Iberia Business Plus TXL - MAD - EZE
Jun 8, 2011, 9:05 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 195
Iberia Business Plus TXL - MAD - EZE
Amidst all the hours of banal thinking time I've accumulated over the
years watching people fumble with their shoes a nano-second before
they reach the XRay machines prompted me to take the leap and see if
life was - truly - greener on the other side.
In other words after 1.7MM miles on a combination of AA and BA
'adventures' I thought I would try Iberia and compare the general
experience, and the J product, from TXL MAD EZE. Full disclosure, I
may be Canadian but I live in Germany because I can stand when things
are not in place, slow, or not done the way the rules say it should
be. This talent - my wife translates this in German to be affliction - is going to provide the context for the whole experience.
A lot of these ramblings are going to be comparisons with BA and AA.
When I was debating whether to see if Iberia was worth folding into my
frequent flight rotations I couldnt find a detailed trip report that
broke all this stuff down for me. So, I thought I would give a little
back to the forums from which I have taken so much.
Big strike against Iberia for the web experience. That website is a
FUBAR situation. End stop. You cant see your seats till 30 hours
before flight even when its full paid business. Give me a break. Its
so far behind the BA and AA web experience I cant even compare. Its
like what Katie Couric did to Palin. Its just cringeworthy. Thankfully
I think BA is slowly going to wrangle that disaster.
Nonetheless, I packed my little bag, walked a few blocks and hopped on
the 109 to Tegel one fine evening. I dont want to knock the BA lounge
here. First of all, its staffed by probably one of the best lounge
gals I've ever had the pleasure to check in with. She incinerates the
competition. The lounge is kind of sad, but the food is always
maintained, there are some half decent drinks, Wifi works, and there
is no reason BA should upgrade it when they are putting the money into
BBI lounge next year.
[url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dsg10715/5812022874/"]
I was flying a 319 to MAD and was curious how the Club Europe matched
up to Iberia J. Not bad, in fact. The planes are in a lot better
shape, and the food was pretty good considering it was a short haul.
Lamb was well cooked, and there were decent wines. Very comfy seat
with great pitch and huge legroom. I'm 6'2 and fully stretched out.
[url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dsg10715/5811459529/"]
[url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dsg10715/5811458915/" title="]
[url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dsg10715/5811459875/"]
Once I got to MAD the transfer to 4S was easy as pie. Now I like to
..... about LHR and terminal transfers like I enjoy pillaging any
airplane or lounge I come into contact with. Then, sadly, I walked
into the Velasquez lounge for a look see.
No free Wifi.
Let me repeat that.
No free Wifi.
... x 1000 to the power of 10
Abject stupidity is the best description of that policy that comes to mind.
Moving along. Food was good to quite good, and the wine selection was
great but lets be honest, T5 BA sets the standard, no one is coming
close and the absence of free Wifi and Johnnie Walker Blue is very
tough on the grading for any competitors. Plus, I felt a bit like you
were too much in the open in the Velasquez. In T5 you are in a big
space but you can also feel like youre in a little enclave. Bathrooms
were in good order though.
Boarding was a mess. One agent to check everyone in and at 1 AM
everyone is testy. It was basically a free for all. I thought about
straight arming a few toadies, but then demurred. Is a long ... flight
and no one is going anywhere without me.
We flew the 340 down to EZE. Thought it was in pretty good condition
although they missed cleaning the harder to reach places. I know Im a
pain but really, its not that hard. What I did love was the enormous
leg room. Even when you are sitting in a window (I was in 7A) you can
walk right past your seatmate when he is lying flat. I like the drink
holders and he magazine pockets that actually hold stuff. Not like the
AA storage issue.
[url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dsg10715/5812026556/" title=]
[url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dsg10715/5812026886/" title="]
[url"http://www.flickr.com/photos/dsg10715/5811462227/"]
At this point Im relatively hammered which is my surefire poor man's
Ambien. The last leap to the Rioja in the lounge with the sediment
still sticking to my teeth must have done it because once the seatbelt
light went on I got that bed ready, visited the loo to get a whiff of
the permanent pee smell that lingered the whole flight and was out
until somewhere over Uruguay. Opened the amenity kit and was shocked
to find proper ear plugs, not the total crap AA or BA tries to get
away with.
