - midnight, a better safety record, and you can actually walk about on them

dreadfully inconvenient.........................

[j636]

According to WW almost 108,000 tickets sold since airline launched on 17 March with around 50% in the age range of 18-34 and half of bookings made via app.

Quiet impressive after a month and they say its exceeded expectations.

[nguba]

Latest update from IAG is that Level is performing well ahead of expectations.

More aircraft will be added and more routes will be launched from BCN next year and at least one European city will be added (most likely FCO).

[nohold]

EC-MOY Airbus A330-200 departed Toulouse on Friday 5th May for opps by Level.

[LAX_LHR]

EC-MOU will be painted into Level colours next week.

[nohold]

Thanks LAX

[nohold]

I hear EC-MOU is being painted at Manchester.

[chaps1954]

Yes arrived with Iberia tail but rest all white

Ian

[7Three7Specialist]

What an ugly "design".

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1357803037590257&id=866888836681682

[ara01jbb]

What an ugly "design".

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1357803037590257&id=866888836681682

Not looking quite like it was presented in all the renderings; the main title was originally straddling the windows.

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSmvkCkCWO2p_YAIMhBxXbU1ksI-Lp5QVNjKlY_xwOMx4h7dMr3

[nguba]

The inaugural flight is today and Level will have five aircraft next year:

IAG Printer Friendly Version - News Release (http://www.iairgroup.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=240949&p=irol-newsArticle_Print&ID=2277935)

[El Bunto]

Oh just using the Iberia codes and callsign for now. I see it's being code-shared with American Airlines out of the gate, too.

[crewmeal]

Give it 5 years and Terminal 5 will be full of 'Level' shiny green blue and white 380's, 777's etc

[VickersVicount]

.... id say Terminal 3 or LGW

[nguba]

I don't think you'll ever see Level at LHR or LGW.

[Habana2118]

Agree- Walsh has already said it will not be needed in the London market which can easily support the higher end premium carriers within the group

[pwalhx]

I however would not be surprised to see Level in Manchester and not just for painting the aircraft.

[nguba]

Level is performing ahead of expectations and will have 13 aircraft by 2019:

Willie Walsh: LEVEL to have 30 aircraft in five years :: Routesonline (http://www.routesonline.com/news/29/breaking-news/274946/willie-walsh-level-to-have-30-aircraft-in-five-years/)

[GLAEDI]

If it goes to Paris will that spell the end for Openskies BA’s airline in Orly?

[toledoashley]

Unfortunately, Openskies has a better name.

[runway30]

Even if they fly from the same city, they compete in different markets. If OpenSkies closes, it will be because it hasn't worked.

[virginblue]

Well, there will be more than a dozen former airberlin A330s and crew to operate them on the market very soon. Apparently IAG bid for a part of airberlin in order to get their hands on the aircraft, but the move was stalled by Lufthansa as their feared LEVEL would set up shop at Dusseldorf to replace airberlin.

[Charlie Roy]

My money is on Rome.
Large Vueling presence to supply connections.
Ailing long haul carrier on death's door (Alitalia).

[crewmeal]

My money is on Rome.

So is MOLs.

[The Mixmaster]

Major expansion plans for LEVEL, sounds like other IAG airlines will operate from new bases....

Willie Walsh Keynote: The launch of LEVEL and what it really takes to be low cost-long haul :: Routesonline (http://www.routesonline.com/news/29/breaking-news/274963/willie-walsh-keynote-the-launch-of-level-and-what-it-really-takes-to-be-low-cost-long-haul/)

[Fairdealfrank]

I don't think you'll ever see Level at LHR or LGW.

LGW would only be to take on Norwegian, but unlikely. LHR, not a chance.

[nguba]

The next base is Paris Orly:

IAG - International Airlines Group - News Release (http://www.iairgroup.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=240949&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=2318756)

[D02TR60]

The next base is Paris Orly:



I see they are closing down OpenSkies and I suppose merging it into Level.

[runway30]

IAG now demonstrating that if you want to establish a new pan European brand, it is easier to do at the low cost end of the market. The experiment of Openskies is no more.

[runway30]

If Openskies is to become the Operating Company for Level, it avoids having to establish a new AOC. Interesting experiment because it is a challenge to turn a full service carrier into a low cost carrier.

[Plane.Silly]

(Deleted Quote: "Must be difficult to transform a full cost carrier into a low cost carrier")

Not if you work for BA...

[southside bobby]

Now that actually IS funny Plane.Silly

[daz211]

Primera Air is also joining the Paris longhaul party offering Boston Newyork and Toronto.

