Level (airline) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Level

Level A330-200 in standard livery
Founded	15 March 2017; 8 years ago (2017-03-15)
Commenced operations	1 June 2017; 8 years ago (2017-06-01)
AOC #	ES.AOC.166
Operating bases	Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport
Frequent-flyer program	Avios
Fleet size	7
Destinations	8
Parent company	International Airlines Group (IAG)
Headquarters	Viladecans, Spain
Key people	Rafael Jiménez Hoyos (CEO) Luis Gallego (CEO of IAG)

LEVEL is a Spanish airline that is part of a bigger company called the International Airlines Group (IAG). Its main office is in Viladecans, Spain.

Level first started as an "airline brand" in 2017. This meant that other airlines, like Iberia, flew the planes and handled the flights for Level. Level offered low-cost, long-distance flights. It began flying from Barcelona–El Prat Airport in June 2017.

Later, in July 2018, Level grew and started offering long-distance flights from Paris Orly Airport. Another IAG airline, OpenSkies, operated these flights. Level also began short-distance flights from Vienna International Airport, which were operated by an airline called Level Europe.

However, in June 2020, Level Europe stopped flying because of financial problems. This meant all of Level's short-distance flights ended. In July 2020, OpenSkies also closed down, which stopped Level's long-distance flights from Paris. But Level's long-distance flights from Barcelona, operated by Iberia, continued to fly.

In December 2024, Level got its own special license called an air operator's certificate (AOC). This allows Level to fly its own planes and operate as a full airline within the IAG group. In March 2025, Iberia took over more than half of Level's ownership.

History of Level

How Level Started as a Brand

IAG created Level in March 2017 to compete with other airlines offering affordable long-distance flights. The CEO of IAG, Willie Walsh, announced the new brand. Level started with four destinations from Barcelona–El Prat Airport. These first cities were Oakland, Los Angeles, Buenos Aires, and Punta Cana.

At first, Iberia operated all of Level's flights and provided the staff. This arrangement continued because Level did not yet have its own flying license. The new brand was very popular, selling over 147,000 seats in just a month and a half. This was much more than IAG expected.

Growing Long-Distance Flights

Level continued to grow by adding more routes from other European cities. In November 2017, Level announced new flights from Paris Orly Airport to Montreal and Point-à-Pitre. It also added flights from Barcelona to Boston. Later, more flights from Paris Orly to Fort-de-France and Newark were added.

Another IAG airline, OpenSkies, operated the flights from Paris Orly. When OpenSkies stopped flying in September 2018, its operations became part of the Level brand. Level then announced new flights from Barcelona to Santiago de Chile and New York JFK.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused many problems for airlines, including Level. In March 2020, Level had to stop all its flights. In July 2020, IAG announced that OpenSkies, which operated Level's Paris flights, would close down. Even though tickets for Paris flights were briefly sold again, these flights never restarted.

However, Level's long-distance flights from Barcelona, operated by Iberia, started flying again in September 2020. As travel rules became easier, Level launched a new route from Barcelona to Cancún International Airport in July 2021. It also announced that flights to Punta Cana and Los Angeles would restart. In September 2023, Level shared plans to add a new flight between Barcelona and Miami International Airport starting in March 2024.

Growing Short-Distance Flights

A former Level Airbus A321-200 used on short-distance routes from Amsterdam and Vienna (2019).

In June 2018, IAG launched a new low-cost airline in Austria called Anisec Luftfahrt. This airline operated short-distance flights from Vienna International Airport under the Level brand. It used four Airbus A321 planes. By December 2018, Level reduced some of its Vienna flights because not enough people were flying on them.

In March 2019, Level planned to open a second base for short-distance flights at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. Seven routes that were flown by another airline, Vueling, were moved to Level. These flights were operated by Anisec Luftfahrt using Airbus A320 planes. In December 2019, Anisec Luftfahrt changed its name to Level Europe.

However, in June 2020, all short-distance flights operated by Level Europe from Amsterdam and Vienna stopped. This happened because Level Europe went out of business.

Becoming Its Own Airline

In November 2023, IAG announced that Level would get its own special license to operate flights independently. This meant Level would no longer need other IAG airlines to fly its planes. Level received this license in December 2024. It was given its own airline code, "LL," but it will continue to use Iberia's "IB" code for a short time in 2025 before fully switching.

Level's Offices and Leaders

Level's main office is in Viladecans, Spain. It used to share office space with Iberia in Madrid. Level also has offices at Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport, which it shares with Vueling.

When Level first started, it didn't have its own CEO. In July 2018, Vincent Hodder became Level's first CEO. He was followed by Fernando Candela in September 2019. In September 2024, Rafael Jiménez Hoyos was announced as the new CEO of Level.

Where Level Flies

As of March 2025, airlines flying for Level serve or have served the following places.

Long-Distance Destinations

Long-distance flights for Level started from Barcelona–El Prat Airport in March 2017. These flights were operated by Iberia. From July 2018, long-distance flights from Paris Orly Airport were operated by OpenSkies. These flights stopped in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. OpenSkies then closed in July 2020.

Short-Distance Destinations

Short-distance flights for Level were operated by Anisec Luftfahrt (later called Level Europe) from July 2018 to March 2020. All these flights stopped when Level Europe went out of business in June 2020.

Airline Partnerships

As of October 2021, airlines flying for Level have special agreements with other airlines. These are called codeshare agreements. They allow passengers to book flights on one airline but fly on another.

Level's Aircraft Fleet

Current Aircraft

As of May 2025, Level uses the following Airbus A330 planes:

Past Aircraft Used by Level

A former Level Airbus A320-200

Level previously used these types of aircraft:

How Level's Fleet Grew

Level planned to grow its fleet from three Airbus A330-200s in 2017 to at least 15 planes by 2022. It considered adding more Airbus A330s or possibly Boeing 787s.

In June 2018, four branded Airbus A321-200 planes were added for short-distance flights. Later, two Airbus A320-200 planes were also added. Three more Airbus A330-200 planes, operated by OpenSkies, joined the fleet in July 2018. In June 2020, the Airbus A320 and A321 planes were removed from the fleet after Level Europe stopped flying. The next month, OpenSkies closed, and its three Airbus A330-200s were moved to Iberia.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, IAG announced in November 2023 that Level's fleet would grow to eight planes by 2026. In May 2025, IAG ordered new planes from Airbus and Boeing. Some of these new planes, specifically 21 Airbus A330-900s, will be given to Level, Aer Lingus, and Iberia.

Flying with Level: Cabins and Services

Premium Economy Class

On Level's A330 planes, the Premium Economy cabin has 42 comfortable seats. These seats can recline and have extra legroom. Each seat has a 12-inch (31 cm) TV screen with movies, TV shows, and music. Passengers in Premium Economy get a free three-course meal. Wi-Fi is also available to buy. Passengers can bring one carry-on bag and two checked bags for free.

Economy Class

The Economy cabin on Level's A330 planes has 293 seats. Each seat has a 9-inch (23 cm) TV screen. If you fly in Economy, you can buy Wi-Fi, food, and checked baggage.

Frequent Flyer Program

When you fly on Level flights operated by Iberia, you can earn Avios points through the Iberia Plus program. It is not yet clear how earning Avios points will change once Level operates its own flights with its new license. Flights previously operated by Level Europe or OpenSkies did not allow passengers to earn Avios points.

See also

In Spanish: Level para niños