[url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dsg10715/5812029782/"]
Who cares about the other junk in there. Is about time I
got some that worked!
"Oh what the heck dude?! You said you were going to give us a proper
trip report. You skipped the meal service?!"
Fear not fellow FT'ers. I am not going to let you down. There is a
return flight and I am confident I will make up for lost ground there.
Breakfast was fine, although I dont think the food so far on Iberia
really leap ahead of AA or BA in any way. They each have their little
'things', but no one really wins IMHO. I like the olive oil which is given lots of play in the Iberia menus and lounges. But I don't know if it really overcomes the other shortcomings in their cuisine.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dsg10715/5811465219/" title="Untitled by dsg10715, on Flickr"><img
I got hit with the entry tax for US citizens, was debating using my
Canadian passport but the US fee lasts for ten years so grimaced
through it. This is - mind you - the only time when the airport agents spoke really great English. When it was time to scan my credit card!
I was put up at a hotel for this conference I had to speak at. 725
Continental. Not bad all things considered. Breakfast was a bit lame,
especially since espresso is an additional charge, but room was clean
and there is free unlimited and strong Wifi the whole time.
[url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dsg10715/5811466271/"]
[url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dsg10715/5811465901/"]
That kills all those greedy slime bag hotels that bend us all over. Area is a bit
dicey, people screaming in the morning outside the hotel. Nice. Comfy bed, good bathroom, great water pressure. Well cleaned. Near two subways stations. Decent jogging path from Plaza del Republica up north through Palermo and back if you want to hit 5K or so. Don't go too early in the morning cause they water down all the sidewalks in the morning and it is sliiippppy out there!
Getting back to EZE and the return to TXL. Lord Almighty was I in for a shock in the Business Plus Iberia VIP Sala in our Terminal. It is maybe 200 sq feet and it is shameful.
[url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dsg10715/5811468847/"]
The swill they're serving is reminiscent of German white wines in the late 70's and 80's. Since I'm not trying to fuel any rockets I left that "stuff" where it belonged (for other suckers) and strolled over to the fantastic Admirals Club five seconds away. Well, not so darn fabulous but a very nice breakfast spread with some mini croisants, lots of coffee, espresso, cappuccinos, juices, waters....free strong Wifi...quiet as heck 'cause none of the IB passengers read Flyertalk and know they're in the clear to check into the AC.
[url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dsg10715/5812034942/"
Back onto the Airbus 340 with a dedicated security line for J, this time, and into seat 3A pretty quickly. I thought the IFE interface was really great, and was very quick touch controls, nice bright screen and very quick Iberia trailer before movie starts. Love BA but those 2 minute commercials before the movie begins is annoying. Very easy, pause, stop start etc buttons. But the movie selection was just lame. There were a few okay ones, but on AA and BA I feel you have a really large selection of classics and new releases. Not so here. That was another bummer.
[url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dsg10715/5812035292/"]
[url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dsg10715/5811470551/"
The food was the real downer on the whole trip. The wines were okay and I went with the beef, thinking it would be Argentinian sourced and so palatable, but it was so fatty and gristly I could barely eat it. There wasn't anything special or fun about the menu, and the wines were all fine but you don't get points for loading some cases onto the plane. The snacks available in the snack area were beyond horrid. There were these soggy sandwiches that were wrapped in Saran Wrap and one bite was so revolting I waited till the steward turned his back and then stuffed the remainder in the garbage. This was really the low point for the experience. I took a pic of my first course but had to stop because the broth in the bowl kept leaping out everywhere and soiled everything. Maybe soup on a plane is not the best strategic choice? Also, my Iphone might have exploded after photographing the beef - it's a tender toy - and so I spared it nightmare.
[url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dsg10715/5812036426/"]
Got into MAD one hour early. Seamless transfer except we had to go through security back into T4, whereas on the way we didn't have to do security from T4 to T4S. Got to the lounge at 5 AM and it didn't open till 6 AM so sat there waiting to take a shower. Again, no free Wifi.
