VSLover

hi all-

i have the option of BCN-LHR-JFK or BCN-MAD-JFK with the latter on the A350 in J.

i have seen trip reports, youtube reports etc etc but in this board's humble opinions--what are your thoughts on the new IB biz compared to the BA biz longhaul product?

thanks!

KeaneJohn

Wapps68

• I flew to Madrid two days ago on an IB A346 from LHR (so a short haul flight) in business.
• I disliked the business seat more than the Club World seat. It felt constrained/tight, uncomfortable and plasticky. I also disliked the grey colour scheme.
• The crew were moody/arrogant and the food and drink selection was sub par compared to the improved BA Club Europe offering.
• I am genuinely looking forward to my flight home on a BA A321 in Club Europe this weekend. At least BA serve champagne (even if Castlelnasty) rather than cheap cava.
• Also, I know from previous experience that the BA galleries lounges at T5 is nicer than the (refurbished) IB lounges at Madrid.
• So, if I had the choice, I would go BA. And if you are going long haul from LHR you have the new soft service.

That’s all I have to say.

VSLover

interesting feedback so far, thank you!

yes the thing is i have no issue with the CW seat and the new 1-2-1 a350 IB option looks interesting. but because i'm based in london the whole CW, T5 experience is entirely familar (as is AA which is an option but i know all i need to know about that).

it was more the intrigue of giving IB a shot on this but not if it is drastically sub-par to CW overall (please hold your laughter until the end)--as i have never taken an IB flight nor transited MAD beyond a 45min stopover.

ratypus

Dicksbits

I think it's extremely subjective - it depends on what's important to you. Yes they don't serve champagne on IB, they serve cava - but is this a deal breaker? For some, yes. I found IB in J a nice change from BA. I didn't find the crew moody or rude - quite the contrary. I found them friendly, welcoming and respectful.

rossmacd

Chris9642

corporate-wage-slave

I'm familiar with both services and the A350. I know I'm probably a bit immune to sweating the small stuff, which forms a lot of Flyertalk's content, but if you stand back for the bigger picture, both options should give you a good quality flight, both airlines have good business class products. BA now has the best food and crews, but the A350 is a great aircraft and the Iberia in cabin service is very good. So for me, it would be more about timings, cost and whether the MAD v LHR transit worked OK. Ditto AA is fine too, through there are a few extra minor details to consider (e.g. EC261 on the return, catering, cabin crew).

Now the Madrid transfer is reasonably straightforward, no security check but there is a passport check stage, a terminal building switch and a bit of walking involved. At LHR you arrive into T3, which is great for AA though there is a security check, but no passport check, and BA is over in T5. BCN to MAD is presumably on Iberia's Air Bridge service, which is like BA's old domestic Shuttle service and intended to be slick if charmless.

The other minor thing to consider is that there are only 2 Iberia services a day from MAD, one AA service and one Delta. From BCN it's just one AA service direct and a Delta. From London to New York - well the number of services is too many to count. So if things go wrong you want to be in London rather than Madrid.

So in short if the fares are identical, I would look at arrival time into New York against your plans, and balance that against whatever is your approach to connections.

Wapps68

mrow

If Tier Points are important you will earn more on a BA routing than an IB routing as the IB domestic J service to/from MAD only gets 20 Tier Points per sector whereas the BA CE service to/from LHR will get 40 per sector

Also, you will have to go through security at T5 when connecting whereas I don’t think you will in MAD. If I have got that right, that might be something worth considering in terms of reducing time needed for connections/increasing ease of connection process.

747jetter

I would take BA because of tier points + upper deck 747. I am not sure about if IB has wifi or not but BA sends to JFK 747 with well-going wifi. I dont think transfer T5 would be any worse than T4 to T4s in MAD. Go BA!

corporate-wage-slave

Iberia has had wifi on longhaul for longer than BA, however the system used isn't as good as BA's. On the other hand the Iberia routing is less likely to swing so far northwards that you lose the signal, as can happen on LHR-JFK.

aquanine

I've only flown Iberia J transatlantic, but I found the seat to be quite comfortable and private. The crew wasn't remarkable, but certainly not subpar in their service.

The Iberia itinerary also is likely to be both shorter (flight distance wise) and with more time spent in a nice long-haul lie flat business seat. As a plus, the plane is quieter (A350). Given these factors, I think Iberia is definitely the choice.

orbitmic

I assume that there is good reason (e.g. higher fare?) why you are not considering the nonstops BCN-JFK with either AA or DL? They would be my preferred option on your route by far.

