Review: Iberia Business Class A340 New York To Madrid

Can you typically order airline food on Business and First done a certain way?

Or is the food basically already prepared?

I'm picky on how I eat things, for example, I don't like Sauces, Dressings or Creams.

"It’s worth noting that the cabin got pretty warm during the night"

This is unfortunately a deal breaker for me - I am not sure if it applies to other people but I can't really sleep well unless the cabin is on the cooler side.

Same thing happened on JAL First - the cabin was so warm that I could hardly get a wink on a 14 hr flight (and I was super tired).

Again, I'm not sure if this is standard for JAL or Iberia - but I haven't experienced this issue on United/BA/Cathay/AA/LH (to name a few other airlines I flew J/F on)

Seems like the crew were similar to what you get in KLM in World Business. They're usually fine, but that's about it. Food is unremarkable, but very edible. KLM tend to be good with the booze, but nothing like Air France. Even in economy you feel like you're letting them down if you decline a drink. 🙂

Looks nice, which brings me to an issue I am having right now. I booked an American award for my parents. The plane was suppose to be the same you are flying but it has now been swapped to their old angle flat on a 2-2-2 configuration. I've called American three different times and they keep claiming that because it was an equipment change on Iberia and not American that there is nothing they can do other than cancel the award. The routing is BCN-MAD-ORD. I've told them that they could put me on BCN-LHR-ORD on American metal in the long haul which is serviced by a 77W. Obviously they say they don't have any space at the saver level. Flight is at the end of December. There hasn't been a single seat sold on that flight. Not even in economy. Is asking them to move my parents to that option out of line? Should I write onto advantage customer service? Or is one of those cases that I'm SHit out of luck.... Let me know your thoughts.

Only to take pictures of both ! The biggest lie a sweet tooth has ever Saud !

Free WiFi on A350 in business class and you said it was fairly fast, along with good reverse herringbone seats - do you think the American 777-300ER is superior to that (yes, I get they're not flying it to the U.S., but for those of us in Asia)?

I'm pretty sure this version of staggered seats had more room than vantage style is these seats and seat shells are much wider, on the vantage style it is 2-2-1/ 1(throne)-2-1 on an a330/a340, with this, it is only 1-2-1 with NO "throne" style seats.

@alvinythk , in J the seat is definitely superior, in Y, I'm unsure

@Wildsman -- same here, to the point that we politely requested JAL FAs to turn down the temp in the F cabin. They adjusted but we could not feel the difference at all. Still a great product with tremendous service, IMO -- just a very warm cabin.

@Serge iberia flies to ORD 99% with A333 or A340-600 (all with new product) so my bet is that you can expect a new swap

@Serge -
yes - I know what you're saying about AF crews in Y. I first flew AF when I was 15 from EWR to ORY (back in 1994 when they still flew EWR - ORY). The flight attendants really couldn't comprehend that I didn't want champagne or at least wine with my meal. Again, I was 14. Nowadays, I enjoy the champagne on AF in all classes with abandon.

Great report, Lucky!

Love how the first screen shot of TV Shows offered features a mug of Ronaldo - front and center!! There ya go!! Great job and good eye!

Lucky, isn't Korean Air's Prestige Suite the same as the JAL Sky suite and Oman Air 787 product. You should include it in your favorite style of seats

Iberia writes "4 Mb" and not 4 MB… but probably the guys just ignore the difference (4 Mb = 0.5 MB).

Nice review, thanks!

@Alex,
When I first booked it showed 346 1-2-1. The day after when I went to choose seats it said aircraft swap in progress. Couple weeks later now it shows 346 but 2-2-2. I know it's a long way ahead. And probably more aircraft swaps will happen. But shouldn't there be a protection?

@Alex
Actually starting October 31st it goes to angled flat for the rest of the year. Sounds like a permanent move to me instead of a one off. No?

"For context, Etihad and Lufthansa charge ~$20 for free wifi for 24 hours."

