Iberia – is mine a typical experience?

It sounds like you had quite a poor experience with Iberia.

One option you do have for Europe to Lima is with KLM. A better airline in my opinion than Iberia.

I hope your baggage manages to leave Paris soon

I am a regular on LHR-MAD on Iberia, and have commented on them often. I do in the region of 30 – 35 or so returns to Madrid each year, generally due to timings i do out in IB and in on BA. Personally I prefer by a good margin the BA product. I would say 80% of the time I travel in the economy cabin.

I prefer BA economy and business because I think I get better service, free drink and snack, slightly more reliable on time performance. Iberia has good days, BA has bad days but in the main BA has far more good days than IB, and when IB has a bad day it is generally pretty dreadfull. The odd thing is that both IB and BA are a part of the IAG group, codeshare on all flights and the same price. So one would expect things to be pretty much the same. I think a lot of it boils down to the fact that the BA crew in the main “fly to serve” (that wlll get some responses) whereas Iberia fly “because they cannot think of anything better to do”. The business product is on par with BA other than general crew attitude.

Just my view, and I know MartynS has had good experiences on IB and rates them highly. But for me, I prefer the BA product to the IB product.

Is your experience unusual, no not really, but maybe with regard catering your expectations were higher than they should have been. Iberia is more LoCo than full service in econ.

I have had a couple of challenges with IB.

1. a load of school kids arrived late for boarding and ALL with cases, resulted with the Captain decided to start and taxi with some passengers still standing. NEVER seen or experienced that on any airline before.

2. 2 hour delay MAD to OPO and no EU 261 claim

Apart from the above, I have enjoyed the IB experience both in economy and club. The IB business class, exceeds by FAR the BA offering and the international business lounge in MAD is on par with the T5 lounge (some aspects are far better, but not all).

I was sceptical about using IB, but overall, I have enjoyed 7 out of 8 sectors in 2015 with at least 2 more to come.

My only short haul flight a few years ago (2004) back from Madrid was horrendous. Stuck on tarmac at MAD for 3 hours before take off and no offer of a free drink. Gave the crew a piece of my mind and they didn’t care. (Already missed connection as was supposed to be on a BA flight – so not happy). So sounds like they haven’t improved a bit from back then for customer service. I do find it strange that on a short haul flight on a route they code share on BA with as same airline group the onboard product offering is so different in economy.

However I have heard superb feedback on the new Business Class seats and that they are far better than BA. So I’d have no qualms using this. If you can get BA operated to MAD (or the A330/340 flight from LHR to MAD) in Business with new product onwards – this would be my choice where applicable.

However you wouldn’t catch me on an Iberia short haul flight in economy (well more likely than Ryanair – but I wouldn’t touch that either).

I’m not sure it’s true to say that BA/IB have ‘the same price’. Particularly if you’re buying J class cross-border tickets there’s often quite a difference between the same route bought online from the BA inventory and that bought from the IB one. My AMS-MAD-SCL routing on IB/LANChile flights through CheapOAir were about 60% the price they would have been from BA via Expedia. And the business class service and meal on the Iberia Express AMS-MAD sector was a hundred times better than main fleet IB, or about five times as good as BA Club Europe.

I would say pretty typical in my experience, although haven’t flown them since my bags went missing a couple of years back.

Business class LHR/MAD/AGP, no bags on arrival at AGP, completed the relevant paperwork and was assured that bags should arrive on a later flight that day. Nothing, not even a ‘phone call.

Called IB next day to be told that they were not sure where my bags were, either MAD or AGP. Next day same story, but when I complained stronger I was told that the bags were “probably” at AGP, and if I wanted to come to the airport and check myself I could do so, but at my own expense!.

Decided to drive to the airport (100kms), on arrival I went to the baggage section and was allowed into the delayed baggage hall, with NO security checks whatever. A veritable mountain of bags were arranged in racks along one wall, but as luck would have it I located mine quite quickly. I exited the supposed secure area with my bags, again no security to check that the bags I had matched the baggage tags. I am sure that if I had not gone to collect the bags I would have waited a week or more at best, or maybe lost them altogether.

I did make a complaint afterwards about such shoddy service for a C class ticket but no reply ever received. Never flown IB since.

I can endorse the earlier comment about KLM service to Lima (and other Peruvian/Ecuadorian destinations) beats IB hands down!

@Carajillo2Sugar – I think the delay was too short.. according to IB.. I did initially apply to BA as I paid on BA online and it was a BA flight number… however, I was then told to claim via IB, who said.. EU261 not applicable. I then tried using an online firm and when they said no, I gave up…

Do enjoy the lounge, it is very nice.. the international lounge is far better if you are on the afternoon IB flight MAD-LHR.