Click here for Iberia's website

Click here for Air Nostrum's website

Iberia Airways

The airline has changed considerably over the past few years, particularly since it was privatised. Economy around Europe it is pretty much a low-cost operation. Some of the planes can be very old and pretty grubby. However business class and long haul planes have had a considerable revamp, with very good seating in comfortable modern Airbus planes. The new Madrid terminals have won several awards and are very good. Some customers from outside Spain may have trouble with the aloof attitude of Iberia's staff, due to cultural differences, but altogether it is still mainly a good quality airline.

Iberia Regional Air Nostrum is an independent carrier that operates as a franchisee of Iberia. It was created in 1994 and it is 97% owned by a private corporation called NEFINSA. It operates short and medium-haul routes, mainly from Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia to 56 destinations within Spain and to other parts of Europe and North Africa. Its flights operate with the IB prefix, with a single cabin offering a high quality in-flight service, including free meals and drinks depending on the sector length.

Iberia MD87 at LHR

Iberia Classes, Seats and Fleet

Iberia regional partner Air Nostrum also has ATR-72, Dash-8 and Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet (200 & 900) aircraft.

Iberia still operate two classes in all its aircraft, with a full and impressive business class even short haul, but with a very poor no-frills economy class.

Iberia A340 at Madrid

The seats for Business class have recently been uprated, and almost all the A340 aircraft (used for both short and long haul) come with a new style clamshell flatbed seat.

Iberia A340

A340 Business class cabin

First is of course up the front, where it should be. Seats are in a 2-1-2 pattern with an 87" pitch. The seat is accompanied by an ottoman on which you can rest your legs or invite someone else to join you. As a result the table is designed to accommodate two persons. There are 2 rows of 5 seats in the A340-600, while there is only one row in the A340-300. There is a 10.4" touchscreen.

Iberia A340 at Madrid

Business Class seats feature a 75" pitch lie flat-ish (but with an angle of 13° - that is aligned to the position of an aircraft at cruise altitude). Seats are in a 2+2+2 format. They are in rows 3 to 9 in the A340-600, and from row 2 to 9 in the A340-300, but with an exit at row 6. This exit row is actually pretty unpopular, thanks to the having the toilets right ahead of it.

A340 Business class seat

Economy is very much that - seats come in a 2+4+2 layout (which for couples travelling together actually works out as a better layout than the 747s 3+3+3. It's got a 32" pitch, and not the slightest sign of any frills. There are no seatback TVs. In the A340-600 Row 20 is the overwing emergency exit, while there is a proper exit row at row 35 which is a favourite among regular fliers. Row 10 is a bulkhead, with the basinet (screamer) seats, and are very unpopular.

A340 economy seat

In the A340-300 there is just one exit row - row 22 - which has the crew sitting staring in front of you, and only a thin sliver of a window. The sole inflight telephones for economy are here, as are the loos (ahead of you) so it's not a very popular seat). Row 8 however is a much better bulkhead, with a full window, but narrow seats due to the armrest table, and only 3 seats across in the middle.

Iberia 757-200

Iberia 757 at Madrid

The Boeing 757-200 is the smaller version, seating 176 in two classes, flying 3,900 miles. Some of these are quite old - and you can tell by the fixed CRT TVs in the ceiling.

In business seats are in a 3+3 pattern, from row 1 to row 7, although this can move if there are heavy loads. All seats have a pitch of 34 inches. A new policy means that in Iberia Business Class the central seat (B & E) will remain empty in all flights to Europe, North Africa and the Near East.

Iberia 757 the long thin cabin

In economy all seats have a pitch of 32", with the most sought after seats being row 9, the emergency exit rows (although here there is only a thin sliver of a window), and row 17 and 18, the overwing exits where there is a whopping 38 inches of legroom (and good windows), plus there are only 2 seats on each side here.

To deplane the aircraft quickly, Iberia often bring steps to the rear door of the aircraft, so if you need to get off the plane quickly, it can often pay to sit right at the back.

Iberia A320 business class seat

Iberia A320

Iberia A320 at Ibiza

All seats are in a 3+3 layout in business and economy, with a business class cabin which is changed in size by moving a curtain.

The Business Class seat is identical to the economy seat, both in pitch and in width, however if you are in business, and sit on the left, the centre seat is blocked off and the seat arms moved across to give a larger seat - accordingly it is well worth asking to sit in A or C in business. Seat pitch is 32 inches. All models have large 14 inch fold down LCD TV screen under the overhead lockers for both classes,.