The shower room was clean, and water pressure was okay although it took a long time to get hot. But - and I wasn't doing anything I wouldn't want people to see or hear - there is a huge gap between the floor and the bottom of the bathroom door. If you got down on your knees you could see everything inside one of the showers. Creepy? I don't know. But weird. It was void of the ear splitting gargling sounds the showers make in T5, but again there is no chance anyone strolling by can count the pounds I put on in the last lounge escapade I made.
The lounge had a sparse set of reading materials, and mostly I was trying to wake up from not sleeping too much on the flight. MAD/TXL took off on time, another lackluster culinary affair in the sky with a smaller but quiet cabin and slightly less leg room and I was back in Berlin wishing I had gotten a prescription for Lunesta BEFORE I tried this trip in 96 hours.
Long story short, I got to the bottom of my musings by the time the 109 let me off at Oliver Platz. IB doesn't match up to BA or AA at all. Perhaps there are good culinary experiences on other flights with them, but their lounges don't beat AA FL, and very little beats LHR BA especially T5 and T3, and whilst the BA seats are a bit grimy I feel the service, IFE, and general convenience of their time tested systems really make them the overwhelming OW choice for me. MAD omitting the Wifi from their lounges makes them a non-starter. I would rather fly through JFK in a thunderstorm with a short connection than go through that again. Just not cool.
Also, a HUGE shout out to Gaucho 100K and Fedechat who basically saved my life when trying to figure out buying an Argentinian SIM card while down there so I didn't have to rack up some mind bending data bill in Buenos Aires. Glad I have it for the next trip when armed with a Spanish phrasebook and my wife I will have some exploring time. Thread here for anyone needing a SIM card down there. and Fedechat, I got the info too late about duty free and couldn't get the bottle with carryon but next time you're in Berlin I will stand you a bottle of some nice German wine for gratitude. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/argen...m-card-ba.html
years watching people fumble with their shoes a nano-second before
they reach the XRay machines prompted me to take the leap and see if
life was - truly - greener on the other side.
In other words after 1.7MM miles on a combination of AA and BA
'adventures' I thought I would try Iberia and compare the general
experience, and the J product, from TXL MAD EZE. Full disclosure, I
may be Canadian but I live in Germany because I can stand when things
are not in place, slow, or not done the way the rules say it should
be. This talent - my wife translates this in German to be affliction - is going to provide the context for the whole experience.
A lot of these ramblings are going to be comparisons with BA and AA.
When I was debating whether to see if Iberia was worth folding into my
frequent flight rotations I couldnt find a detailed trip report that
broke all this stuff down for me. So, I thought I would give a little
back to the forums from which I have taken so much.
Big strike against Iberia for the web experience. That website is a
FUBAR situation. End stop. You cant see your seats till 30 hours
before flight even when its full paid business. Give me a break. Its
so far behind the BA and AA web experience I cant even compare. Its
like what Katie Couric did to Palin. Its just cringeworthy. Thankfully
I think BA is slowly going to wrangle that disaster.
Nonetheless, I packed my little bag, walked a few blocks and hopped on
the 109 to Tegel one fine evening. I dont want to knock the BA lounge
here. First of all, its staffed by probably one of the best lounge
gals I've ever had the pleasure to check in with. She incinerates the
competition. The lounge is kind of sad, but the food is always
maintained, there are some half decent drinks, Wifi works, and there
is no reason BA should upgrade it when they are putting the money into
BBI lounge next year.
[url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dsg10715/5812022874/"]
I was flying a 319 to MAD and was curious how the Club Europe matched
up to Iberia J. Not bad, in fact. The planes are in a lot better
shape, and the food was pretty good considering it was a short haul.
Lamb was well cooked, and there were decent wines. Very comfy seat
with great pitch and huge legroom. I'm 6'2 and fully stretched out.
[url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dsg10715/5811459529/"]
[url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dsg10715/5811458915/" title="]
[url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dsg10715/5811459875/"]
Once I got to MAD the transfer to 4S was easy as pie. Now I like to
..... about LHR and terminal transfers like I enjoy pillaging any
airplane or lounge I come into contact with. Then, sadly, I walked
into the Velasquez lounge for a look see.
No free Wifi.
Let me repeat that.
No free Wifi.
... x 1000 to the power of 10
Abject stupidity is the best description of that policy that comes to mind.
