Best Low‑Cost Airline in Spain: who tops the list for 2025?

Spain has a clear frontrunner for 2025 for the title of best low‑cost airline in Spain, recognised by the Skytrax World Airline Awards. The accolade points to keener pricing on busy routes and strong coverage from Barcelona, Madrid and the islands.

2025 budget airline winner in Spain 

Vueling is the Best Low‑Cost Airline in Spain 2025, also topping Southern Europe and placing fifth worldwide in the Skytrax list. That means plenty of flights on the busy routes, a straightforward fare setup and wide short‑haul coverage, with the usual add‑ons for cabin bags and seat selection to factor into the total price.

Spain also grabbed three of the top 10 spots for World's Best Low-Cost Airlines for 2025, securing the country as a leader in providing cheap flights to travellers across the world.

Horacio Villalobos Getty images

What Skytrax measures and how to use it

The Skytrax World Airline Awards are based on a global passenger survey that rates the end‑to‑end experience — service quality, value for money, cabin comfort, staff service and cleanliness. The ranking is best read as a signal of customer satisfaction, to be weighed alongside on‑time performance, fees and airport choice for your route.

Spain’s key low‑cost hubs and popular routes

Most budget traffic funnels through Barcelona (BCN) and Madrid (MAD), with strong volumes at Palma de Mallorca (PMI), Málaga (AGP), Alicante (ALC) and Valencia (VLC). 

The islands see big seasonal spikes—think links to Ibiza (IBZ), Tenerife (TFS) and Gran Canaria (LPA)—while city pairs like Barcelona–Paris, Madrid–London, Barcelona–Milan and Madrid–Rome stay busy year‑round. Domestic staples such as Barcelona–Palma and Madrid–Seville also see dense frequencies, with early‑morning and late‑evening rotations favoured by low‑cost schedules.

Horacio Villalobos Getty images

Choosing the best budget carrier for your trip to Spain

Choosing a budget airline for Spain is about the whole journey, not just the sticker price.

• Check on‑time performance and how often the airline flies your route, as frequency gives you fallback options if things go sideways.
• Compare the total trip cost, not just the headline fare—add your usual baggage needs, seat choice and any payment or priority fees.
• Look at which airport the flight uses, as secondary airports can mean longer transfers that wipe out savings.
• If you’re piecing together connections, avoid tight layovers and stick to a single ticket where possible for EU261 cover.

Disruption and policy changes shaping 2025 travel

This year’s low‑cost landscape is being tugged by labour action and shifting capacity, so build a little slack into plans. The ongoing baggage‑handler strike in Spain has created pockets of delay and bag backlogs at busy hubs. Some routes are also seeing thinner schedules after the airline Ryanair cut one million seats in Spain, which can nudge prices up on popular dates. I

If your plans touch Lisbon, Porto or Faro, keep an eye on airport strikes in Portugal running into early 2026. You’ll also want to allow extra time at passport control if you’re a non‑EU traveller, as the new EU Entry/Exit System border rules may lengthen queues during the rollout in October 2025.

El Gran Dee, CC BY 2.0 Flickr

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