Iberia A320 at London LHR

The A320s seat 144, with the variable business class seats extending back as far as row 20, although in normal configuration they are only used with the first 3 rows as business class. Row 10 is the overwing emergency exit - if you ask to sit here, you will get 2 inches more legroom.

Iberia A320 at Barcelona

The larger A321 which seat 181 and are comfortable and modern. Service can be a bit slow, with only a single isle for service. There are no overwing emergency exits, but there is a proper door at row 9 and row 23, so you can as much legroom as you want if you sit in the row behind it, however you do not get an sort of window, and you are seated next to a member of the cabin crew (in seat D). Row 6 also has a blanker at the window, so is to be avoided. This model has some of the largest loos on an Airbus, with 3 in a cluster at the back, and just one at the front.

The rather squat A319s is smaller, and has only one overwing ejectable windows - sit here, in row 9, and you'll get 2 inches extra legroom.

Iberia MD88 at Madrid

Iberia MD87/88

They are well looked after, so the age is not really an issue, but even so these are wacky planes with the engines strapped to their backside. The idea (back in the days of really noisy engines) is that it's quieter for passengers in the expensive seats at the front. Very true, but if you're late at check in you'll get the window seat at the back of the plane, and spend the flight looking out over a great view of engine cowling. It'll be several hours after the flight lands that your ears stop bleeding and you can hear again.

Iberia MD88 at Barcelona

The layout of the aircraft are pretty much a mirror image of each other. In the MD87 there are three seats on the left of the aircraft, and two on the right, where as in the MD88 there are two on the left and three on the right - so you're better off in seats A and B.

There's a wacky formation with the galley at the back of the aircraft on the left - so if you sit opposite the galley in row 23 (MD87) or row 29 (MD88) you get very quick service.

Iberia Inflight experience

In Business short-haul there are fewer frills than you'd expect, and a highly variable service. Normally there are no hot towel, however immediately after take off you'll get the menus (there is a choice on trans-Europe flights, but not on domestic ones). Short-haul (even on 3 or 4 hours flights) the crew are very tardy with drinks, and there is usually only one service - with the food trolley (which always serves from the front). The meal is brought around on a tray.

Iberia A340-600 at Gran Canaria.

You can get frequent top ups of whatever you are drinking, however the crew will keep their distance from you, so unlike BA or SAS where the staff like to chat to you in a premium cabin, in Iberia Spanish cultural differences come to the fore: here, if you pay for top quality, staff will keep their distance. As a result, if you want a drink, ring the bell. Gin is served from a big bottle in business class, not minitures, and will be poured infront of you, untill you say when, and served with a giant can of tonic. Alas, due to the delay in getting any drinks, you start with more gin than tonic, and end the other way round.

The crew are also useless at the clearing the cabins after the service, and will only do so after the coffee service. You can have Conac or Gin with your coffee (trolley from the back), but no other spirits, but if you have a drink on your tray the crew will ignore you and assume you don't want one.

Iberia 747-400 at Madrid.

Tu Menu Iberia's inflight service

In Economy you are, in effect, on a no-frills carrier. There is no free food or drink, but even more disturbingly you will find that on most flights none are on offer unless you request it. You have to ring the service bell, and then at their leisure a member of the crew will come out to you, and eventually bring you what you want. Then they will disappear off the galley for some change. The whole process takes so long you should ring the bell early in the flight if you want something to eat or drink. On flights over three hours, or to the Canaries, there is a trolley which works its way through the cabin from front to back selling food, however if you get the A340 on the Canary run, the crew normally do long-haul, and are often unaware of what they are selling.

The one perk you do get if you fly economy domestic is that the crew will sometimes handout the free Spanish language newspaper Universal which, despite being overloaded with advertising is actually a decent enough read.

Iberia A340 Business class personal TV with tailcam

Iberia Inflight entertainment

Iberia A340 Economy class overhead TVs

Iberia 757 Inflight entertainment controls

In Economy there are just overhead screens, so you get the usual two films on a transatlantic flight. There are 12 audio channels, but you will not get any headphones in economy short haul unless you ask.

There is a guide to the entertainment on board in a separate guide. The films in business are in Spainish on the left and English on the right. There are two pages for the flights to and from Spain. "Tourist" or economy class just gets one page with films from and to Spain.