Personally, I like my free wifi to cost $0 😉

Ben, Iberia does not serve Champagne, they only serve Spanish Sparkling Wine.

I flew on the IB A340 old business class, and while the seats/cabin are worlds apart, i'm glad to see your review of the food and overall feel being quite similar to my own.

Iberia has a poor rep for OW carriers, and I'm not exactly sure why. IMHO i preferred their food in J over AA, BA, and Cathay (although behind QR). And in my own experience the crew has been pretty good, although their command of the english was surprisingly poor for a Euro carrier flying to JFK...

Oh, and they're arguably one of the best ways to get to Europe while avoiding those terrible BA surcharges.

Ben, How would you compare this to SAS' new business class?

Thanks, Ben. Hubby and I are booked in Iberia business class ORD to MAD. I'm sure it will be similar to your experience, but with a little more time to sleep. Nice to know about the arrivals lounge, too.

Just a reminder that the "sky suite" offered on JAL and Oman Air is also available on Korean Air's 748i's and recent deliveries of the 77W 😉

Please review the Korean Air 747-8: they have an evolved first class seat and in business they're now using the JAL & Oman Air style seat.

The cabin itself is rather drab, and it's always disappointing to hear about apathetic service when people are sometimes spending upwards of 5K for a ticket. My best business class service actually came at the hands of LH on their 744 on the upper-deck. My boyfriend and I had superb service, despite the food being uninspiring...I'll never forget the flight attendant shouting, "Keith! Have a great Thanksgiving," down the stairs as we were deplaning. AF also has terrific service transatlantic, in every cabin. Sounds like the service on this particular flight was rather depressing.

Anyway, Ben, did you ask for another pillow? I always ask for another pillow when flying as I like to have one over my head as to block out as much noise / light as possible...

Pretty standard food, though the dinner portions I thought were tiny, especially by Spanish standards.

Personally, I think this is a lousy flight option. I say that because (1) the flight leaves too early to sleep, unless you get drunk and (2) even if you could sleep, you'd only be able to get at the most 2 1/2 hours of sleep due to a nearly two-hour dinner service and them turning the lights on 75 minutes before landing. I'd say the sweet spot for a flight is 7 to 8 p.m.

What was the airfare? I don't think I'd pay more than $3,000 for this

@Serge: You're complaining about your parents having a daytime flight to Chicago from Spain? That's stupid. Especially since your parents will sit next to each other, which I'm sure they'd rather do than sit across from each other and have a random person in the other middle-seat.

Thanks Ben, I'm flying MAD-ORD in June on their A330 and reading this is cheering me up no end. It'll be interesting to see if there's an difference in the service on a day flight with a much longer flight time. Paid £90 English one way and 34,000 miles with Iberia plus, which seems an absolute bargain when compared to 50/60,000 plus over £300 flying from London with BA/AA. Especially as I'm already in Spain at that point 🙂

Flew ORD-MAD and back on their 333 with the same cabin last summer. I found the service very good, but my kids and I speak a little Spanish which I think helped. It's amazing how something as small as trying to speak their native language goes. Our FAs kept checking on us to make sure we had everything we needed.

I think Iberia is a good way to do TATL on points especially if you have activity in your IB and BA accounts and can easily move Avios back and forth. The lower taxes and fees vs BA are quite nice.

Totally agree with your assessment of MAD. Very beautiful airport, but you're in for a walk. Luckily MAD was our destination.