Moving along. Food was good to quite good, and the wine selection was
great but lets be honest, T5 BA sets the standard, no one is coming
close and the absence of free Wifi and Johnnie Walker Blue is very
tough on the grading for any competitors. Plus, I felt a bit like you
were too much in the open in the Velasquez. In T5 you are in a big
space but you can also feel like youre in a little enclave. Bathrooms
were in good order though.
Boarding was a mess. One agent to check everyone in and at 1 AM
everyone is testy. It was basically a free for all. I thought about
straight arming a few toadies, but then demurred. Is a long ... flight
and no one is going anywhere without me.
We flew the 340 down to EZE. Thought it was in pretty good condition
although they missed cleaning the harder to reach places. I know Im a
pain but really, its not that hard. What I did love was the enormous
leg room. Even when you are sitting in a window (I was in 7A) you can
walk right past your seatmate when he is lying flat. I like the drink
holders and he magazine pockets that actually hold stuff. Not like the
AA storage issue.
[url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dsg10715/5812026556/" title=]
[url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dsg10715/5812026886/" title="]
[url"http://www.flickr.com/photos/dsg10715/5811462227/"]
At this point Im relatively hammered which is my surefire poor man's
Ambien. The last leap to the Rioja in the lounge with the sediment
still sticking to my teeth must have done it because once the seatbelt
light went on I got that bed ready, visited the loo to get a whiff of
the permanent pee smell that lingered the whole flight and was out
until somewhere over Uruguay. Opened the amenity kit and was shocked
to find proper ear plugs, not the total crap AA or BA tries to get
away with.
[url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dsg10715/5812029782/"]
Who cares about the other junk in there. Is about time I
got some that worked!
"Oh what the heck dude?! You said you were going to give us a proper
trip report. You skipped the meal service?!"
Fear not fellow FT'ers. I am not going to let you down. There is a
return flight and I am confident I will make up for lost ground there.
Breakfast was fine, although I dont think the food so far on Iberia
really leap ahead of AA or BA in any way. They each have their little
'things', but no one really wins IMHO. I like the olive oil which is given lots of play in the Iberia menus and lounges. But I don't know if it really overcomes the other shortcomings in their cuisine.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dsg10715/5811465219/" title="Untitled by dsg10715, on Flickr"><img
I got hit with the entry tax for US citizens, was debating using my
Canadian passport but the US fee lasts for ten years so grimaced
through it. This is - mind you - the only time when the airport agents spoke really great English. When it was time to scan my credit card!
I was put up at a hotel for this conference I had to speak at. 725
Continental. Not bad all things considered. Breakfast was a bit lame,
especially since espresso is an additional charge, but room was clean
and there is free unlimited and strong Wifi the whole time.
[url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dsg10715/5811466271/"]
[url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dsg10715/5811465901/"]
That kills all those greedy slime bag hotels that bend us all over. Area is a bit
dicey, people screaming in the morning outside the hotel. Nice. Comfy bed, good bathroom, great water pressure. Well cleaned. Near two subways stations. Decent jogging path from Plaza del Republica up north through Palermo and back if you want to hit 5K or so. Don't go too early in the morning cause they water down all the sidewalks in the morning and it is sliiippppy out there!
Getting back to EZE and the return to TXL. Lord Almighty was I in for a shock in the Business Plus Iberia VIP Sala in our Terminal. It is maybe 200 sq feet and it is shameful.
[url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dsg10715/5811468847/"]
The swill they're serving is reminiscent of German white wines in the late 70's and 80's. Since I'm not trying to fuel any rockets I left that "stuff" where it belonged (for other suckers) and strolled over to the fantastic Admirals Club five seconds away. Well, not so darn fabulous but a very nice breakfast spread with some mini croisants, lots of coffee, espresso, cappuccinos, juices, waters....free strong Wifi...quiet as heck 'cause none of the IB passengers read Flyertalk and know they're in the clear to check into the AC.
[url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dsg10715/5812034942/"
Back onto the Airbus 340 with a dedicated security line for J, this time, and into seat 3A pretty quickly. I thought the IFE interface was really great, and was very quick touch controls, nice bright screen and very quick Iberia trailer before movie starts. Love BA but those 2 minute commercials before the movie begins is annoying. Very easy, pause, stop start etc buttons. But the movie selection was just lame. There were a few okay ones, but on AA and BA I feel you have a really large selection of classics and new releases. Not so here. That was another bummer.
