This week, Simple Flying was invited by Iberia to go to Madrid for the first look at its new Airbus A350 Next, with redesigned interiors. I flew as a guest of Iberia from São Paulo to Madrid and back on the airline’s Airbus A330-300 aircraft. The review below is in no way influenced by the airline and is solely my experience onboard the return flight, IB6827.

IB6827

After seeing Iberia’s new Airbus A350 Next yesterday, I returned to the airport to begin my journey back to Brasil. Flight 6827, with nonstop service from Madrid to São Paulo, was scheduled for 23:55, and I arrived at 20:09 to have plenty of time at Iberia’s lounge (and get content for a full review) and to process my tax refund from a few things I purchased while exploring Madrid.

At the airport

Finding the check-in area for priority customers was difficult, as Iberia operates a significant number of flights from Terminal 4 in MAD, and there were rows and rows of check-in desks. Differing from most airports I fly through, the check-in desks did not face the terminal's entrance but were split into rows that faced inward. As soon as I found the first Iberia staff member, I asked where priority check-in was located and was pointed in the right direction.

Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying

Only 12 minutes passed between my arrival and when I dropped my bag off and completed the check-in process. By 20:21, my bag was on the conveyor belt and on its way to be loaded on the aircraft for the 10:30 journey back to Brasil. In addition, all necessary documents for the trip were verified.

Going through security at the airport was also a breeze and took a mere ten minutes. I arrived at the security checkpoint at 20:23 and, by 20:33, was on my way to the satellite terminal, where Iberia’s flights to São Paulo depart. In the United States, going through security is always easy for me as I am a member of the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) PreCheck program and have CLEAR. I did not see any indication that similar programs are offered for European residents in Spain.

After exiting security, I followed signs pointing toward T4s, the satellite terminal. Airport signage was clear and easy to follow. The signs indicated that the journey from the main T4 area to the satellite terminal would take 22 minutes, but it did not take that long. I did not check the exact time I arrived at the train and when I boarded, but by 20:45, the train had arrived at T4.

After getting off the train, all passengers went through Spain’s passport control, which only took two minutes for me. I received an exit stamp in my passport and, by then, was more than ready to sit and the lounge and enjoy a meal. Getting to the lounge took another six minutes, and at 20:53, I arrived at Iberia’s Premium Lounge Velázquez.

Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying

When I arrived, the lounge was quite empty, but by the time I left, which also happened to be closing time, it was quite full. The food options were great, and I was able to have a great meal before going to my gate.

My flight began boarding right on schedule, but I was not at the gate. I left the lounge right as boarding commenced and made a quick pit-stop at the Duty-Free store, a first for me. My flight to GRU departed from gate 45, one of the furthest gates from the central terminal area, and walking to the gate seemed to take an eternity.

At the gate, the boarding process was smooth as I was a priority passenger and could go through an exclusive line. Though I arrived at the gate a significant amount of time after boarding had begun, the jetbridge was full of passengers, and it took quite some time before I stepped foot on the aircraft.

Onboard

Right at the end of the jetbridge, the lead flight attendant for the flight, Marta, asked passengers for their seat numbers and gave them directions for finding their seats. When I told Marta my seat number, she called me by name and said she had been expecting me. She welcomed me onboard, and at 20:53, just two minutes before the scheduled departure time, I entered the aircraft. A few minutes later, an announcement was made that boarding was closed, and we would soon be on our way.

Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying

I quickly found my seat and stowed my bags in the relatively small overhead bins, and was offered a drink. The choices were champagne, orange juice, or water, and I chose orange juice. In no time, the aircraft pushed back from the gate, and at 00:11, our flight departed Madrid.

Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying

The crew passed out the airline’s special Christmas menu before departure and, at 00:37, came around the cabin to ask us what we desired as our main course. I choose the dorada pochada y flambeada con limón y eneldo (baked sea bream supreme with lemon). Five minutes later, we were given hot towels to clean our hands in preparation for the meal service.

Photo: Lukas Souza

I did not mark the exact times the appetizer and the main dish were served, but the crew was prompt, and I thoroughly enjoyed my selections. For my appetizer, I chose the ensalada de verduras de la huerta asadas sobre crema de yogur de pimentón (roasted garden vegetable salad served on a bed of Spanish smoked paprika yogurt), and my sea bream main dish was served shortly afterward.

3 Images

When dessert was served at 01:35, I chose the lemon tart and was later served a passion fruit ice cream with pieces of fresh mango.

2 Images

Since the flight was an overnight flight, I needed to get some sleep. After finishing dessert, I quickly went to the lavatory to get ready for “bed” in Iberia’s business class cabin. Iberia provided all passengers in business class with a blanket, pillow, and mattress pad to be placed on the seat in its lie-flat position. By 02:00, my bed was made, and I was ready to sleep as much as possible before waking up for the next meal service.

At 09:23, I woke up, and the meal service had begun. The crew had passed my seat and respectfully did not wake me, as they had not asked if I wanted to be woken up for breakfast. We were given the option of a tortilla francesa con ragú de tomatoes cherry y bacon crujiente (plain omelet with a cherry tomato ragout and crispy bacon) or selección de embutidos españoles (Spanish cold cut selection); I chose the omelet which was served with a croissant and a beverage of choice.

Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying

Immediately after breakfast, the captain told the crew to prepare the cabin for landing, and by 06:48 local time, we were on the ground in São Paulo, 17 minutes ahead of schedule.

Overall impression

The trip to Madrid was the first time I flew Iberia, and I had a great overall experience. The flight home from Spain was uneventful. Every crew member I spoke to was friendly and super attentive to my requests; the food was great for airplane food, and the seat was comfortable and offered everything I needed.

I only have a few points of critique, the first being that I noticed the moment I boarded the first flight from GRU to MAD. Business class customers on Iberia’s A330s are not offered any privacy. In contrast, other airlines, even though they may not have a door at every seat, have some walls providing a slight amount of privacy. The new A350 cabin revealed yesterday features doors at every seat and dividers for the two business class seats in the aircraft's center section.

Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying

Additionally, there were no crew members onboard that spoke Portuguese. A few knew enough words in Portuguese to get by, as the language is similar to Spanish, but as I was on a flight to Brasil, I expected at least one cabin crew that spoke Portuguese. Most of Iberia’s automated announcements were made in Spanish and English, and a couple were made in Portuguese.

After my experience, I would happily fly in Iberia’s business class cabin again.