Iberia A340-300

MAD-PTY, IB6365, A340-300, Business Class, 1A

As I was connecting at MAD, no need for a check-in. And no supplemental security control. I landed from my previous flight at T4 so had to take the train to T4S, that is actually on the other side of the airport. The connection was however seamless. Upon arrival, we went through customs as we were leaving the Schengen area.

The lounge:
This lounge (Velasquez) is huge. Still finding a seat was a challenge as many flights, notably to Latin America, are taking off around midday. Nothing special to expect there. The food offering looked all right, and the sandwiches I tried were good. Four or five wines, all Spanish, were on display. The white one I tried was rather good.
There is in addition a resting area in the back and some places to work.

Boarding:
While in the lounge, I received by SMS and email the gate number. Iberia has it right with the SMS as many passengers are shutting down the international data roaming on their phone. But the SMS will go through anyway.
Given the terminal structure (a very long building), passengers could end up walking for a while. It was the case to reach gate R14. There two jetties were linking the plane, leaving one exclusively for business class passengers.
Arriving on this A340-300, I was greeted and escorted to my seat, 1A. Later Spanish champagne was offered along with water and orange juice. The hot towel comes only after take off.

The seat:
The old seats were equipping this A340-300 (EC-GUQ). According to the crew, the retrofitting is almost finished with only two A340-300 left with the old seats (this would be a good news but the information is unverified). These are old fashion cradle seats, although they turn almost flat. What is really impressive is the legroom. When the seat is upright, there is about 1 metre of legroom. This is due to the fact the legs don't go below or besides the seat in front. The seat is comfortable for a day flight. Sleeping is a bit harder. And there is a useless massage function.

The IFE:
Rather poor to say the least. Only 12 movies (mind you might chose a movie from the IFE printed guide that is actually not available: frustrating). There are no CD on demand, only 15 playlists. The maps feature is minimalist. At least the screen has a decent size, and the sound is acceptable (officially noise reduction).

The food:
The lunch was impressive. First course was a set of tapas, all very good. Then the usual choice of three dishes (beef, salmon and pasta). I took the tenderloin beef. Desert was ice cream or chocolate cake.
Five wines (2 white and 3 red) are offered. I tried 3 of them and was rather pleased.
Snacks are available through the flight, including small sandwiches, fresh fruits and yogurts.
About one hour before landing, a trail with Iberico ham, cheese and other snacks were served.

The service:
It was faultless. Lunch was served quickly after take off. Crew always had a smile. The part I preferred was to see the captain coming to great personally each one of us in business class. Nice touch!

Verdict:
The old hard product is below par but the service and the food partially compensated this. A nice experience that would probably be much better with the new business class seats.

Swissdiver

Review courtesy of Seatplans.com. Original review by user Swissdiver can be found here