[url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dsg10715/5812035292/"]
[url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dsg10715/5811470551/"
The food was the real downer on the whole trip. The wines were okay and I went with the beef, thinking it would be Argentinian sourced and so palatable, but it was so fatty and gristly I could barely eat it. There wasn't anything special or fun about the menu, and the wines were all fine but you don't get points for loading some cases onto the plane. The snacks available in the snack area were beyond horrid. There were these soggy sandwiches that were wrapped in Saran Wrap and one bite was so revolting I waited till the steward turned his back and then stuffed the remainder in the garbage. This was really the low point for the experience. I took a pic of my first course but had to stop because the broth in the bowl kept leaping out everywhere and soiled everything. Maybe soup on a plane is not the best strategic choice? Also, my Iphone might have exploded after photographing the beef - it's a tender toy - and so I spared it nightmare.
[url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dsg10715/5812036426/"]
Got into MAD one hour early. Seamless transfer except we had to go through security back into T4, whereas on the way we didn't have to do security from T4 to T4S. Got to the lounge at 5 AM and it didn't open till 6 AM so sat there waiting to take a shower. Again, no free Wifi.
The shower room was clean, and water pressure was okay although it took a long time to get hot. But - and I wasn't doing anything I wouldn't want people to see or hear - there is a huge gap between the floor and the bottom of the bathroom door. If you got down on your knees you could see everything inside one of the showers. Creepy? I don't know. But weird. It was void of the ear splitting gargling sounds the showers make in T5, but again there is no chance anyone strolling by can count the pounds I put on in the last lounge escapade I made.
The lounge had a sparse set of reading materials, and mostly I was trying to wake up from not sleeping too much on the flight. MAD/TXL took off on time, another lackluster culinary affair in the sky with a smaller but quiet cabin and slightly less leg room and I was back in Berlin wishing I had gotten a prescription for Lunesta BEFORE I tried this trip in 96 hours.
Long story short, I got to the bottom of my musings by the time the 109 let me off at Oliver Platz. IB doesn't match up to BA or AA at all. Perhaps there are good culinary experiences on other flights with them, but their lounges don't beat AA FL, and very little beats LHR BA especially T5 and T3, and whilst the BA seats are a bit grimy I feel the service, IFE, and general convenience of their time tested systems really make them the overwhelming OW choice for me. MAD omitting the Wifi from their lounges makes them a non-starter. I would rather fly through JFK in a thunderstorm with a short connection than go through that again. Just not cool.
Also, a HUGE shout out to Gaucho 100K and Fedechat who basically saved my life when trying to figure out buying an Argentinian SIM card while down there so I didn't have to rack up some mind bending data bill in Buenos Aires. Glad I have it for the next trip when armed with a Spanish phrasebook and my wife I will have some exploring time. Thread here for anyone needing a SIM card down there. and Fedechat, I got the info too late about duty free and couldn't get the bottle with carryon but next time you're in Berlin I will stand you a bottle of some nice German wine for gratitude. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/argen...m-card-ba.html
Jun 9, 2011, 7:44 pm
#4
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: BCN-BUE-PSA-GRU
Programs: BA Gold - A3 Gold - FB Gold - IHG Plat - SPG Gold -Hyatt Platinum
Posts: 1,581
Jun 9, 2011, 9:21 pm
#5
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Burlingame, CA
Programs: TK Miles & Smiles, CM ConnectMiles, AA Advantage
Posts: 2,129
Thanks for sharing this insightful report about IB's J product. I must confess that I am not too shocked given that your experience is on par with other reports. I've heard that J on mid haul routes (CAI, MOW, TLV) is also going through a makeover with real J seats among other cosmetic improvements.
On a positive note the extra legroom is a nice change and I agree that the Salon Velasquez feels a bit too open. At times I equate it to being in a mini terminal inside a terminal. Overall food selection is pretty good IMHO. However, I think that your assessment about it being inferior to AA FL is a bit unfair since you are comparing apples to oranges. FL is a F product and the highest class you can go on IB is J. Of course IB lounges will be inferior in that sense, but compared to the average AA AC's, I think IB ones in MAD are much better.
