Iberia is a disaster- you have been warned

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Viewing 15 posts - 16 through 30 (of 69 total)

  • Charles-P
    Participant

    I think of Iberia as BA was soon after privatisation. They still have that ‘jobs for life, civil service mentality’. Their Air Traffic Controllers are the same, the highest paid in Europe with the lowest working hours and massive fringe benefits. Their strike this summer was laughed at by other ATACS in Europe as they wanted even more money.


    SimonRowberry
    Participant

    Charles

    As the smart money seems to on an EU bale-out for Spain in coming months, it’ll be interesting to see how IB responds to further austerity in its domestic market.

    I see IB’s service levels as similar to SN and SK – a reasonable European Business Class product (albeit using standard seating) but strictly no-frills in Economy. In fact, its European Business Class is better than SN’s by a country mile.

    Regards, Simon


    jonathanmiller
    Participant

    I live in Spain. I’ve been flying Iberia – whenever I couldn’t avoid it – since 1983. Not to mince words …. Iberia is an unqualified disaster. If I were American, I might permit myself the luxury of language which they can employ and use a more telling description, ending in “-up”, and preceded by “complete”. Pointless to offer instances; they spread across the whole range of operations. But that which really gets my goat (interesting that the Spanish for “to get cross” is “cabrearse” – a cabra is a goat) is the total lack of interest in or concern for the passenger evinced by ground and flight staff alike. Truly appalling. And the formerly BA ground staff at Malaga, now re-badged Iberia, hate it and feel themselves less professional in consequence. Even the Garuda of the seventies was never as bad. Iberia takes the biscuit for unadulterated awfulness.


    Charles-P
    Participant

    Simon’s comments about the funding of State enterprises after the next round of EU imposed austerity measures are very pertinent plus the culture shock at Iberia once they realise what attaining BA levels of service are going to mean will be an interesting dinner show.

    Spain took its massive 1990’s EU funding and built a modern, democratic, industrialised nation but some parts of the country never came with them, that is changing now. My prediction is that Iberia will after a period of time simply be absorbed by BA will Spanish layoffs to follow as the powerfull unions try to flex their muscles.


    TiredOldHack
    Participant

    I travel frequently to South America, a destination in which Iberia is well entrenched. Every single country I’ve visited there seems to view Iberia as an utter disaster. A joke. Not particularly clean aircraft, cabin crew trained in the Dachau School of Customer Service, lousy food, antique IFE.

    Long ago, I vowed never again. That was after a flight back from Bogota which was 100% overbooked. That’s not a misprint. Two planeloads of people: one aircraft.

    A couple of years ago, though, I flew out to Chile and back with LAN (which codeshares with Iberia) and to my horror, only noticed 24 hours before we left Santiago that the return flight was an Iberia one. My wife, raising an eyebrow at my language, asked curiously: “They can’t be that bad, can they?”

    “You wait.”

    Two hours into the flight and she said, thoughtfully: “Yes, I see what you mean”


    Charles-P
    Participant

    BA gets Iberia’s routes to South America and can use Madrid as a southern European hub.

    British Airways cannot acquire more than 49% of Iberia as bilateral air services agreements between Spain and non-EU countries require Iberia to remain in overall Spanish ownership (at least 51%) if the airline is to retain its rights to fly to these countries from Spain. While the new EU-US Open Skies deal on air services removes this requirement on all flights between the EU and US by EU airlines, this is not the case for the lucrative Latin American market on which Iberia relies for the majority of its profits.

    For BA is win-win, access to South America and protection of the slots at Madrid and Barcelona stopping competition. Iberia is the only European Airline to serve Guatemala City , Córdoba, San Salvador and Montevideo.


    jonathanmiller
    Participant

    “Dachau School of Customer Service! Love it! Right on the nail, TOH.


    dutchyankee
    Participant

    Funny how Alasdair has time to bash WW, yet again, on this thread, but still has not answered our questions regarding his quote or likely misquote regarding WW on the thread dealing with potential BA strikes. Not able to back up your comments Alasdair with facts?


    Charles-P
    Participant

    Re “Dachau School of Customer Service”

    Overheard by me in a bank once from a customer talking to staff and now used from time to time,

    “You seem confused, let me help. You are an overhead I am a profit, does that help ?”


    jonathanmiller
    Participant

    Oh – I love punchy one-liners! That’s a two-liner … but I’m going to forgive it on the grounds that it’s the perfect old one-two, verbal equivalent of a sharp stick in the eye. Thanks Charles-P!


    JulianLee
    Participant

    Thank you all for your continued posts. Its good to see i am in good company. We live and learn from our mistakes and reduce our chances of travel hell through our own and our fellow travellers’ experience.

    I will post the response from Iberia if and when……please be prepared to be patient!


    TiredOldHack
    Participant

    Yes, I liked that one as well 🙂

    I think what really narked me about the Iberia flight was that when they did the dinner service, they offered you red or white wine, and as is my wont, I asked for one of each. As you do.

    BA always smile, and hand over a brace of bockles of liquid sunshine. God’s gift to the planet.

    Iberia snarled, and said: “You can have one, and thenh ask for another.”

    (I knocked back the white instantly, pressed the call button to secure the red, and needless to say, didn’t get it. How small–minded can you get?)

    I really, really hope that BA manage to improve the Iberia service to Latin America by taking over some of the routes, but I’m not holding my breath.


    jonathanmiller
    Participant

    Thought I’d offer a translation to Spanish of Charles-P’s two-liner:

    “Me pareces confundido. Dejame ayudarte. Tu eres un gasto. Yo soy un beneficio. ¿Ahora me entiendes?”

    It’s actually a fraction discourteous in tone, since it uses the familiar form of address “tu”. But they’re so thick-skinned, they probably won’t notice!


    Charles-P
    Participant

    For those of you travelling to Africa who feel brave I have used it in Afrikaans:

    “U bent verward. Ik ben winst u overheadkosten bent”


    maxgeorge
    Participant

    Charles-P : dat is nie die taal nie. Jou praat Nederlands, je weet?

    Sorry to be a pedant, but the Afrikaaner culture is unique, and speaking Dutch in die beloofde land will get you understood, but received with the same kind of bemusement reserved for those who confuse “muchas gracias” with “muito obrigado/a” in Brasil.

    Back on topic, I’ve never found IB to be too bad, but for extensive South American connections, UK residents should consider AA via MIA or DFW. Among AA’s offerings is a daytime flight from VVU ( Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia) which I take quite often and offers, given good weather, spectacular views of the Amazon.

    And, no, AA is not as bad as UA, and their 777 services (to EZE etc) are fully-flat and fine wine delights. Many of their flight attendants were born in the fifties or even later…

    They also fly to MVD, where the new Carrasco terminal is a model of efficiency. Too bad the inexplicably opulent airport of Asuncion is no longer served by AA, but TAM, soon to team up with LAN, flies there, and often serenades boarding passengers with an updated Trio Los Paraguayos.

    Chas and Dave to be employed at T5 in response, VK?

Viewing 15 posts - 16 through 30 (of 69 total)
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