RENFE kept its recent promise to launch ticket sales for its low-cost division called AVLO with a bang – an unbeatable price and great ticket availability! Read on to learn more.

Eagerly awaited low-cost rail brand AVLO will launch its services on the 23rd of June 2021. But tickets can be bought from today, 26th of January, for travel from 23rd of June till the end of 2021. Many tickets are 5 euros one way. This is an incredible price, which is about 10 times cheaper than the usual price of a ticket for a high-speed AVE train.

Where can you travel

Tickets on sale are between the following cities:

Barcelona,

Calatayud,

Figueres,

Girona,

Guadalajara,

Lleida,

Madrid,

Tarragona,

Zaragoza.

Where to book

From today, 26th of January on avlorenfe.com and from the 1st of February via other RENFE sales channels.

What kind of trains are there

Seems like currently, AVLO is using the same high-speed trains as AVE with 4 seats across (two-two). These are very comfortable. 

Luggage allowance

Don’t forget that you are buying a basic ticket and all extras cost additional money. But unlike low-cost plane tickets, even the basic AVLO ticket includes a generous luggage allowance. Look at the AVLO’s luggage policy below.

The Basic Fare includes the following luggage in the ticket price, free of charge:

• 1 piece of hand luggage (bag, rucksack, etc.) subject to the following size limitations: 27x36x25 cm, no weight limit.
• 1 suitcase, subject to the following size limitations: 55x35x25 cm, no weight limit.

If you need to add 1 additional piece of luggage of larger dimensions, up to a maximum of 85x60x35 cm (or which does not exceed 180 cm in total), you can do so at the time of purchase of your ticket for an additional €10; also online for €15 after you purchase the ticket or directly at the station, at the boarding control point, up to 30 minutes before the departure of your train, for an extra €30.

Bear in mind that there is a maximum number of suitcases allowed per train per date, so if you need an extra suitcase, we recommend you book it when purchasing your ticket.

Cancellation policy

Since this is low-cost, cancellations are not allowed by default, but you can add flexibility by paying extra 8 euros. OuiGo has a similar policy. Here is the wording from AVLO website:

The Basic Fare does not accept any changes or cancellations, but you can add this option to your ticket for only €8. Therefore, you will be entitled to make changes on the date and/or time of the trip, or to cancel it if you need to do so. Changes to the origin-destination of the ticket or the holder are not allowed. Please note that you will only be able to include this at the time of purchase and make changes once up to 30 minutes before departure of the train.

If the changed or cancelled ticket has a child ticket associated with it, the same changes will apply free of charge.

If the change occurs for another train in which the ticket is more or less expensive, you will be refunded or charged the difference in the cost of the new ticket.

As we can all make mistakes, you have 2 hours after purchase to cancel your tickets at no cost.

Bottom line

After a canceled launch last year and letting a competitor (OuiGo) enter a low-cost rail market first, seems like RENFE wants to win by offering the best price. In this marketing war, a clear winner is a consumer.

Don’t forget to use that €5 promo code that RENFE sent out a couple of weeks ago and I wrote about here.

There is a risk of still having some sort of restrictions in Spain. I think in that case RENFE/AVLO will allow postponement/cancellation of tickets, just like airlines and hotels are allowing these days.

Happy booking!