Volotea is a low-cost Spanish airline based in Barcelona, connecting over 100 small and mid-sized cities across 18 countries and reaching 110 airports with non-stop flights. Their route network focuses on the European side of the Mediterranean and western and southern Europe.
I love using their flights to hop from Barcelona to the Spanish islands on a budget (it’s pronounced “vol-oh-tayer”, by the way).
Fees
Volotea’s flight prices are generally lower than other airlines, but you’ll pay fees for any extras, and the airline is strict about enforcing those. If you’re planning short-haul flights with just a carry-on bag, like I do, this is a great choice.
But if you’ll be checking luggage, traveling longer distances or want to choose exactly where you sit, make sure to calculate all the extra costs before booking.
Price guarantee
Volotea offers a price guarantee: if you book online or in the app and then see the same flight elsewhere for a cheaper price, they’ll honor the price difference. I really appreciate this policy, as it means you’re getting a great price for your route when you book with Volotea.
Fare classes
Volotea doesn’t offer separate fare classes, as all their flights are economy only. You can, however, pay an extra fee to choose a seat in a different part of the plane, like the front row or an exit row. The airline also says all of their seats have about 5% more space between seats (seat pitch) than similar companies, which is a nice perk.
Flexibility
Volotea offers a Flex plan on their tickets when booking, which you can add for an extra cost. This allows you to make unlimited changes up to 4 hours before your flight. If you cancel, you also get a refund as Volotea credit on that flight. Without this plan, changes cost €50 per passenger per segment (plus any fare difference) and are only allowed up to 7 days before departure.
Luggage policy
With a Standard Seat, you get one personal item that fits under your seat, but no cabin bags. Megavolotea or Megavolotea Plus members get one personal bag plus one cabin luggage item included.
All checked bags cost extra, with the cheapest rates at booking (prices increase at check-in and the boarding gate). The airline offers checked bag options of 22 lbs, 44 lbs, or 55 lbs per bag, with special equipment allowed up to 70 lbs.
In my experience, European low-cost airlines are strict about luggage size and weight, so they’ll definitely weigh and measure your bags.
Check-in
Volotea makes the check-in process easy. You can check in and download your boarding pass to your phone (or their app), or do it online and print a physical copy. Just a heads-up: if you show up to the airport without a boarding pass, you’ll be charged a fee for them to print it for you (though you can pre-purchase this service from around €10), with a few exceptions for travelers with service dogs, babies, or those requiring special assistance.
It’s also worth remembering that some airports in Europe don’t allow digital boarding passes. If you’re traveling to one of those destinations, you’ll need to have a physical copy, so make sure to check with the airport before you fly.
Self check-in kiosks
Volotea offers self check-in kiosks at select airports, though they aren’t available everywhere. So, make sure to leave plenty of time in case you have to check your bags with a desk agent. There’s no special line for priority travelers either, so everyone waits in the same line.
Seating
Volotea is an all-economy airline with no business class or premium economy. However, you can pay for better economy seats within three tiers: Premium, Standard, and Basic.
Premium Seats offer more legroom in row 1 and emergency exit rows. Standard Seats sit near the front between rows 3 and 6. Basic Seats are randomly allocated at no extra charge when you book.
Boarding
The airline boards travelers who need extra time first, then their priority boarding customers, and then everyone else. You can add priority boarding to a ticket up to two hours and 30 minutes before a flight.
Fast Track
Volotea offers both Fast Track (for security lanes) and Priority Boarding (for early boarding) as separate services, each for a fee. It’s a nominal amount, so it could be worth it if you have a carry-on and don’t want to worry about finding space in the overhead bin.
In-flight entertainment
Volotea doesn’t offer personal screens on their flights. But when you connect to the Volotea Media network on your own device, you’ll find a host of things to watch and do. There are TV series, films, travel guides, music, newspapers, magazines and games, plus a section for kids.
Wi-Fi on the plane
Most of Volotea’s flights don’t have Wi-Fi that connects to the internet. Even though some flights are advertised as having Wi-Fi, it’s just to connect to their onboard entertainment network. You can’t use it for messaging or browsing. Since I tend to use Volotea for short flights of around an hour, this isn’t something that bothers me.
Onboard menu
On Volotea, you can pre-order a meal when you book your ticket or during check-in, or just pick something up on the flight. Like many airlines, they don’t take cash, so have a credit card ready for any onboard purchases. They serve coffees (including espresso), teas, soft drinks, and alcohol.
You can also get savory snacks like cheese and chips, sweet treats like cookies and full meals (choose between a tapas option or a hot meal). It’s a decent selection for a short flight, though I usually travel with my own healthy treats so I’m not disappointed if the snacks aren’t what I’m after.
Airline magazine
Since many airlines no longer offer their own magazine, I really appreciate that Volotea does. It’s called Volare and it has great music playlists and travel articles to check out. You can download their app to read it while you’re onboard, and the magazine is also available digitally through the Volotea Media onboard entertainment service.
Traveling as a family
Unlike many airlines where infants under 2 fly free, Volotea charges a fee for babies under 2 years old (€25 online or €30 via call center or at the airport). Infants under 2 must sit on a parent or guardian’s lap, as the airline doesn’t provide onboard cots.
Volotea allows unlimited liquids for babies (exempt from TSA restrictions) and lets you travel with 2 items of baby equipment like strollers for free.
Pregnant women can fly up to the 27th week without a medical certificate; from the 28th to 35th week, you’ll need a medical certificate confirming fitness to fly, and travel isn’t permitted from the 36th week onwards. Large families need to declare their status and travel with proper documentation (a Large Family Certificate from your Autonomous Community).
Loyalty program
Volotea’s loyalty program operates as a paid annual subscription with 2 levels: Megavolotea and Megavolotea Plus. If you’re planning to use this airline frequently, I highly recommend it.
Both tiers offer cheaper flights, a 22 lb cabin bag, discounted priority seats, cheaper luggage, and unlimited flight changes up to 7 days before departure for the member plus up to 4 companions per booking. Plus adds priority boarding and bigger discounts. You can trial the program for 15 days if you want to test it first.
This KAYAK-commissioned article is presented as-is, for general informational purposes only, and may not be up-to-date. The opinions contained in the article are original to the author and reflect their authentic experience, which may vary significantly from the experience of others. Find more perspectives in our user reviews below.
