In the center section, seats alternate between being closer to the aisle and closer to the center. Also service was truly terrible, to extent of being comical. Not a great cabin for sure, so-so service, but at the end I would favour this over any of the US airlines on this route. I'm flying the route twice this year and taking both the 7 and 10/11 pm flight in consecutive months during the summer (wedding season!) The calendar view stops abruptly at March 27, 2022. Fairly, in Europe you can't have worst Carriers then IB and AZ. And the space underneath the ottoman isn't large enough to accommodate anything larger than a pair of shoes or a small bag. But the way each seat is laid out alternates by row in a staggered arrangement, with some seats close to the aisle and others separated from it. The only plus point is that usualy they are cheaper than the others but there it ends. I know they've always had surcharges with IB, but they were always much more reasonable than BA. Search for Madrid flights on KAYAK now to find the best deal. Scroll through the dates and pick the nonstop Iberia business class flight that works! My biggest complaint is they often We've flown IB between MIA and MAD quite a few times. Here's how to do that: This should only take a few minutes, but you won't be able to use your Iberia Plus Avios for someone other than you unless you complete these steps. That's a round-trip award price, meaning that on the above dates, you and three friends or family members could fly from Chicago to Madrid and back for a total cost of 272,000 Avios and ~$900 in taxes and fees. However, there's a major drawback to doing so: fuel surcharges. I have to DISAGREE with just about EVERYTHING you have saidare.you getting paid for this? It's honestly one of the best features of these seats. Maybe depends what concourse you use. Critically, you can book Iberia awards up to 361 days in advance and up to 355 days with British Airways bringing us all the way to early July 2023. Thanks for the review, and nice to see it looks like the cabin has been deep cleaned, a few reviews over in YouTube recently have not been very favourable with dirty cabins and poor food. A round-trip, business-class award ticket on Iberia's nonstop flight would only set you back 68,000 credit card points. But airlines dont have a star rating (apart from the Skytrax scam). fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); Advertiser Disclosure: Some links to credit cards and other products on this website will earn an affiliate commission. And if you're in a seat closer to the aisle, it's even worse. Iberia is the Spanish national carrier and has a strong transatlantic network connecting various European cities with the United States and Latin America. Perhaps more likely, the BA and US attitude may date back to when checked bags were included in all fares, and it was cheaper, even quicker, for the airline to have the passenger load their carry-on themselves ("self-loading ancillary luggage"?!) When I cut into the omelet I realized that it was filled with ham. Many U.S. travelers may be more familiar with British Airways' loyalty program than Iberia's, and yes, you can book these flights through British Airways as well. While I tried to rest for a few hours, I dont think I ended up getting even a minute of sleep. Look no further. Champagne No Krug here. You can't beat that. Unfortunately it wasnt all smooth sailing from there, as Ill cover in the next post. Flight 6274. On the other hand, breakfast looked good and I appreciate a full hot breakfast service being offered. Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the authors alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. And generally regular refills without being asked. Neither sites are spectacular, but British Airways probably gets the nod here as a smoother booking process. If I take advantage of the special 34K round trip to europe, do I have leave USA and return by early May, or, Can I leave USA in early May and return in July for 34K miles. Will make sure NOT to fly business with them again! And though the portions were small, it was absolutely delicious. We arrived at Miami Airport at around 8PM for our 10:45PM departure to Spain. . And at Dulles snaking around the main terminal in two circles. Airline: Iberia Aircraft: Airbus A350-900 Flight #: IB3167 Route: London Heathrow (LHR) > Madrid Barajas International Airport (MAD) Date: September 26, 2021 Duration: 1hr 52mins Cabin and Layout: Iberia business class, 31-seat capacity across 8 rows in a 1-2-1 configuration Seat: 3J It's a comfortable lie-flat bed for the seven-plus hour flight across the Atlantic with some really good meals onboard all for the typical price of flying economy. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. My biggest complaint is they often seem to guard the wine like it's their personal supply! Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. The temperatures still reached the 50s and 60s during the day, while the chill of the evenings typically required just a light jacket over a long-sleeved shirt. There's a reason why Iberia Plus classifies these dates as "off-peak" for award pricing purposes: It's not exactly high season in Europe. It's a pretty standard business class seat. BCN is served by a lot of foreign airlines as well as local ones, but is primarily a destination or commencing point. The strange water bottle holder low I also dont understand. Make sure you understand, with Iberia just because you see it, it doesnt mean you can book it. The strange gate area layout did not make this easy. I could have had more than one of these desserts and the wafer crisps little bits in the bottom were fantastic and I wanted more more more! Wondering if its an error or distance based surcharge is making its way through dfw to mad > greater distance than mia to mad, but serious nearly $600 more?! Last month, it was still per MB on an A330. Verdict: Solid, comfortable. It's a nice touch. Wait, say what? Each seat also had two overhead reading lights, though unfortunately there were no individual air nozzles. By 11:35PM the flight attendant was at my seat to offer me dinner. Iberia is not the world's best business class. This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. Luckily I wasnt very hungry, but it really seemed skimpy where is the meat and cheese to make this a European breakfast? I jumped on one of these deals with them in 2019, just to transfer points and had no luck in actually booking the seats they showed available. I went for the shrimp and scallops in saffron sauce with rice. B/f you ask you should experience it I had to call to their attention that we had JUST received (an untimely meal mind you!) I actually visited Seville, Granada and Madrid in mid-March 2019, and I found that it was a perfect time to visit. The seat itself is reasonably comfortable and plenty spacious. You won't find a cheaper way to get Europe using miles than with Iberia. The last time I flew Iberia, the airline charged for Wi-Fi based on data usage, with absolutely outrageous costs. Iberia 3835Las Palmas (LPA) - Madrid (MAD)Friday, August 6Depart: 6:40AMArrive: 10:20AMDuration: 2hr, 40minAircraft: Airbus A321-200Distance: 1,097 milesSeat: 1C (Business Class) Flight attendants were huddled around in the front galley and ignored us upon boarding, but were very pleasant during the flight. The worst part was I think she was the purser!! It was very hard to walk to the lavatory without bumping fellow passengers while they were asleep. It is not the bank advertisers responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered. And for our Midwestern readers looking to book a trip for early next year, that chance may be here, as we've just seen a healthy amount of award space for up to six travelers from Chicago-O'Hare (ORD) to Madrid (MAD) and back in early 2021. But it can get even cheaper. It always surprises me how aged and dilapidated the airports in the US appear. @Mike Truly. About 45 minutes before landing the captain announced that wed soon start our descent, and that we should be arriving early thanks to a strong jet stream. In the air, their flight crew did the bare minimum and asking for a drink was like I had pulled a knife on them - terrible - and they routinely ignored call buttons from other passengers. We've flown IB between MIA and MAD quite a few times. The credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. Traveling for spring break? The shrimp and scallops were both cooked perfectly, and I wanted to drink that sauce. ast month from Miami to Madrid is the WORST Business class experience EVER! Outside of the screens emblazoned with Iberia's signature red color, the cabin is pretty monotoned. Fair enough. Dismissive aircrew , never again. 50,000 points transferred from Chase, sitting in Iberias program. Editorial Disclosure: The editorial content on this page is not provided by any entity mentioned herein. Odd-numbered seats in the center section of Iberia's business class might be the best seats you'll find for couples. Iberia business class may not win win awards for the world's best business class, but it's more than competitive with other airlines' business class seats. Ive flown this product a number of times out of NYC and think its great! So all in, I think it cost me about $600 for 2 tickets after taxes for this route in biz class. Airports like Istanbul and Singapore indicate boarding as starting 1 hour before departure. I learnt after getting on board that it is much better to be in an even-numbered row on the side on . Then there was some sort of a red pepper spread (at least I think thats what that was?) Even from Chicago take a look at what a similar date as I flew would run later this year: Yeah disgusting and those prices are PER PERSON. Fortunately, Iberia is incredibly generous with what's considered off-peak next year. ORD MAD Chicago Madrid. I can appreciate wanting to save galley space, but these are frustratingly small, especially when youre trying to avoid spills. Check out our step-by-step guide on how to book these flights! As a regular IB flyer, I would say this was a slightly above average flight. Maybe it's because US airlines have been charging for checked bags more consistently for so many years, leading to customers progressively taking more and more items onto planes. Only dates in red will incur a higher charge. How is it this bad? Seats Let's take a look at the seats from a variety of angles. Once you've found the flights you want, it's time to transfer your points and book! If youve flown Iberias A330 business class, what was your experience less? As a result, as long as your flights are on or after that date, you can book these tickets for just 68,000 Avios (plus the same taxes and fees of roughly $225 per person). But they certainly get the job done. Our flight was departing from gate E21, and according to the boarding pass, boarding was scheduled to start at 9:45PM, an hour before departure. I have a good post on the way that, depending on how far out you book, may help both of us. By bldavid GOLD 2241. I recall LAX and lines that ran outside from one terminal to the next. Looks like they just extended the schedule through April 2022! Since this was a late night flight, most passengers opted to go straight to sleep. While the one tray dinner service looks better than the current Club World offering by British Airways, it is still sad to offer a "premium economy" meal to your business class passengers. There was a tray with prosciutto (the irony of serving Italian ham on an airline from a country that prides itself on itsjamon iberico was not lost on me) with pesto and mozzarella, a small side salad, cheese and jam, and some chicken consomme a fancy word for broth. It was all quite tasty. But in the looks department, it's all pretty grey. Our experience was off