New Business Plus Class (A330, A340)
 

as flying yesterday with IB, I read in the IBERIA Ronda Magazine, that as of May the first A 340-600 will also be converted into the new Business Class. Should be done for all existing 17 A340-600.

Any idea when the first plane will be finished?

Any idea how to recognize during booking process, if the A 340-600 has already the new seating, or still the old one?

Yes, once you have finished booking, you can check during seat assigning, which seating is available. But is there a way to check this prior?

Has anyone already done a reservation with new seating?

Thanks

Spainfly

You could use a service like Expertflyer, or just PM me with any flight you're thinking of booking and I'm happy to check for you.

Thanks, I will send you a PM.
But seat assignment shows the old configuration.

I thought this question might be interesting for more people who have flights on that aircraft type soon.

Thanks

Spainfly

I too am interested in the roll-out of the refurbished a340. I've seen the 330 schedule on this board, but nothing on the a340. Does anyone know when these will be going through their refurbishments? I fly MAD-EZE in early October and just interested to know if they will even be started by then.
Thanks!

Re-fits begin in May, if I recall correctly.

Page 101 "from May the new interiors will also appear on.."

http://bluevista.ceros.com/iberia/rondamarzo2013/page/1

Hmmm, wonder if they'll have it on my A346 flight LAX-MAD in mid-October?? Fingers crossed...

We have 3J and 3L, hopefully those are good seats in either configuration. We also have 1A and 1C in Business Class, MAD-ORY. Any advantage/disadvantage to Row 1 on the short-hauls?

Short haul row one very little legroom!

The Ronda magazine states the eight new Airbus A330-300s will be deployed with the new business class (entering service between mid-February 2013 March 2014), as well as new tourist seats; it says A340s to Angola, North and Latin America will begin offering the new cabin amenities as of May 2013.

link to specific pages on Ronda

Until all aircraft are rationalised to the new Business Plus class of service, we'll be playing roulette - particularly given the current state of affairs of more or fewer Business Plus cabin space. We can count on March 2014 for the A30-300s, assuming deliveries are on time, and maybe not so much for the A340s, depending on when these rotate in for heavy C checks (which is most likely when they will accomplish the cabin swaps); many heavy C checks are scheduled every 24 - 30 months, depending on Hobbs (flying) hours and cycles.

Always bet on black!

It looks like the Iberia forum is a little less active than others (AA, QF, etc.) so probably wishful thinking to expect somebody to start tracking tail numbers of the A340s being converted. Either way, thanks for the helpful info JDiver.

Good stuff. It's a bit of a drag for those of us with upcoming flights this summer on a 340 in business with a family. There really are no great seats to pick in the current configuration that, even assuming they map over to the new configuration, will also work in the new configuration.

Assuming the C cabins in the 340 are configured like the cabins in the 330, the together seats are E and G. But there are no E and G in the current 340. Just have to watch the seat maps, I suppose.

Press release (they have 3 A330s now)


Iberia's new Airbus 330 arrives in Miami


The new Airbus A330 already operates to Boston and it will soon serve New York and Chicago.

The aircraft features the new Iberia long haul product with business class seats unfolding into flat beds and the most advanced inflight entertainment system for both Business and Economy class passengers.

Madrid, April 15, 2013



Today the new Iberia A330 aircraft will operate its first flight from Madrid to Miami. The aircraft, called Costa Rica, will take off from Madrid airport at 11:50 and will arrive in Miami at 15:20. Then, it will fly back from Miami airport at 17:05 hours.



Passengers flying from Miami will enjoy Iberia’s brand new Business and Economy class sections for long haul flights. With a configuration of 36 seats in the Business cabin and 242 in the Economy class, the Business Plus section in the new A330s features wider seats that unfold into perfectly flat beds almost 80 inches long, housed in individual modules, each of them with direct access to the aisle. The design and positioning of the new seats ensure greater privacy and comfort to passengers. Lighting in the Business class cabin changes at the different phases of the flight and the seats offer more space for customers’ belongings.



Business Plus passengers can also enjoy new, intuitive entertainment options, using 15.5” screens similar to that of tablet computers, plus 4.2” touch screen remotes with virtual keyboard, with which passengers can make telephone calls, send text messages, and easily access entertainment options. Each month some 50 feature films will be available, plus 80 TV series, documentaries, some 200 musical options, and 3D games, among many other choices.



In the Economy cabin, seats are more ergonomic and wider (18.1”). They are equipped with the most advanced inflight entertainment system: individual 9” touch screens, a wide film and TV series offer, documentaries, as well as a children’s programme. Every seat has a connection port for Apple devices and a USB port, while universal power sockets are also available.



Iberia will soon be adding Wi-Fi Internet access and SMS capability for all its long-haul customers. The Airbus A330s is a twin-engine aircraft and is 15% more fuel efficient than the aircraft it replaces.



The A330 already operates to Boston and it will soon serve New York and Chicago. Flights to Los Angeles, the fifth Iberia destination in the U.S., will be operated by the Airbus A340 aircraft – Iberia will refit its 17 A340/600 aircraft with the new product from next month.



The inclusion of Miami to the A330 operation confirms Iberia’s activity is completely back to normal, as current 90% punctuality records show.



Iberia will be operating two daily flights from Miami to Madrid during the next six months, three more than a year ago. Iberia started flying from Madrid to Miami on August, 1972.



Customers flying from the U.S. with Iberia can make easy connections at Madrid airport T4 to other 31 Spanish destinations, 27 cities in Europe, as well as 13 destinations in Africa and the Middle East. Iberia is part of the Joint Business Agreement of North Atlantic routes with American Airlines and British Airways.

http://grupo.iberia.es/portal/site/g...0060fe15acRCRD

I am flying IB business in sept. jfk/mad. Based on what I just read there is a good chance that will be the new 330?

"Flights to Los Angeles, the fifth Iberia destination in the U.S., will be operated by the Airbus A340 aircraft – Iberia will refit its 17 A340/600 aircraft with the new product from next month."

So it sounds like I have a good chance of getting the upgraded A340-600 on my LAX-MAD flight in mid-October! Fingers crossed.

Flew the new J a couple of weeks ago (A330).

The seat is pretty good. May be one of the best (most comfortable) lay-flats available.

The IFE is OK. Good looking screen. ~15-17in. But the selection of movies. TV shows is rather lame. Especially compared to that available in the new AA 77W.

The service is absolutely garbage. But nice plane!