Iberia Inflight Magazine - Ronda

Ronda Iberia's inflight magazine

The Agenda section is particularly good. It has long sections on events happening in Spain, divided into Arts sections, shows, shopping, and long reviews of Hotels. There are several long sections on destinations to travel to, of a varying quality, and with company and fleet news at the back, before the routemaps and the shopping section

For no obvious or apparent reason, the Iberia inflight magazine is named after a small area of Wales. It also supports the "Foundation for Urgent Spanish". It is such a pity therefore that it's own magazine bastardises English very badly. Some of the translations are hilarious.

Iberia Routes

Iberia MD87s at Madrid

There are also daily Iberia flights from LHR to Barcelona at 0620, 1125, 1630 and 1915. There are also 4 BA codeshares from LHR and 2 from LGW).

To Valencia there is one daily flight from LHR, at 1715, which is generally scheduled too late to make any useful onward connections. Seville also gets a daily flight at 1110 - in an MD88, as does Bilbao at 1740.

Iberia has its main hub at Madrid. There are international flights to America with destinations including New York (A340s daily at 1700, and (every day except Sunday 1305), Chicago (daily except Monday with an A340 at 1200 and 1425 and Miami (daily at 1205).

Iberia 757 at LHR

There are also A340 services to Mexico city, Havana, Guatemala, San Jose, Panama, Santo Domingo, Caracas, Bogota, Lima, Santiago, Buenos Aires, Montevideo, San Paulo, and Rio Janeiro.

To Africa there are flights to Dakar, Lagos, Malabo, Johannesburg, Nairobi, and Cairo. Further east you can get to Tel Aviv, Athens, Istanbul, and Dubai.

Around Europe Iberia fly to destinations including Dublin, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Dusseldorf, Fankfurt, Lyon, Nice, Zurich, Milan, Rome, Munich, Stuttgart, Hanover, Berlin, Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Vienna.

There is a smaller Iberia hub at Barcelona.

Click here for the Iberia Plus website

Iberia frequent flyer scheme - Iberia Plus

Iberia Plus operates a fairly normal points based system. You earn points according to your ticket type, and you can spend them on flights or upgrades.

Joining is easy; it's possible to do it online (although alas Iberia's website has very poor information on the scheme), and after doing so you'll get a card in the post within the next week, even if you are in the UK. It has 1,227,000 members.

The Iberia Plus website is pretty naff, and information on the programme is well hidden. You can track it down by logging on and going into the My Iberia Plus secton, then clicking on the small earning points tab.

Domestic 40 20 10 inter Balearic 40 20 10 to Balearic 100 50 20 to Puente Aéreo 120 60 20 to Canaries 160 80 30

Points for a return Business Economy Tourist

Earning Miles

You also earn miles on SN Brussels, and Mexicana. You do not however any longer earn miles on Air Portugal, or Swiss Air.

A minimum of 10 points is earned on reduced economy fares on Spanish domestic flights.

Iberia A340 at Madrid

When flying between Spain and the United States or Canada in business, you earn 860 points. Members can earn as many as 1,500 points for first class flights between Europe and South America.

A very nice perk is that Iberia Plus members are also awarded points for flight delays - from 10 to 1,000 points depending on your class of service and the extent of the delay. However, you will need to claim these points back via a complaint to the service centre.

Points earned during a calendar year expire on the 31st December of the fourth year after earning them if by then they have not been used on any of the programme's services.

Be very wary of booking an Iberia flight, and using the Iberia Plus perk of being able to book Business Class seats, and then at check in changing to another Frequent Flyer card. Most Iberia staff are not able to perform this process, and you will end up with your miles being permanently stuck on an Iberia card.

If you are a member of the BA Executive Club, you want to put miles on this scheme, and travelling in Business, it may be better to book flights under the BA codeshre, to get the class of service bonus.

0-300 40 40 25 5 301-600 70 55 35 10 601-1200 90 75 55 15 1201-2000 150 125 90 25 2001-3000 225 190 150 45 3001-4500 410 340 270 80

Oneworld earning Points First Business Economy Cheap

Spending Miles

It must be said that there are better Oneworld schemes if you are just using Iberia Plus to earn miles, and spend on other OneWorld airlines.

Iberia Upgrades

Spanish domestic upgrades begin at 300 points.

Iberia Plus card

Silver

Your Iberia Plus card enables you to check in your luggage at any Business Class desk, regardless of the class you are booked in. You also get 10kg additional luggage allowance above the maximum weight permitted in the class you are flying in. And As an Iberia Plus Silver card holder, you will have free insurance with Europ Assistance to deal with any unexpected events that may happen while travelling.