to a good start, as there was barely any wait at the business class check-in counter, and we were quickly issued boarding passes without our bags being weighed (which is always a risk with foreign airlines, and it never ends well). Even called in to their reservation line, they were no help. With expectations set low they you would indeed be positively impressed. Luckily, Iberia is insanely generous with how it defines off-peak. Only July and August are roundly considered peak season, with some occasional weeks and weekends throughout the year also blocked out for peak travel. (Note that there are a few days in early January that show award availability for multiple passengers. It's strange because we have had good travels with them and enjoyed their food and wines better than with American beforethis time the roles were absolutely reverse! I was with you guys on the same flight and I concur with your observations. Great menu, service, and attention to detail.something has happened during Covid? And because Iberia uses a peak pricing calendar, that July flight will likely be more expensive than 34k (which is the off-peak price). You could book the departing flight now for May, but youd have to wait to book the return flight Iberia flights are only available 361 days in advance, so it will be a few months before a return flight in July is available. The service was simply top notch by the Iberia crew and the seats, entertainment and food all worked and worked well for the price in miles and tiny fee in taxes to get from home to Lisbon connecting via Madrid. TSA Pre: another option wouldve been booking an AA ticket with TSA Pre and canceling it once inside. 2023 Thrifty Traveler. I have had great service experiences with business on Iberia, but it is very hit and miss. And even if you don't want to spend time in Spain, you could use this award to get across the Atlantic and then fly on elsewhere for cheap! But I had been warned about Iberia that the product was old and the food was nothing to get excited about. P.S. The last one. Oddly, Iberia handled WiFi much differently on the return flight from Madrid (MAD) to Chicago-O'Hare (ORD). Take-off 30 Sep 19, 16:45. And that's not changing. Special meals require 24 hours to order with Kosher meals requiring 48 hours notice. Iberia Business Class Review: Madrid to Medellin. Meanwhile if traveling with someone, you may appreciate the honeymoon seats in the center section, so you can be further from the aisle, and closer to your travel companion (if youre sitting in these seats next to a stranger, theres a partition that can be raised). We recommend starting from American's advanced search. There's not enough room to stow a laptop. I finally figured out this would be the main way to dispose of trash on this flight! Learn here how to apply. In this case it was Piper Heidsieck being offered.American Flagship Lounge Miami champagne welcome. Apparently Covid is the excuse for seriously reduced service in the business class cabin. step-by-step guide on how to book these flights! There were just two lavatories for our business class cabin one at the front left of the plane, and another on the left side of the galley separating business class and premium economy. Long story short: I booked 10 cheap flights within Spain and earned 90,000 Avios more than enough to book these flights along with some connecting flights within the U.S. on American Airlines. Here at The Points Guy, we love jumping on award sweet spots to make the most of our hard-earned points and miles. The seats are fine, the food is generally good. Most helpful comments ( as chosen by the OMAAT community ). A shame! Iberia occasionally runs promotions, slashing the amount of miles it takes to fly in economy or business class to get to Europe and back. Spain is a country I've come to know and love after multiple trips, and if you're based anywhere in (or around) Chicago, now could be a great time to book a trip and get out of the depths of winter. Get a restricted access error? I think the point here was about weighing carry-on, rather than checked bags. Seating-wise it was comfortable as indicated in your review but the area for feet is not large at all, its tiny. I have to DISAGREE with just about EVERYTHING you have saidare.you getting paid for this? Foot well space was rather tight as you can see. As on my MAD-ORD flight end of January it was still charged per MB. Opinions expressed here are the authors alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. . With these seats very dated I appreciated the rolled up cover that went completely over your seat / bed. Now, it's important to note that transfers from Chase should process instantly, but those from Amex could take up to 48 hours to post. Its definitely worth checking to see if you can find those same flights through other airline programs, like British Airways or AA, to confirm its real. Want to fly business class to Europe on the cheap? Despite the later than posted boarding, the main cabin door still closed at 10:45PM. Then amenity kits were distributed, which contained earplugs, eyeshades, socks, a comb, a dental kit, and some lotion and cream. But why are airlines still doing this in 2022? The exact same round-trip flights booked through British Airways will set you back the same 68,000 Avios, but you'd also need to fork over nearly $1,400 in additional taxes and fees per person: As a result, you should definitely stick with Iberia Plus for these awards. The seats are so close together, you can almost play footsie with your neighbor just make sure you know them. Otherwise, it's worth booking through British Airways instead. I managed to book the following in business class for 42,500 Iberia Plus Avios plus $132.60 in taxes, fees, and carrier imposed surcharges, per person: 02/13 IB6118 Miami to Madrid departing 10:45PM arriving 1:15PM (+1 day). I just (2/4/21) flew the 10 hour flight from SJO-MAD on the