Both airlines have advantages and downsides.

BA:
- I'd say it now has the better food on that specific route though I find the IB food generally better.
- I do like the BA amenities (small mattress etc) better
- Better wine and Champagne if you care about those
- The BCN-MAD vv on IB is exactly the shuttle it's described to be, so we are not talking about great luxury though it is frequent and reliable.
- If your flight is on a 744 and you have status and are able to book one of the UD windows, they are both fairly private and have very useful sidebins for storage.
- Pre-flight dining on your way back. Not great food in the Club dining room but still enables you to sleep a bit more. I have no idea whether IB J pax (which use the same lounge) are allowed to have pre-flight dining but that would make a difference to me otherwise.
- If you plan to buy a flexible ticket, BA has a much higher frequency of flights on the route so if your plans change you are much more likely to benefit from it than with IB.

In short, on LHR-JFK, BA give you the "best" J they currently offer.

IB:
- The 350 is a much more comfortable aircraft than either the 744 or 777 BA use. Far better air quality, far more silent. You will arrive far more rested and fresh than on BA even on that relatively short flight
- I do like the IB seat and if you don't have status you can still pre-assign a single seat. All seats are good unlike BA where in my view, only window seats are good. Big difference.
- The food is still good and some of the touches feel a bit more premium. The main meal in effect has more courses (especially now that increasingly BA have stopped automatically saying yes to requests for salad+starter or cheese+dessert to some pax for some reason), aperitif is better, the cold soups in summer season are a really nice touch. The second meal is also much better quality in my view though not large.
- IB usually hands out vouchers for free for a bit of onboard internet to all J pax. On BA, IF you are lucky to get one of the very few equipped planes, even if you are a GGL for life travelling F on a super expensive ticket you would have to cough through the nose to check your email (or Flyertalk ) if you so wanted
- The MAD transfer is much easier/better. Same terminal while the T5-T3 transfer on the IB routing is a Russian roulette that can be mostly painless or on the contrary frankly painful, no security rescreening from BCN, automated transit between the two terminals and the Punto Aereo arrives at/leaves from good gates for your transfer to /from 4S purposes.
- cws is right to point out that with the IB option you have your passport check during transit but that is merely because you do not get it in BCN (you just have it when you leave Schengen) and to be honest, I think that the most wait I have had for Schengen/Intl or Intl/Schengen connection passport control is about 3 minutes.
- In fact, to me it is an advantage that with the Punto Aereo, you can arrive at BCN very shortly before your flight and you and your luggage will still be fine. That can shorten your total travel time by about 30 minutes or so with no risk compared to advertised times
- Espresso on board. BA still cannot be bothered. Bizarrely, I'd say that even the tea is better on IB but you might not agree if you are a fan of English tea only.
- Much lower risks of weather IRROPs and/or holding patterns at MAD compared to LHR
- Much lower risks of bus gates at MAD compared to LHR
- Much lower risk of equipment change with IB than BA. BA is notorious for swapping 744 an 77W frequently on the JFK route.
- Much more certainty on gates and routings as opposed to the A/B/C T5 roulette at T5.
- Even with BA shorthaul flights which normally use pretty good gates at LHR T3 (unlike the long haul) there can be fairly long walks there. MAD T4 has long walks too but you won't do it because of the Punto Aereo gates.
- The T4S lounge is in my view quite a bit nicer than the standard Club lounges at LHR. If you have access to the LHR CCR or F lounge things get better but note that they are at A gates from which your JFK flight is unlikely to leave. On the return, if you have an Emerald card, there are conversely better lounges at LHR T3 than MAD T4 which is average (and was closed for a while)

Ties:
- I don't find crew better on one or the other, I have had good crews on most flights with both, great with some, occasional bad or very bad with both. I do speak decent Spanish which might help but my partner who doesn't has quite enjoyed IB to date too.
- IRROPS from start point: both airlines will consider rebooking you on each other if there is a problem on the day anyway.

In short, I can see a case for both but personally I'd probably go 1) for one of the nonstop by far, 2) if not probably on IB for the much smoother transfer and better plane and if IB pax can use preflight dining, slight longer (better) sleeping opportunity on the flight back, unless I knew I needed the flexibility on the day in which case I'd choose BA.