Air Nostrum ATR-72 at Madrid

Gold

As with Silver, your Iberia Plus card enables you to check in at any Business Class desk, and you have 10kg of extra luggage.

Air Nostrum at Madrid

The perk at this level is that your Iberia Plus Gold card provides access for you and one guest to any of the Business Class VIP lounges, regardless of class and whether you are travelling with Iberia or on any oneworld flight. You will also be able to use all the Oneworld Business Class VIP lounges, provide that you are travelling with one of the alliance companies.

As a Iberia Plus Gold cardholder, when you fly with Iberia you get a free car Parking Service at Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia airports.

Even if the flight is fully booked, if you make a booking for a full fare ticket a Iberia try - but not guarantee - a seat in Economy class up to 24 hours prior to the flight. If it can't do this, you get priority on the Business Class waiting list. This can actually be a better perk, but if you aim for the upgrade, there is a danger you'll get left at the airport.

Platinum

You get all the Gold perks, such as business class check in and access to the lounges.

Iberia A320 at Las Palmas Gran Canaria

At Platinum level you can request two free upgrades which you may use on any direct Iberia flight, even long-haul. This is quite a nice perk, although to get to this level you'll spend so much time on the plane you may not like feel like using it.

You get 20% extra gift points every time you fly with Iberia or Iberia Regional/Air Nostrum.

Your Iberia Plus Platinum card also allows you to enjoy a limousine service for your journeys between the airport and the city centre in Barcelona, Madrid and Santiago de Chile. This is perhaps not such a good treat - you'll actually just end up in an uprated taxi.

Iberia Lounges - VIP, Dali and Goya lounges

Madrid Lounge

Madrid Iberia Lounge

The Dali lounge handles flights from the main terminal (most Schengen flights and Ibiza/Canary Islands). In the Satellite - a ten minute train ride away - there is the Velazquez lounge in the central area on Level 1 at T4S, for long haul (open 0600-0130) which also has a pre-flight dinner service, and the Goya lounge on Level 0 for domestic (open 0600-0000).

Madrid Dali Lounge

Madrid Lounge computers

It really is huge, up in the roof, with a wide variety of seats. The lounge is split into two, with a central kitchen, but there are no controls on which side you go into. As you go in past the main desk on the right is the main loungy area, under a huge flying saucer UFO sculpture in the sky. There is one bar here, then as you walk around you find there is a small corridor with glass dining chairs. It is this area that has a great view of the gates, and airport apron. Further around is another bar with a wine tasting area, and then racks of more seats. In the far corner of this room is a sleeping area with four daybeds, and a TV area. As you head back full circle there are the newspaper racks, a door to the bathrooms (which are very chique and designer, with lovely round stone basins) and shower suites. Finally back back the main desk is an area with 6 computers - all top of the range, and very fast. There are lots of big screens advising of flight departures, and flights are also called in the lounge.

Madrid Lounge - dining area

Madrid Lounge - winetasting bar

It is for the bar that many people come to this lounge. It is great, with a vast selection of Spirits. In the wine tasting area - with a special wine tasting session some afternoons - there are 8 whites and 5 reds in full sized bottles racked up here. There are plenty more bottles of wine in miniature bottles - in the fridge, along with miniature bottles of Cava (Jaume Serra). There are three beers: the real ale like Yuste in bottles, plus cans of Red and Blue Laiker Sin Mahou.

Food is poor, with packets of crisps, Galletas biscuits, packets of raisins, and peanuts.

Madrid Dali Lounge - the bar fridge

It is in many ways an excellent lounge - its a shame the same standard may not be evident on the Iberia flight you get on.

Madrid Goya Lounge

Madrid Goya Lounge

As you go in through the swish sliding doors you can go left to the dining and bar area. The bar is actually pretty good, with all the usual Iberia wines in miniture bottles, and a fridge full of beer. Food is just peanuts.

Madrid Goya Lounge - the bar

Up around the bar there is a seating area with hard glass chairs. Next to this this are some comfortable squashy armchairs.

Madrid Goya Lounge

Down the stairs to the left as you go in there is a thoughly miserable smoking room with a TV. It's rather like a school common room. There is also a small darkened sleeping area. At the far end are loos and 4 shower suites. By the door are two fast modern internet computers - although here, you do get the lounge staff staring at you from their desks.