A330. They were that bad if not worse. It has a floor space of 2,500 square meters. Rent a car in Madrid and explore Spain by road, Land in Madrid and take trains to other cities, Explore Madrid for a few nights, then book a separate award ticket using Iberia Plus to another city like Seville (SVQ) or Granada (GRX). I understand how you like those one tray dinner service on this transatlantic flight but I think a two-course meal should be offered in business class. In fact, playing around on the site I find that there are no tickets listed for ANY Iberisa flights after Mar 27, 2022. You have successfully joined our subscriber list. Iberia special meals can be booked by anyone travelling in business class except on flights under 90mins. I always forget that Iberia's chart is peak and distance-based, so sometimes you end up paying up to 15k points less! After menus and some sparkling wine it was time for the appetizer course. Instead of adding another segment to the ORD-MAD award, consider one of the following options: Unfortunately, adding a connecting flight on American within the U.S. likely isn't possible here for three reasons. Log back in and repeat the process the second time should be the charm. That's not a terrible price, but it's far from a sweet spot. This airline was founded in 1927 and is currently based in Madrid, Barajas Airport. Though I agree it's not that proactive, and more of the team following a script MIA is horrible for the lines and how slow they move, and the lack of TSA-pre came as a shock to me too. I dont remember the last time that I was at an airport where CLEAR actually saved any time. Keep reading for more instructions, or just read our complete guide to booking business class flights using Iberia Avios. These so-called honeymooon seats get some additional privacy with the console tables on the aisle. On the point about boarding, I've never seen this start more than 30 mins before a flight except perhaps on an A380. Got an email from TSA saying I can renew without the process. I tried from desktop PC (Google chrome) and from my android phone Same thing! More about the seat Gastronomy A menu that takes care of every detail So, irrespective of what the boarding pass says, I never take these times too seriously as realistically you can't be denied boarding if you're at the gate 30 mins before departure. The seat back pocket does allow for more knee room on these Recaro designed seats, and could be the reason that it felt so spacious. The A330-200 and A330-300 can be operated for flights of practical any distance. From start to finish, the meal service took more than 90 minutes. On top of that, Wi-Fi speeds were excellent. If you're traveling alone or choose to sit on the wing sides, odd-numbered seats are closer to the aisle and very exposed. Especially the food by Do&Co you get on outbound flights from Madrid, intra-European flights and in the Madrid lounges is excellent! Ren. OK flying economy? Review: Iberia A330-300 Business Class Chicago to Madrid "Honeymoon Suite" Seats by Ren January 30, 2023 in Airlines, Trip Reports 4 Eye of the Flyer, a division of Chatterbox Entertainment, Inc. has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. After meal services, Iberia turns on the mood lighting and casts the whole cabin in a nice, purple-ish hue. At meal times, there's a tray that folds down and rotates out from the back of the seat in front of you. This is somewhat random, but you alluded to it in the review: do you know why foreign airlines care how much your carry on weighs (and have absurdly low limits even in premium cabins), while US carriers couldn't care less? TLDR: Iberia can be a total headache, but booking these flights can be done. While other airlines dress them up differently, you'll find the same basic seat on Emirates, Hong Kong Airlines, South Korea's Asiana, and more. Those fees were truly atrocious with British Airways for many years but not anymore. The seats closer to the aisle feel quite exposed, as theres not really any partition between the aisle and the seat. We alertedThrifty Traveler Premium members last week to wide-open award availability to fly Iberia business class from the East Coast to Madrid (MAD) through spring and into summer 2023. In addition, all of the account details including your name and contact information must be identical between the two for this to work. Required fields are marked *. But those restrooms looks so disgusting. But dont expect to be waited on hand and foot. READ MORE: Comparing Amex Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards. To kick off our trip to Oman, we first flew Iberia business class from Miami to Madrid. Cold food and one glass of wine only. But the few red wines I sampled were delicious. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Get our daily email for the latest in travel, flight deals, and how That's good then Just looked it up, 27 January. I slept through breakfast so no shots of what was offered but considering how dull the rest of the food was I doubt I missed much and was just as happy grabbing breakfast in the lounge in Madrid as we had a number of hours before our next connection. Thanks for the review. Though I agree it's not that proactive, and more of the team following a script (e.g. On top of that, the food was pretty good, as was the service. Their lounge in Madrid is third-world, and ended up going to the gate early. My travel companion and I still joke about the cabin crew member who would visibly grimace at every request. Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card Limited-time promotion:BEST EVER OFFER! Curious how long we expect the covered food practice to persist? For 2022, it has 18 A330-200s and two A330-300s in its fleet. A few things to take note of. The best part? Kyle Potter is the executive editor of Thrifty Traveler, covering everything from aviation news to travel deals to in-depth guides on using airline miles.