Volotea 717 Flight Review, Venice to Dubrovnik

Booking a Volotea Flight from Venice to Dubrovnik

Beth and I wrapped up our time in Italy with a final stop in Venice and then a flight on the ultra low cost carrier Volotea to wonderful Dubrovnik. More on Venice later!

Our flight from Venice (VCE) to Dubrovnik (DBV) left early in the morning at 7:15 AM. This route was new for the summer and it proved to be perfect for our honeymoon plan in order to explore both Italy and Croatia. The flight was a mere 1 hour and 20 minutes across the Adriatic Sea. We paid a total of €116.96 for both of our tickets, so cheap! But, with Volotea being an ultra low cost carrier meant they charge extra for anything other than just a seat. They charge for checked bags, carryons, selecting seats, and even printing boarding passes at the airport!!

Fortunately, the Combo Plus package that Volotea sells fit our needs perfectly. It included a checked bag each, premium seat selection, better cancellation policies, and printing of boarding passes at the airport. It priced out to €66.00 for both of us which was cheaper than buying the checked bag option separately which is what we really needed. We even got to select the exit row seats on Volotea’s 717! So a score for us! A nonstop flight and significantly cheaper than any other option.

Getting from Venice to the airport proved somewhat difficult. We had to get up really early to catch the 5:00 AM express bus to the airport. We trekked across Venice’s canals with our bags in the moonlight. It was quite peaceful with almost no one about. Just a couple of stragglers who had stayed up all night partying. The bus ride was a nonstop to the airport and cost €8 person. A pretty cheap option and it was a comfortable ride.

Marco Polo Club Venice

At the airport we were able to utilize the Marco Polo Club lounge thanks to the Priority Pass Select membership I receive from being an American Express Platinum card holder. It happened to be a pretty decent lounge with an outdoor observation deck to view all the planes. We grabbed some food for breakfast before our flight. On the observation deck we even managed to catch the sunrise on the observation deck! We are usually not up that early.

The lounge is located on the second floor just past security. Just note that the lounge is before the passport check when going to countries outside of the Schengen area. So do not go past it if you want to use the lounge.

Volotea 717 Flight Review

We headed down from the lounge to board and breezed through the passport control. At the gate we lined to get on a bus to our plane. Being from the USA it is always weird to get bused to an airplane, we are so used to jetways! I don’t really mind being bused as it gives me a chance to get a good view of the planes on the tarmac.

Boarding the flight was really quick as it was maybe a third full, a rarity these days but it was an early flight. With us buying the Combo Plus pack we were able to sit in the exit row seats and had it all to ourselves. The legroom on the 717 in the exit row was more than generous… It had to be the largest seat pitch I have ever had in economy minus bulkhead seats. I am six feet tall to put the picture in perspective, so I am not necessarily a short person. The regular seats did not look bad either especially for a low cost carrier, many mainline carriers have zero seat pitch today anyway. Iberia being the worst, we flew them later..

Anyway the flight was just about an hour. There was no entertainment was provided on the flight, not even an in-flight magazine. Only the required safety manual was provided if you find that entertaining. We took off over the Adriatic Sea and I managed to sleep a little before descending into Dubrovnik. We caught glimpses of the spectacular Croatian coast from the plane windows.

Final Thoughts

Volotea was perfectly fine for intra-Europe flights. Heck, it was significantly better than the Iberia flight we took to get out of Dubrovnik at the end of the trip. If you are flying Volotea and want legroom definitely pick the exit rows for an insane amount of legroom. For longer flights on Volotea packing your own entertainment is absolutely necessary as nothing is provided. Also, if bringing bags look into the Combo Plus package, the fees they charge for just one bag are high and the package was nearly identical in price and gives you some bonuses.

I would recommend flying Volotea around Europe, has anyone else had the chance to fly them?