Now that I’ve flown the Iberia A321-200 to Barcelona, the question remains, “How to get back to the States?” While there are a number of carriers with seasonal and year-round service between Barcelona and the U.S., as well as even more out of Madrid, there’s only one direct non-stop service to the West Coast that operates year round: the daily A330-200 of Spanish low-cost airline Level. I’ve seen them a ton of times in person in Los Angeles and I’ve already done a trip report for the eastbound flight from LAX to BCN, it was only natural for me to retrace my steps and fly west to L.A. with Level! Hope y’all enjoy this route, because it was really fun to fly!
Server: Solo
Airline: Level
Aircraft: Airbus A330-200
Origin: Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport, El Prat de Llobregat, Spain (BCN)
Destination: Los Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles, California (LAX)
Flight Number: LL2623
Route: LEBL-KLAX
Seat: 6A (Premium Economy)
Time En Route: 12 Hours 12 Minutes
Getting ready to board at Barcelona’s Terminal 1 on a hot August afternoon. It’s been a minute since we’ve flown with Level, too long, perhaps, and we’re looking forward to trying out the premium economy seating on this 311-seat A330-200. In a funny coincidence, the aircraft we’re on today is the same one we came here on from LAX a few months ago. We’re glad to be flying aboard it again for this trip to L.A.
Taxiing to Runway 06L for departure with a busy Terminal 1 in the background. Premium economy on this aircraft has been looking like a good investment so far. The cabin and seat are almost the opposite of the A21’s business class, in that the seats are modern and the cabin has aged very well. Largely identical to Iberia’s A330 premium economy cabin, our seat is comfortable, clean, and relatively modern, which’ll be great for our flight today.
Getting airborne from Barcelona with a loud CF6 takeoff. Off to our left is Terminal 2, which is buzzing with activity from a number of low-cost carriers, even this late in the summer travel season. As the acceleration pushes us back and down in our seat, we’re getting our headphones out of our backpack to watch a movie on the generously-sized IFE screen in the back of the seat in front of us. Gotta do something on a 12-hour daytime flight, after all.
Climbing over the Catalan countryside. We’ve started our first movie of the flight, Kong: Skull Island, which should keep us satisfied for a couple hours or more. Unlike many low-cost airlines, Level provides a large selection of movies and TV shows on its IFE system, which helps pass the time on the long intercontinental flights it uses its A330-200s on. Chalk up another one in favor of LL for budget-conscious travelers going to and from Barcelona.
In cruise over the North Atlantic at 34,000 feet. We were served a pretty good lunch which, like the IFE screen, is above and beyond what we expected from a LCC. The only drawback is that water has to be purchased individually, unless it’s ordered as part of the meal service. Aside from this, the dining was comparable to what we’d probably get in premium economy on an Iberia flight, so we should be well-satisfied for several hours.
Crossing into North Dakota north of Grand Forks. With the exception of some turbulence near Hudson Bay, it’s been a very smooth flight. There might be some heavy weather further south, though, but our flightpath should take us north of it. Besides that, it should be a beautiful afternoon and evening the rest of the way to L.A.
In our final descent into Los Angeles over Pomona, following the I-10 freeway into town. We did end up encountering some light turbulence over Wyoming, but it was only for a few minutes, leaving the rest of the flight to be uneventful. After the purchase of another water, we’ve spent the remainder of our time in the air watching the landscape transition from plains to desert and from desert to mountains, before changing back to desert again. We’ve got company off to the left, with a United Airlines 757-300 seemingly racing us into LAX.
Evening landing at LAX on Runway 24R. Oir flight crew nailed the landing, bringing us over the runway threshold seemingly just above stall speed, before gently setting us down abeam of Terminal 3. Next was the usual sequence of spoilers up, reversers opened, and aircraft decelerating at a rapid pace. As we slow down to exit, we’re passing by a long line of aircraft waiting to depart Los Angeles International this evening, a line we’re glad we won’t have to sit in.
Crossing Runway 06R/24L as an Air France 777-300ER going to Paris exits the Midfield Concourse ramp. Off in the distance, a string of landing lights of decreasing size shows how busy LAX airspace is this evening. As we head to the Tom Bradley International Terminal, we’re repacking our backpack to deplane. We’ve had a good time aboard, but all good things must come to an end sometime.
Disembarked from our aircraft at Gate 148, next to the one we left from a few days ago. While Level’s premium economy is definitely a “get what you pay for” in every sense of the phrase, it’s very good for what it is. Long-haul low-cost carriers are few and far between, and Level is a member of this small club. For people looking to travel to Barcelona on a budget, premium economy, at least on this LL A330, can’t be beat.
