Prague to Paris with Vueling – I Didn’t Know What To Expect

Having spent two weeks in Prague it was time for me to return home to Scotland. When I was looking for flights home I could either have flown direct to Edinburgh with Ryanair or fly via Paris to Glasgow with Vueling and easyJet Europe. As you can tell from the title of this post I went with the latter of the two options.

This option involved flying with Vueling from Prague to Paris Orly and then easyJet Europe from Paris Charles de Gaulle to Glasgow, this review will only focus on the Vueling flight. I have included the flight details below.

Flight Details

Origin – Prague Vaclav Havel Airport Terminal 2

Destinations – Paris Orly Terminal 3

Airline – Vueling

Aircraft – Airbus A321

Seat – 34A

Price – 44.99 EUR (£38.90)

Prague Airport Experience

If you have read my Norwegian Air Sweden review then this will sound very familiar, especially as this flight was less than a week later.

My flight was departing at 0915 and I used the Metro A line and bus 119 to reach the airport, arriving just after 0745. The departures level of terminal 2 is located upstairs from the bus stop and takes less than 60 seconds to reach.

I did not have a bag to check-in, however, Vueling had three desks available for passengers to use, and unlike Norwegian you are unable to use the automated kiosks located throughout the check-in area.

Security took less than five minutes and was well staffed and equipped to ensure that their was everything passengers would need to comply with the rules. It is surprising how many airports do not have preparation areas, plastic liquid bags and enough trays to support their passenger numbers.

Having cleared security I took myself to gate D3 which was the departure gate for this flight.

My Vueling Experience

I was surprised to see that my aircraft had already arrived 25 minutes ahead of schedule and that the gate staff had already prepared the gate area.

Boarding began a staggering sixty minutes before departure and was organised by using boarding groups, I am not sure how these are assigned but I was in group three.

Upon boarding the aircraft the crew greeted every passenger and created a welcoming environment from the moment you boarded the aircraft.

I quickly found my seat and placed my backpack under the seat in front of me.

This flight was operated by one of Vueling’s A321’s with the registration EC-MJR. This particular aircraft is 7.7 years old and was delivered to Vueling from Airbus in February 2016. This aircraft can carry 220 passengers in an all economy layout.

My only complaint with the seat is the position of the window in relation to the seat, however, this is common on aircraft with every carrier and is not exclusive to Vueling. Although I have flown extensively this was my first time flying the A321 so did not know what seat to pick.

In the seat pocket in front of you there is a safety card and inflight magazine which had content in English and Spanish (Vueling is a Spanish airline so it makes sense).

On the seat their is a small information card with information on how to connect to the “onboard Wi-Fi”, which was not possible on this flight as the aircraft did not have Wi-Fi equipment onboard.

Boarding was completed just after 0900 and we pushed back from the gate just before 0915. We taxied to Runway 23 and sat waiting for three aircraft to land before being able to depart (for anyone interested they were a Ryanair flight from Venice, a Cyprus Airways flight from Larnaca and a BA flight from Heathrow).

As a result we departed Prague at 0922 and turned right after departure towards Paris.

Inflight Service

Shortly after take-off the cabin crew began the inflight service. As Vueling is a budget airline this consists of a buy onboard menu with drinks and snacks available.

Prices onboard are reasonable and are comparable with the prices, if not slightly lower, than the competition. There is a wide selection of items available meaning you should find something you like if you decide to buy something. On this particular flight I did not purchase anything as I had only just had breakfast before boarding.

Despite Wi-Fi not being available you can still access the inflight tracker that tells you the estimated arrival time and how long is left on your flight.

Furthermore, you can still see what Wi-Fi packages would have been available on the flight. There should have been two packages, details of which can be found in the image below.

The rest of the flight passed quickly and we began our decent in Paris Orly, landing at 1040 and arriving at our gate at 1045 meaning we arrived fifteen minutes ahead of schedule.

Paris Orly Arrival Experience

As this flight was within the Schengen area there was no need for passport control checks meaning you are treated as a domestic passenger when you land.

Exiting the airport took approximately ten minutes and I made my way to the “Orlyval” system.

This system allows for a connection to the RER B line into Paris and ultimately to Paris CDG airport (the main airport serving Paris). The fare was 15.40 EUR, which to put it mildly is extortionate for the journey. The Orlyval will take you from the airport to Antony station, from there you transfer to the RER. The journey will take approximately 30 minutes.

Did I Have Other Flight Options?

Yes I had other flight options as Prague has connections to three airports serving Paris (well two + Beauvais which is 55 miles away from Paris and takes 80 minutes to reach by bus).

Below are the airlines I could have used and the reasons why I did not choose them.

• Air France – This option would have been to Charles de Gaulle and was over £200.
• Czech Airlines – This was my second choice and would have also been to Charles de Gaulle, it was more expensive than Vueling which is why I did not take it.
• Ryanair – They serve Beauvais and I could not be bothered with that bus ride.
• Transavia – Their flight did not leave enough time to transfer between airports.

Would I Fly Vueing Again?

I would happily fly with Vueling again if there was a need or opportunity to do so. I thought they provided excellent value for money, especially as it was to and from an airport near the city they serve.

Vueling used to fly from Glasgow to Paris Orly however this route has been dropped. Their only Scottish route is from Edinburgh to Barcelona, they have a much more extensive network from London Gatwick which may provide a better opportunity to visit one of Spain’s lesser visited cities.