July 17, 2024
Review of Iberia Airlines Business Class
Pam
My recent trip to Greece and Vienna culminated in a flight home in business class on Iberia Airlines. Here is my review of that flight. For more about flying Iberia to or from Europe generally, check out my post about the great deals on Iberia Airlines.
The Redemption
I transferred American Express Membership Rewards® to Iberia to book these flights from Vienna to JFK, which cost 49,000 Iberia Avios each and $316 in taxes and fees. This flight had a long connection in Madrid, and we spent time in an airport lounge there, of course.
From Vienna to Madrid
Our first flight was a typical intra-European business-class flight, meaning we were in pretty typical seats at the front of the cabin and the middle seats in each row were blocked off. We were served a nondescript tomato omelet and croissants.
The typical business-class seats you’ll see flying short routes between European countries.
Business-Class Lounge in Madrid
We had a long layover in Madrid, so we used the Iberia Business Class Lounge there. The lounge in Terminal 4 was huge, and had relaxation rooms and excellent meal options.
This Iberia lounge in Madrid served excellent food.
The Madrid Iberia Lounge in Terminal 4 had multiple seating areas.
From Madrid to JFK
For some reason, I wasn’t expecting much on this flight other than a lie-flat seat. In fact, I had it in my mind that it would be angled, not flat. So I was pleasantly surprised when I boarded the flight and saw the wide seats that lie completely flat, with large footwells. I love it when I can get one of the more private seats near a window!
This was my very comfortable seat on Iberia Airlines.
A mattress topper, a nice blanket, and a pillow were waiting on the seat as I boarded. The amenity kit was a scratchy beige kit filled with the usual items: a toothbrush, toothpaste, socks, sleep mask, earplugs, etc. It was nothing remarkable, and I didn’t take it home with me.
In-Flight Meals
A beverage selection and nuts or olives preceded the main meal. The menu had a choice of appetizers and three main dishes (beef cheeks, cod, or cheese ravioli) followed by a dessert of a Sacher torte or lemon sorbet.
I passed on the appetizers and chose the ravioli. It was okay, but my friend said the cod was NOT good. Additionally, the bread was stale. The lemon sorbet with fruit was the best thing I had, along with some delicious treats from the galley in between meals. Neither of us ate breakfast as we weren’t impressed with the food served as the main meal.
Dinner on Iberia Airlines was a little disappointing.
In-Flight Service
While the food was subpar, the service was excellent. The flight attendants were attentive and always smiling, improving the flight.
I could stretch out and feel very comfortable on my Iberia flight.
Bottom Line
My Iberia Airlines Business Class Flight wasn’t perfect, as the food was not memorable. However, the cost to fly on Iberia using points makes it one of the best redemption deals to or from Europe. It was also a very comfortable flight, so I would not hesitate to fly to Madrid in the future for travel to other parts of Europe. If you’ve traveled on Iberia, what were your thoughts?
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I had the opposite experience with amazing food and terrible service from Ohare to Madrid in April this year.
Sounds like we need to find the flight with both! What did you think about the seat and other amenities?
I flew LAX to Madrid, so a lOOOOOONG flight. I was lucky to get delicious food AND the perfect amount of service. Also, I thought the bed was one of the most comfortable I had slept on. I liked how it was away from the isle just a bit. I would for sure do Iberia again.
Great! Glad to hear that you can get both!
I flew business class in December to Barcelona. The service and food were excellent. I’m doing the same trip this evening on the same flights to Barcelona. I’m sure it will be good!
Thanks for sharing that with us!
I just got back from Madrid yesterday on Iberia business class. Food was ok but service is great and it was a new 350-900 airbus with doors on each pod. Was really good. Will always fly them to Spain over American or United
If you identified what plane you were flying, I could not find it. There can be huge differences between a Boeing 787 or 777 or Airbus 350, etc. especially in seat comfort but also in food and service.
Thanks for the info – I’ll definitely check next time! This grandma definitely isn’t an aviation expert!😂
The plane information sheet in the seat-back pocket in one of the photos identifies the VIE-MAD plane as an A320 Neo. The MAD-JFK plane was an A350. Hope that’s helpful!
We fly Manchester/Heathrow/Madrid/Bogota tomorrow. Fingers crossed with get GREAT service and GREAT food, and even better wines!
Good luck!