IB6889 MAD-PVG

January 1, 2019

Check-in:

After spending New Year’s Eve in Madrid, I arrived at Adolfo Suárez-Barajas Airport for my flight to Shanghai Pudong. To book this one-way business class ticket, I redeemed 87,500 Iberia Plus Avios points, plus $108.64 in taxes and fees, which was the only option given Iberia didn’t release this seat to other airlines. Had there been availability, American Airlines AAdvantage program would have charged 75,000 miles, while British Airways Executive Club would have charged the same amount of Avios, but higher taxes and fees. Iberia and British Airways belong to the same parent company IAG, therefore one can transfer Avios from one program to the other. Both British Airways and Iberia are transfer partners of American Express Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards.

I checked in on the mobile app, so I was able to head straight to security check. Iberia had a dedicated security check area for premium passengers, and my mobile boarding pass was automatically embedded with fast track access. While security was a breeze, passport control was a total zoo. My flight was departing at around the same time with flights to the US, so the immigration hall was packed with non-EU passports and people scrambling to make their connections.

Lounge:

About 30 minutes later I found myself in the seemingly endless duty free area. Madrid Airport is massive, second only to Paris Charles de Gaulle in Europe by physical size. Based at Madrid Airport, Iberia runs its own lounges - Iberia Premium Lounge Dali, for domestic and Schengen flights, and Iberia Premium Lounge Velazquez, for non-Schengen flights. I visited the latter.

Boy was this lounge a good size. Immediately past the reception, to the right was a locker area with clear glass lockers for your belongings. However, these lockers were not directly on your path out of the lounge so I didn’t realize I had left my suitcase behind until I pranced all the way to the boarding gate…

Once inside, there were chairs in alternating grey and red colors along the window. This lounge had some of the best views with floor to ceiling windows and the runway in the near background.

The lounge was relatively full, but given how spread out everything was and just the sheer size of it, it never felt crowded. There was one big food station that served as the centerpiece of the lounge, with beverages and coffee machines across from it against the wall. At the very far end of the lounge was a play area for kids, which was abandoned when I discovered it. Without all the screaming and crying, I settled down in one the many vacant seats adjacent to the kids area. Most seats were equipped with power outlets.

The Spaniards were not afraid to use bold red in interior design, which I thought was appropriate for Iberia’s branding without being too straining on the eyes. The food at this lounge was standard European lounge fare, meaning continental breakfast. There was tortilla española as well, though they were lukewarm. I made myself a cappuccino while enjoying watching planes take off in the distance.

Boarding:

As mentioned earlier, I had to retrieve my forgotten suitcase in the lounge. Therefore I was late to priority boarding and took the regular bus to the remote stand with economy class passengers. Flying us to Shanghai was an Airbus A330-200 with only 19 business class seats.

Upon boarding, I was welcomed by the friendly male purser and directed to my seat, located in the second row of the cabin on the port side.

Iberia A330-200 Business Class cabin was made up with staggered Solstys seats by Stelia Aerospace, in a 1-2-1 configuration. These were the same seats you would find on Alitalia. While not the most innovative seats out there, these seats did provide an unparalleled amount of space around your feet. These seats were also incredibly well-padded. However, the cabin did feel drab.

I was quickly offered a glass of Cava, which was drinkable, along with a very basic amenity kit and a pair of mediocre noise-cancelling headphones. I checked out the menu and wine list as we were getting ready for departure, which read as follows:

Inflight:

Once we reached cruising altitude, service started with an apéritif. I went straight into red wine as Rioja is one of my favorite wine regions. The Rolland Galarreta Tempranillo I had, while inexpensive, was quite tasty. I was offered a glass of sparkling water, mixed nuts and a voucher for 50MB free wifi.

Everything except main course and dessert was served on one tray, including a piece of warm bread and extra virgin olive oil, a chicken consommé, a spinach blue cheese and cranberry salad and Pedro Ximenez balsamic vinegar. For my starter, I chose the smoked salmon with mashed potato, radish and mixed leaves.

It was a rather underwhelming business class appetizer. For the main course, I went with the pork knuckle with soya, ginger and honey sauce, served with roasted potatoes and onions.

While not the most well-presented dish, the pork knuckle was actually full of flavors and was a good portion as well. For dessert, I requested both nougat and citrus fruit cake, and the muffin flavored ice cream with crush wafers. To accompany my desserts, I asked for an espresso.

Overall, the meal was on par with what I expected from most European airlines. The service was also friendly but unmemorable. I caught a cold during my time in Spain, so I dozed off quickly with a shot of NyQuil. However, there were light snacks available in the galley, as listed in the menu.

2 hours prior to landing, the flight attendant woke me up for breakfast. Everybody received the same tray, which consisted of a plain omelette, boiled ham and chicken cold cut, olive oil, orange juice, yogurt, fruits, croissant with butter and jam. There was also steamed jasmine rice upon request, but I couldn’t imagine anyone eating rice with cold cuts…

On Arrival:

Iberia was in line with my expectations for a regular European carrier - nothing outstanding, nothing to fault. Compared to the likes of KLM and Austrian Airlines, Iberia was a little bit soulless, which is to say that its products were really generic, from service to cabin interior to catering. There’s no bells and whistles. With that said, there is no reason to avoid Iberia. It is still a solid option flying to or from Madrid.