JFK>MAD>BIO upgrade at check-in, but only single leg?
 

Hoping that others might be able to offer some guidance on my experience. I am scheduled to leave tomorrow, flying JFK>MAD>BIO, with purchased fares in Premium Economy. During the check-in process I received an offer to upgrade to Business Class for only $48. Obviously, this offer seemed "too good to be true", but I read all of the information associated with the offer and it seemed legit. Paid the upgrade fee and completed the check-in process. However, after the fact I noted that only the MAD>BIO leg was upgraded to Business Class while my JFK>MAD leg remains in Premium Economy. The receipt that I was sent after the purchase also indicates that only the single leg was upgraded.

Needless to say I was quite disappointed. If I had any indication that only the 2nd leg of the journey would be upgraded I would not have considered the offer...after all, it's only a 1 hr flight. I called Iberia and spoke to an agent who confirmed the single leg upgrade and mentioned that no Business Class seats are available from JFK>MAD. The gentleman noted that he could not upgrade me or process a refund and suggested that the ticketing agents at JFK could sort out the situation. Of course, I don't anticipate that a JFK>MAD upgrade is likely tomorrow, but not sure how much of a fight I will get trying to obtain a refund of the upgrade.

Has anyone seen something similar at check-in? How can I be expected to know that the offer only applies to a single leg of my journey if nothing on the offer indicates that?

Yes, it is very common. It does show up before you pay that the upgrade is for a single leg, but the initial message with the offer does not say it.

If the price quoted was $250+, then you'd have every right to be upset. $48? No airline can reasonably be expected to give away J seats TATL for that amount. So you need to read the fine print.

I readily admitted in my initial post that the offer appeared “to good to be true”. That said, I WAS skeptical of the price and was on the lookout for any language that indicated only a partial upgrade. I clicked on the “learn more” option and read what I could there and elsewhere but did not see any language about the offer only applying to a single leg. Respectfully, is the fine print an acceptable place to state what you are actually purchasing? I completely accept that an upgrade for the JFK>MAD leg is unlikely.

Hoping that I can at least receive a refund instead and move back to economy for the short hop.