[Curious Pax]

Are Level changing tack from just A330 longhaul? I see 3 ex Niki 321s have either acquired or are getting Level colours - anyone know what they plan to do with them?

[Lon12]

I think Vueling is going to open a new base in Vienna next July, maybe the 15th.

Those planes will be operated by Level for Vueling.

Strange movement

[Shamrock350]

I think it's the other way around, operated by the newly created Vueling Austria but in Level branding.

It looks like Level will eventually become the main LCC brand within IAG on both long haul and short haul, it's a more neutral brand and has no reputation attached to it like Vueling may have.

[toledoashley]

LEVEL isnt really an airline, but a brand available within the IAG group for their airlines to use as a low-cost brand. In this case, Vueling Austria - due to native German speaking countries struggling with pronouncing Vueling!

The current make up of LEVEL:
Barcelona - operated by Iberia
Paris - operated by Openskies
Vienna - operated by Vueling Austria

[Seljuk22]

Airbus A321 -211 6454 OE-LCN Anisec Luftfahrt delivery 26jun18 BTS-VIE, after paint into Level cs (+ 6719 OE-LCR NWI-VIE) ex HB-IOU
Airbus A321 -211 6629 OE-LCP Anisec Luftfahrt ferried 22jun18 LFBF-LDE-BTS for paint into Level cs prior delivery ex HB-JOV
https://www.skyliner-aviation.de/regdb.main?LC=nav4

[sparkie320]

A321 OE-LCR
departed NWI Viernna bound 26th following repaint into Level

Mark

[jensdad]

German speaking countries struggling with pronouncing Vueling!


I still don't know how to pronounce it! In Spanish it should be bwɛling' but who knows? Always been puzzled by the name - 'vuelo' means 'flight' but I'm not sure what the 'ing' is all about.

[inOban]

I'm sure we had this discussion a while ago. It's Catalan, BTW.

[EI-BUD]

Jensdad

Vueling is a play on a mix of Spanish and English.
Vuel relates to Vuelar (/to fly) and 'ing'from English. So sort of flying but spanglish ....

spaniards pronounce V like B , as in Valencia is pronounced Balencia and in this way Vueling will be pronounced Bueling in Spain, everywhere else I guess just as it reads with V!

[jensdad]

Jensdad
...and 'ing'from English. So sort of flying but spanglish ....



Thanks for that, EI-BUD. I get the 'vuel...' bit but wasn't sure about the '..ing' as as far as I know no Spanish (or indeed Catalan, InOban; I've no knowledge of that language other than 'Camp Nou' :) ) words end in those three letters. That explains it, though!

[Lon12]

I still don't know how to pronounce it! In Spanish it should be bwɛling' but who knows? Always been puzzled by the name - 'vuelo' means 'flight' but I'm not sure what the 'ing' is all about.

VUELING means Flying in “Spanglish”

We have in Spanish “ando” like “ing” in English.

bailando, cantando, saltando, volando, soñando..... means dancing, singing, jumping, flying or dreaming for example.

Vuela -> Fly

Vueling -> Volando

could be “Flyando” if we change the words.

[jensdad]

Thanks for that, Lon12. I studied Spanish a while back but am very rusty at the minute!

Sorry for hijacking the thread about Level with a linguistic discussion about the word 'Vueling' everyone :)

[PAXboy]

British Airways owner shocks aviation industry with launch of new budget airline in challenge to Ryanair service (https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/ba-budget-airline-anisec-launch-iag-british-airways-vienna-austria-a8420766.html)

[nguba]

British Airways owner shocks aviation industry with launch of new budget airline in challenge to Ryanair service (https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/ba-budget-airline-anisec-launch-iag-british-airways-vienna-austria-a8420766.html)

That headline is pure clickbait. IAG was been looking at the Austrian market for months - it came close to acquiring Niki in December.

[LGS6753]

Is Vienna a large enough market to sustain all this activity? Laudamotion, Level and Wizzair are all new entrants with a based fleet.

[Seljuk22]

Don't forget Eurowings Europe and increased services from easyJet.

All in all Air Berlin / Niki weren't that big at Vienna like those combined are now.

[HZ123]

Seems to me as if the group is firefighting. Trying to be all things at once and failing in many areas. Are the Level staff still IB employees, if they are it must be costing lots of Euros!

[toledoashley]

Seems to me as if the group is firefighting. Trying to be all things at once and failing in many areas. Are the Level staff still IB employees, if they are it must be costing lots of Euros!

Level is a 'brand' which can be extended across the group of airlines - so the Barcelona base for LH is operated by Iberia and therefore IB staff, the Paris base is ex-Openskies and staffed by that base, and Austria is a new operation which will be operated by Austrians.