Iberia Business, London Heathrow – Madrid Barajas, Airbus A350-900 : Fortunately there is the seat!

Back on business with this trip of more than 4 days in Europe.

For one of my clients, I have to visit different sites in Spain and Poland.

Here is the route followed:

#TypeReview
1LoungeBritish Airways Galleries First, London Heathrow T5 (not reviewed)
2FlightIberia Business, London Heathrow – Madrid Barajas, Airbus A350
3HotelAC Hotel San Sebastian de los Reyes
4LoungePuerta de Alcala Lounge, Madrid Barajas T2
5FlightLOT Business, Madrid Barajas – Warsaw Chopin, Boeing 737-800
6HotelHotel Bristol, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Warsaw
7LoungeBolero Lounge, Warsaw Chopin
8FlightBritish Airways Club Europe, Warsaw Chopin – London Heathrow, Airbus A320
Today’s itinerary

Ground experience and lounge

I arrive at the airport almost 3h30 before the departure of the flight, so I can work before the departure.

As usual, at Heathrow terminal 5, I use The First Wing, the check-in area reserved for First and Oneworld Emerald passengers.

Not having any luggage to check, I go directly to the dedicated security in a few minutes and am quickly airside.

The lounge to which we have direct access is the Galleries First, already reported here and for which I invite you to refer to the previous review.

Boarding

The boarding gate of the flight is announced at the concourse C. 1h approximately before the departure, I thus move towards the boarding gate, by taking the automatic train.

As I approach gate C57, I notice that boarding has just started and I position myself at the very end of the priority queue.

No vaccination check will be performed and I am invited to enter the ship through a very long jetway.

Cabin and reception

Once arrived at the door, no welcome from the crew. The flight attendant seems immersed in her iPad and doesn’t say hello.

The cabin is very pleasant. The staggered configuration avoids the ugly “footboxes” of reverse herringbone seats.

In any case, I would like to have such a seat for all my medium-haul flights!

The seat is obviously Full Flat and the seats of the uneven rows are positioned near the window, allowing even greater privacy.

Please note that no welcome drink will be offered.

Service and catering

The service starts about 30 minutes after take-off.

The trolley is used for this service.

The tray is served in one go, with the starter, main course and dessert. There is a choice between hake and ravioli (common option on Iberia).

As a starter, the artichoke was very good, but the sauce was a little too sweet.

For the main course, the hake was good but a little too oily.

For dessert, a superb raspberry pavlova, very well balanced.

I will drink a Marqués de Vitoria of very good quality, Rioja 2017.

The service will not be very proactive, I will have to ask for a refill of wine, and the refill of bread will arrive too late.

Decidedly, the service in the iberian peninsula airlines is really perfectible.

However, the coffee will be excellent.

Arrival and disembarkation

Despite our delayed departure of 30 minutes, we arrived at the gate in Madrid on time.

The disembarkation will be very simple, with two engaged jetways, and the way to the arrivals very simple.

Bottom line

A very good flight thanks to the hard product, but not thanks to the minimum service on board.

Olivier Delestre-Levai
Olivier Delestre-Levai
Olivier has been into airline blogging since 2010. First a major contributor to the FlyerTalk forum, he created the FlyerPlan website in July 2012, and writes articles with a major echo among airline specialists. He now co-runs the TravelGuys blog with Bertrand, focusing on travel experience and loyalty programs.
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