Earlier this year, IAG, the parent company of Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia and Vueling announced the launch of a new low-cost airline; LEVEL.
This was aimed at offering direct competition to the likes of Norwegian Air.
LEVEL currently operates direct flights from Barcelona to:
- Los Angeles (LAX)
- Buenos Aires (EZE)
- Oakland (OAK)
- Punta Cana (PUJ)
- Boston (coming in March 2018)
Today, IAG have announced that LEVEL will launch flights from Paris Orly to Montreal*, New York, Guadeloupe and Martinique from July 2018.
Per the press release:
- LEVEL will base two Airbus A330-200 aircraft at Orly, each with 293 economy and 21 premium economy seats.
- Checked luggage (plus a free cabin bag), meals, seat selection and the latest movie releases will be complimentary for customers flying in premium economy.
- Next generation in-flight technology will be available for all customers with a wide range of onboard entertainment options. There is also super-high-speed internet connectivity with prices starting at €8.99.
- Customers can earn and redeem Avios on these flights
The demise of OpenSkies
LEVEL’s new Paris flights will be operated by staff who currently work for IAG’s French airline OpenSkies, which is based at the airport. OpenSkies is an airline that flies solely between Paris (Orly) and New York (Newark and JFK).
The OpenSkies brand will cease to operate at the end of next summer and all its staff will operate LEVEL flights.
How to book
Tickets for the new Paris routes are available to book immediately on the LEVEL website.
Flights from Paris Orly to Montreal, Guadeloupe and Martinique start at €99 one-way. New York (Newark) starts at €129 one way. The launch timetable is as follows:
- Flights to Montreal start on July 2, 2018, and operate three times per week.
- Flights to Guadeloupe start on July 3, 2018, and operate four times per week.
- Flights to Martinique start on September 3, 2018, and operate three times per week.
- Flights to New York (Newark) start on September 4, 2018, and operate four times per week.
Verdict
This could be a further useful development for those wanting to redeem miles but only finding availability one-way. Instead of having to fork out for an expensive one-way ticket, you could use miles one-way and pick up a cheap ticket to Paris for the return. Alternatively, you may decide you are
It will be interesting to see what further plans IAG has for LEVEL in the months and years ahead.
Have you flown with LEVEL since it launched?
Savings at the Post Office, World Duty Free and more
If you didn’t quite manage to bag the bargains you were hoping for over Black Friday/Cyber Monday, the good news is that new offers continue to emerge as we head towards Christmas.
I have written previously about Amex Offers and how you can use them to ‘earn back’ any annual fees you pay on your cards.
In recent days and weeks, a new wave of offers have been added to the various cards that my wife and I hold between us:
- £5 back on a £10 spend at the Post Office – Remember that the Post Office sells more than just stamps. My local branch offers iTunes gift cards as well as One4All gift cards which can be used at a large variety of retailers.
- £5 back when you spend £50 at World Duty Free
- £10 back when you spend £30+ at Addison Lee
- £30 back when you spend £100 at Harvey Nichols
- £75 back when you spend £500+ with Qatar Airways
- £50 back when you spend £250 at Hilton – List of participating properties here
There are also a number of wine offers. If your cellar needs stocking pre-Christmas, this isn’t a bad way to go about it:
- £25 back when you spend £100 at Majestic Wines
- £20 back when you spend £100 at Berry Bros. & Rudd
- 20% back when you spend £100 at Rude Wines
How to use these offers
You must save the relevant Amex Offer to your card(s) before spending at a retailer. American Express cardholders can access Amex Offers via their online account on the Amex website or within the Amex app.
Those with American Express cards issued by MBNA, Lloyds, TSB and Barclaycard can also add certain offers to their cards via the Amex Connect website.
Don’t forget that Shop Small 2017 launches this Saturday!
If you missed it, click here to read our full article on Shop Small from a couple of weeks back, with the best ways to cash in on this excellent promotion!