Madrid Velazquez Lounge

Madrid Velazquez Lounge

Madrid Velazquez Lounge foodbar

Windows run all the way along the lounge, with a great view of the gates and runway. As you come in on the right is the dining area, the smoking area, and a TV room, and on the left the spirit bar, another TV room, and the wine bar at the far end. Newspapers are on the stand behind the main entrance desk.

The Winebar is a delight. It has several self pour bottles of very good Spanish wine. Cava and miniture bottles are in the fridge behind you. The Spirit bar is equally good, with about 40 bottles strewn over the worktop, including some obscure Spanish spirits of unknown origin.

Madrid Velazquez Lounge

At each end of the lounge is the food bar. It has a selection of ham & cheese rolls, fruit, peanuts, more cheese and biscuits. And, errr... that's it. The lounge also has a pre-flight dinner service for the late evening flights, in the walled off dining room on the extreem right. It is open from 2100 until 0000, for first, business

Madrid Velazquez Lounge winebar

class passengers, and Iberia Plus Platium members only, although you may occasionally get in with a oneWorld Emerald card.

There are five computers in the cubby hole on the left hand side. They are quite fast, with Firefox.

Barcelona el Prat Gaudi Lounge

Barcelona BCN Lounge

The actual lounge has seen better days - it hasn't really been updated since el Prat was built, and is well due for a revamp, with worn seats and rocking tables. It's U shaped, and if you wander around the U, you'll find a nice quiet area with sofas and a television. There are two bar pods in the middle of the lounge, next to some dining tables, and towards the window side are four cubby holes with computers in them. These are connected to the Internet with a fast connection, although the computers do seem to be riddled with spyware.

Barcelona Lounge - the bar

The Bar is particularly disappointing, with plastic glasses and ten spirits - with several good whiskies, a Bombay Gin, and Smirnoff vodka. There is a particularly unusual bottle of Green Iberia Herbs. It tastes like mouthwash, and is,47%. In the fridge are loads of miniture cans, and bottles of Vida - a good tomato juice. The coffee machine is however excellent. Mini bottles of Cava are in the fridges on one side - in the other fridge are mini bottles of Chardonnay.

Food is a major problem at this lounge - its peanuts. Literally. Along with small packets of raisins, that's all you get. Furthermore the tables are often overflowing with all sorts of rubbish, glasses were not cleared for couple of hours, and the lounge is full of smoke - as you can smoke anywhere in it. Infact the only place that isn't full of smoke is the dedicated smoking room, so as a non-smoker you may have to take refuge in here.

Barcelona Lounge

Barcelona Lounge

There are plenty of Spanish Newspapers however there are no English ones, even though the lounge is used by British Airways for several flights a day.

There is a bathroom in the lounge, which is OK, but no showers.

Barcelona el Prat Domestic Lounge

This lounge is in the far North of the airport terminal, just before the corridor that leads to the sunken terminal that services domestic flights. To reach it, trek to Module Zero, bend left into the terminal, and go through the sliding glass doors. The lounge itself is pretty tiny, with badly stained red sofas, but there are a couple of computers and a smoking section.

Barcelona domestic Lounge

The Bar is OK, with the usual mini bottles of Cava, a dodgy bottle of white and red, and a few spirits of indeterminate origin. Food is non-existant.

Iberia VIP London LHR Lounge

London LHR Iberia Lounge bar

Loos are behind the door marked WC opposite reception (there are no showers). There are 2 TV in either corner, and dotted around there are a couple of demonstration cabinets with boutique items that can be bought. If you go round to the right there is a smoking section - open to the rest of the lounge - and as a result the whole place stinks of smoke.

London LHR Iberia Lounge

The bar is pretty poor - there is some beer in the fridge (with bottles of San Miguell & cans of Heiniken), and wine on the worktop. The wine itself comes in miniture bottles, including the Cava. It's exactly what you get on the plane. There are some spirits here, and there is another rack of spirts, with vodka, gin, & Baileys, further around to the right, behind the smoking section, plus Orange Juice and Tomato in jugs.

London LHR Iberia Lounge

Food is very poor, with just nuts and biscuits.

Past the smoking section, and curving around on the right, are two fast, modern, internet computers. There is a table with newspapers (mainly Spanish, plus a few from the UK) by the main door.

If you have access to this lounge, you will also have access to the excellent BA Terraces lounge in Terminal 1. You can walk airside to here, and enjoy the great BA food, and excellent wine bar.