I love Madrid. Is there a better drink in Europe than a Gin & Tonic in Madrid? Even at my favorite little café, they serve the G&T with style and flair. I have flown three times from LHR to MAD in the past two years. Another trip in a few months. A few thoughts.
Unffortunately, I hate MAD and specifically T4S. Arriving and departing, I have had nightmare experiences at this bizarre airport. Arriving is pure torture. You have to walk UP ramps, walk miles to passport control, escalators or elevators to the train to baggsge claim, etc. etc. A friend in Madrid offered this simple explanation (and he hates T4S too): They were trying to get the Olympics and thought it was impressive.
One good thing is the Duty Free shop in the immense baggage claim. Second good thing is the €30 flat fare for taxis to the city center. Or the €5.00 bus to central Madrid, if your hotel is nearby on Gran Via.
On a recent departure, there was a gate change for my BA flight to LHR but, it was not announced at the original gate, where a couple dozen passengers were waiting for the flight. Nor was it listed on the board. Honest! No one could tell us which gate was the BA departure gate. And then, after prolonged chaos, in this HUGE terminal, you have to take a bus to the plane.
On another occasion, I was refused acess to Fast Track because my boarding card was not properly stamped. Yes, it was missing a rubber stamp. The card clealy showed One World Emerald but that did not matter. "Go back and get it stamped!" Unbelievable!
One good thing: I have access to the Iberia lounge and I find it is an excellent lounge. Connecting to WiFi is confusing but the comfort, seating, food and drink is very good.
Again, I love Madrid but I find MAD to be a major irritation.

I'll be flying on IB from MAD to MEX in June, 2016. Leaving MAD at midnight and connecting on AA leaving at 0740 MEX to DFW. Any idea what kind of aircraft and seats in Business Class? I can't imagine what food service at that time-maybe only breakfast.

It's Friday so, let's play a game. When I saw the picture of the BA 747 above I realized that whenever I think of a 747, BA comes to mind. So, which is the one airline that immediately comes to mind when you see different types of planes? I'll put my answers below.

B737: Ryan Air
B757: American
B767: American
B747: British Airways
B777: Emirates
B787: Qatar

A320: Aegean
A330: Swiss
A340: Lufthansa
A350: Finnair
A380: Emirates

and Ben, what are yours??

Actually, for B767: TAM

Having recently flown both BA and Finnair biz, I prefer the BA upper level 744 cabin 60 series seating with ottoman.
Over the coffin like foot space single Biz class seating of AY...
I would literally prefer exit row seating in Y on the 340 to this particular J version of business class seating...
I am booked on IBERIA MIA > MAD and look forward to experience IB J product.
Found a marvelous cigar selection @ MAD. On a recent trip.
Enjoyed your 'heads up' IB J presentation.

@JerryMandel. We just flew the MAD-MEX two weeks ago in this same type of metal (340-600) but do double check as there is an early afternoon flight to MEX I believe on the old 340-500.
We got served a full dinner after takeoff and the same breakfast as listed an hour and a bit out of MEX, with plenty of time to sleep inbetween.
The strangest of this flight though is that they went over Canada, Chicago, and down the Missisipi over Houston to MEX.
I also flew the 340-500 a few times earlier this year between Madrid and Buenos Aires (13hrs) and found this cabin to indeed be very comfortable to spend a significant amount of hours.
Ben seems to have had bad luck, as I've had much better food than what he got. Food that would have made me very happy even in a nice restaurant. Slow roasted pork shank with red wine sauce and truffled potatoes, fresh sardines with wild strawberries and balsamico come to mind. But I have to say that eventhough the wines are excellent, the cava is disappointingly sharp. I'd stick to a gin tonic or maybe a sherry? Do try the old sherries after dinner, something you won't be able to get outside of Spain.
But definitely re-check your flight, as both on the MEX as on the BUE flights, IB alternates flying this very comfy A340-500, with their 1980's style A340-500. It has hhhhhyyyyuuuuuuggeee pitch, but only angled, a crappy IFE and no privacy at all. Would be fine for a day flight if you bring your own media maybe.

I just got myself a bottle of Segura Viudas brut reserva at my local supermarket for HK$99, which is about US$12. I don't think it's appropriate to serve Cava in International business class.

"Moments later we rocketed off thanks to the strong engines of the A340-600"

Said no one, EVER. From my front porch, I often watch the IB A340 flying the SJO-MAD sector take off -- those little hair-dryer engines sure don't manage a very robust rate of climb!

