khc5

I'll be flying in IB economy class coming up, and I am grateful that they switched my flight from a A340-300 to an A340-600. What does this mean to me, in terms of economy class comfort? Will I have my own individual in-seat entertainment TV screen? How will I be entertained on my 7 hour flight from the states?

Thanks.

number_6

IB is generally considered to be one of the worst airlines in Y for trans-Atlantic travel; people pick it because it is much cheaper than the alternatives, not because of the amenities. Expect the worst, and IB will most likely exceed your expectations (unfortunately this means it will be worse than you imagined it could be). I've never flown IB in Y, but have flown it once in J (and never again). Their F service was quite good, but that is long gone. The real problem with IB is if you have any need for ground handling in Spain, then it becomes truly hellish (inflight service is great by comparison, though still below almost every other airline).

inhiyu66

Spain deserves better airline than IB.
Can't believe the country I love so much has such a bad airline.

madman

Some opinions on IB on www.airlinequality.com:

www.airlinequality.com/Forum/iberia.htm

alanw

It doesn't. You're listening to people like the guy above you, who has some kind of endless axe to grind on every single IB thread, way too much.

My last flight on them in Y was three weeks ago. It was fine; not noticeably different than KL or JK or AF.

alex0683de

Had a great flight with them FRA-BCN-FRA in Y two months ago. I realize this is not long-haul, but they were quite friendly and accomodating, both on the plane and on the ground.

Perhaps it helps that I speak Spanish?

alanw

I don't think it matters too much. You frequently see, on both FT and other places, people who mistake the European standard of customer interaction with bad service. Most likely the cabin attendants do not have a grin plastered on their faces, do not seem elated to fetch you another glass of wine, and have little interest in whatever story you want to tell them. It took me a while to become accustomed to that after moving from the US to Europe. Now I realize that it's got nothing to do with service.

flyerLPA

I have to agree with alanw
the flight attendants usually do a good job. Not always smiling, but doing a good job

During my last trip to Mexico, on the way back, the plane was full on both economy and business class. My special meal ( I was on J ) was not very good, the flight attendants did everything possible to provide some other food, and were very helpful

inhiyu66

Still, you can't spit on a smiling face, can you?

number_6

I try to give IB credit whenever I can, and they are greatly improved from a few years ago, however it is still a mixed bag making it necessary for potential pax to know what they are getting into. The good: Air Nostrum is almost always quite good (their regional airline), and inflight service is somewhere between OK and good on half the IB mainline flights (however the other half can be pretty bad, though there is definite improvement each month). The bad: ground service is abysmal, either at MAD or at US airports. Things that other airlines do automatically or within a few seconds are either impossible to do or take hours; for example, changing a full-fare business class ticket from one flight to a different one (same destination and date, but different time, took over an hour at MAD). Unbelievable, except it happens over and over again. It isn't a "Spanish culture" phenomenon, but an IB thing (AA at MAD doesn't have this behaviour and has delightful Spanish staff).

Steve Fenton

I dont think the axe to grind is a correct statement - they are a bloody awful company from top to bottom. The in flight is a hit and miss affair that for sure will make you never want to fly again if things go wrong - and they often do, plus the ground services are the worst in my experience, covering some 15 years of extensive travel.

And no its not just me, many fellow travellers I know will never travel with them again. I have known meetings to be re-scheduled to other contries to avoid flying this airline.

dia15222

I knew IB as a not very good carrier form the last years. But after LH is making me angry at the moment with their cutting benefits I gave IB (and BA) a try the last year.

I only flew European and Domestic Spain routes with IB the last year (six segments) in Y and C.

The Service in Y is quite OK, you have to pay for your food but the choice is not too bad. Be careful to be seated in the front of the plane, as in the back the seat-pitch is less.

The Service in C is good and comparable to other Airlines. Lounges in MAD and BCN are OK, but I know that there are better Lounges (in Europe and Asia).

What definitly helps is to speak spanish! As most english speaking people ignore that there are other world-languages than english some spanish speaking people ignore that there are other languages than spanish!
If you try a few words in spanish (my Uni-Course has been a long time ago!) most things will be much easier!
Most important thing: Relax and respect some other cultures!

My conclusion is: I will fly them again! And if LH does not reverse at least some of the changes I will fly them more often!

Muchas Gracias!