On a positive note the extra legroom is a nice change and I agree that the Salon Velasquez feels a bit too open. At times I equate it to being in a mini terminal inside a terminal. Overall food selection is pretty good IMHO. However, I think that your assessment about it being inferior to AA FL is a bit unfair since you are comparing apples to oranges. FL is a F product and the highest class you can go on IB is J. Of course IB lounges will be inferior in that sense, but compared to the average AA AC's, I think IB ones in MAD are much better.
Jun 11, 2011, 1:07 pm
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Gold, SQ Gold, KQ Platinum, IHG Diamond Ambassador, Hilton Gold, Marriott Silver, Accor Silver
Posts: 16,350
An entertaining report with good pictures to match.
I completely agree about the lounge staff at the TXL BA Terraces lounge – very pleasant indeed.
Iberia’s lounges at their home hub of MAD are pretty woeful.
Espresso at an additional charge in a hotel at breakfast time? Eh?!
You can fast forward the IFE commercials prior to the movies on BA, if you’re on an AVOD-equipped aircraft
IB's latest product is 'Business Club' which is their midhaul J product. This report showcases 'Business Plus', the longhaul J product.
I completely agree about the lounge staff at the TXL BA Terraces lounge – very pleasant indeed.
Iberia’s lounges at their home hub of MAD are pretty woeful.
Espresso at an additional charge in a hotel at breakfast time? Eh?!
You can fast forward the IFE commercials prior to the movies on BA, if you’re on an AVOD-equipped aircraft
IB's latest product is 'Business Club' which is their midhaul J product. This report showcases 'Business Plus', the longhaul J product.
Jun 11, 2011, 1:19 pm
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 195
Danke for the fast forward tip on BA
An entertaining report with good pictures to match.
I completely agree about the lounge staff at the TXL BA Terraces lounge – very pleasant indeed.
Iberia’s lounges at their home hub of MAD are pretty woeful.
Espresso at an additional charge in a hotel at breakfast time? Eh?!
You can fast forward the IFE commercials prior to the movies on BA, if you’re on an AVOD-equipped aircraft
IB's latest product is 'Business Club' which is their midhaul J product. This report showcases 'Business Plus', the longhaul J product.
I completely agree about the lounge staff at the TXL BA Terraces lounge – very pleasant indeed.
Iberia’s lounges at their home hub of MAD are pretty woeful.
Espresso at an additional charge in a hotel at breakfast time? Eh?!
You can fast forward the IFE commercials prior to the movies on BA, if you’re on an AVOD-equipped aircraft
IB's latest product is 'Business Club' which is their midhaul J product. This report showcases 'Business Plus', the longhaul J product.
Jun 11, 2011, 1:21 pm
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 195
Except for the Wifi I agree IB lounges beat typical AC's. I compared it to AC FL because thats what I have access to and would have to give up to switch on TATL from AA or BA to IB.
Thanks for sharing this insightful report about IB's J product. I must confess that I am not too shocked given that your experience is on par with other reports. I've heard that J on mid haul routes (CAI, MOW, TLV) is also going through a makeover with real J seats among other cosmetic improvements.
On a positive note the extra legroom is a nice change and I agree that the Salon Velasquez feels a bit too open. At times I equate it to being in a mini terminal inside a terminal. Overall food selection is pretty good IMHO. However, I think that your assessment about it being inferior to AA FL is a bit unfair since you are comparing apples to oranges. FL is a F product and the highest class you can go on IB is J. Of course IB lounges will be inferior in that sense, but compared to the average AA AC's, I think IB ones in MAD are much better.
On a positive note the extra legroom is a nice change and I agree that the Salon Velasquez feels a bit too open. At times I equate it to being in a mini terminal inside a terminal. Overall food selection is pretty good IMHO. However, I think that your assessment about it being inferior to AA FL is a bit unfair since you are comparing apples to oranges. FL is a F product and the highest class you can go on IB is J. Of course IB lounges will be inferior in that sense, but compared to the average AA AC's, I think IB ones in MAD are much better.