Meanwhile, nice to see IB has Flor de Caña -- one of the best rums on the planet.

Gracias for the review.

"I’d say only about five or six were American, with the balance being mostly Spanish."

Based on what? How they spoke? (Could you hear them?) Or what they looked like? (What's an American or Spaniard look like?)

I'm glad you liked the seat, though I was sad to hear that the service wasn't that great. I usually fly Iberia's business class to the U.S. as I live in Madrid, and most of the time the service is the best part, because they're very attentive to your needs, always offer to refill your drink, and I always like to say that they're overly generous when they pour you a drink! So I was definitely disappointed to see you didn't get that kind of service on this flight. Do you plan on flying them again soon?

Hi,

This November, my husband and I are flying to Malaga. Our first trip to Europe and we booked through a third party travel agency. Our flights will be with American Airlines from Orlando to JFK and then Iberia from JFK to Madrid and Madrid to Malaga. The same on the way back. I was going to ask you how do you use points or miles to upgrade your seats with Iberia?.

We have a lot of points with American Express, and due to my husband's recently lower back issue we are trying to upgrade our longest flights JKF-Madrid/Madrid-JFK so that he can be more comfortable and hopefully with less pain.

If you or any other reader could give me some tips or advices it would be so helpful and very appreciated.

I spoke with Iberia already and they said I have to ask for upgrade with the agency. But I would like to know if anybody use points from Amex or other credit cards for this upgrades and how?.

Thank you in advance.

O.G

Did you try Emirates or Qatar Airways business class? I use them a lot, and they appear to be far superior to Iberia. I'll find out next month when I take Iberia to Ecuador.

Stay away from IBERIA – especially if you’re a senior citizen.
My mother, who turns 85 this year, suffers from arthritis, impaired hearing and other ills of age, had the bad luck to fly with this company to visit my brother last month. She went “business” and that’s precisely what she got. She paid for assisted mobility, meaning a wheelchair, but when we got to the checkin, there was none. I walked up to the shift manager, got a blank stare and was dismissed. Luckily, one of the counter attendants – not an Iberia employee but rather a local handling agent rep – took it upon himself to get up and hunt down a chair for us.
They took her to the Business lounge and left her there. When boarding time came around, not a chair or rep in sight. Again, luckily, the attendant at the lounge volunteered to help my mother along as they walked to the gate – the attendant holding her bag. Of course, the attendant couldn’t accompany her into the jetway from the gate to the plane, which was quite a long one. My mother told the Iberia people at the gate she wouldn’t be able to walk all the way in holding her walking stick and bag. She had already walked the entire distance (not short even for a non-octogenarian).
Once again, one of the attendants volunteered – the same as before and (I stress) not an Iberia employee – to help her walk into the plane.
But at that point, the shift manager I mentioned before went ballistic. She stopped the poor kid, grabbed my mother’s bag, tossed it halfway back up the jetway and screamed that she would prevent mother (who must be all of 5’3, thin, retiring and prone to shaking like a leaf when attacked) from boarding since she endangers the flight.
By now, my mother was in tears and the flight attendant – drawn by the noise – looked out and took refuge in the cockpit. My mother decided to take a stand and continue on her way. At that point the flight attendant came back out and informed the shift manager that the pilot demands that my mother be allowed onto the plane.
Once aboard, both the pilot and the flight attendant swore they would report the matter to management. But things didn’t end there.
Upon arriving in Madrid, my mother and 5 other wheel-chair bound passengers were simply left to fend for themselves, sitting around, waiting for help. One of them actually missed her connection. My mother’s connection, thank god, was with American Airlines. However, one of her suitcases came late – it had been delayed for “security” reasons …
We have since received apologies from American Airlines, through whom the flight had been booked, and British Airways, which handles Iberia in Israel.
A month or more has gone by and not a word from Iberia.

There is no champagne on Iberia just cheap cava. So don't tell lies