Quick question regarding Carry-On size w/ Vueling...

As a rule, all budget carriers are strict about their requirements. That's how they make their money - charging for overweight/oversize, gate checking, etc. I'd be cautious. If you decide to check your bag, if you are at check-in in plenty of time there really shouldn't be any problem with delayed/lost bags. It's only a brief, nonstop flight.

If you haven't purchased your ticket yet.....there are high-speed trains (AVE) between Madrid and Barcelona. They go from downtown to downtown rather than have to get to airports in both cities.

Frank,

Thanks for the heads up... Unfortunately I have already purchased the tickets. In my case, it was quicker and cheaper to fly than to take a train. However, now that I am factoring in the 30 Euro check in fee...

Nancy,

My worries come from our Flight in more than our outbound flight to Madrid... I was able to score a killer deal on a direct RT flight from LAX to Barcelona @ $330/person incl taxes. The downfall to that price was I could not split arrival/departure cities. So, with that being said - We fly into Barcelona on the 2nd @ about 8:15 am local time and fly into Madrid on Vueling (same day) at about 1:30 pm. I was afraid of Customs/delays etc about missing our connecting flight to Madrid. If I can eliminate any possibilities for delays I would.

Your question was whether Vueling is strict with their carryon requirements. I'm not really sure what your connection times have to do with that, but my advice is still the same - be cautious. Abide by the tighter restriction and you'll have no trouble. You have almost five hours between flights anyway, so if the Vueling flight leaves from the same airport that should be plenty of time. Even if you check your bags on your first flight and have to reclaim and recheck in Barcelona you should still be OK.

According to the Vueling Web site, the checked luggage fee is 10 EUR/piece if you select that option when you check in online. The 30 EUR fee is for oversized and/or overweight bags that you have taken to the gate and are found to exceed the limits and then must be checked.