Las Palmas Gran Canaria Lounge

Las Palmas Gran Canaria Lounge

Las Palmas Gran Canaria Lounge bar

The actual lounge is large, bright and welcoming. There is one large central area, with windows overlooking the runway, with a bar at the far end, and a smaller room behind the bar. The bathrooms (no showers) are at the far end, above which is the departure screen. Announcements are not made in the lounge. There are 3 phone booths, but no computers. There are two televisions, which are left on pretty much continually.

Las Palmas Gran Canaria Lounge

The bar is pretty good, with a mind boggling array of whiskys, a couple of different types of gin (Beefeater and Bombay) and a terrible polish vodka. There are two fridges - the one on the right has a good selection of Spanish beers. The one on the left has lots of milkshakes and fruit juices. Somewhat surprisingly, there is no wine. Avoid sitting on thin spindly seats next to the bar - not only are they very uncomfortable, they are also unstable.

Food is very poor, with packets of crisps, and two different types of biscuits. And thats it. Next to the front desk is a table on which is one copy of each of the main Spanish papers - and there's a stern warning not to take these out of the lounge.

Iberia History

Iberia A340 at Madrid

The company had close ties with Lufthansa, which during World War II caused considerable difficulties to maintain the fleet as the import of fuel and spare parts was infrequent. In addition the Allies refused cooperation with the

Air Nostrum at Ibiza

company until connections with Nazi Germany were severed. In 1946, it became the first airline to fly between Europe and South America using a Douglas DC-4 on the Madrid to Buenos Aires and Montevideo routes. The lucrative market to South America was helped by the families separated by the Spanish Civil War. However, there was intense competition from Air France, KLM and British South American Airways. Transatlantic flights between Spain and the United States started in 1954.

Iberia MD87 at Madrid

By the 1960s, Iberia had accumulated a fleet of Douglas DC-8s and Boeing 707s. The busiest route was Madrid to Buenos Aires. In early 1970s, the company bought Douglas DC-9s and Boeing 747s as it expanded routes to Central America, Warsaw, Athens and Istanbul.

Air Nostrum ATR-72 at Madrid

On January 7, 1972 a Caravelle 6-R, crashed into Mont San Jose on approach to Ibiza Airport killing all 104 on board . Sixty-eight people were killed when an Iberia Douglas DC-9, flying from Palma to London, collided in midair with a chartered Coronado 990 aircraft 8,000m above Nantes, in western France. The accident occurred during a French air traffic controllers strike.

In 1974, it launched Europe's first walk-on shuttle service, linking Madrid and Barcelona. In 1977 Iberia bought Boeing 727s boosting Boeing's flagging production line. In the early 1990s Iberia planned a major fleet renewal with the McDonnell Douglas MD-87, Airbus A320 and Airbus A340, ordered to replace the Douglas DC-9, Boeing 727 and Douglas DC-10s. Significant numbers of the Boeing 757 were also bought, which are still with the airline today.

Iberia 747-200 at Madrid

On December 7, 1983, an Iberia Boeing 727 collided with an Aviaco Douglas DC-9 in intense fog when the two airliners taxied down the runway at Madrid Airport. All on the Aviaco flight perished and there was a total of 85 deaths, including the famous Mexican actress Fanny Cano. On February 19, 1985, an Iberia Boeing 727 crashed after hitting a television antenna installed on the summit of Monte Oiz while landing in Bilbao, killing 148 people

In 1991, Iberia set up Europe's first international airline frequent-flyer programme, Iberia Plus. The company ordered 76 aircraft from Airbus in February 1998, which was largest single consignment of Airbus ordered. Iberia is allied with American Airlines and British Airways, and on 1 September 1999, joined the oneworld alliance. In 2001 Iberia was privatised - British Airways owns 9% of its share capital.

In 2006 the new Terminal 4 at Madrid Barajas was handed over to Iberia and the Oneworld alliance members. Iberia alone is responsible for around 60% of Madrid Barajas traffic.

Iberia 747-200 at Madrid. Iberia no longer have this type of aircraft.

Iberia website

Air Nostrum ATR-72 at Madrid

A major bug is that the website will not remember the language you visited it with. You will need to select the English and then the United Kingdom option each time.

US version: www.Iberia.com
UK version: http://www.Iberia.com/gb
Alternate UK version: http://www.Iberia.co.uk/qenglish/index.html
Onboard economy menu
Iberia Madrid lounges virtual tour

Note that all reviews and opinions on Iberia (IB) food, service, seats, planes, upgrades, lounges, and the Frequent Flyer scheme is soley at my judgement. No legal liability is accepted if you take my advice.