Watch TPG fly all 3 Iberia cabins on the same flight
On certain flights, Spanish flag carrier Iberia flies big wide-body aircraft on the short-haul route between Madrid and London, mainly for cargo purposes.
This gave the TPG UK team the opportunity to jump on board and experience Iberia's three different long-haul classes at the same time. The team had first hoped to be onboard the newer Airbus A350 aircraft, but a last-minute aircraft swap hours before the flight meant the team were shifted onto an almost equally large but slightly older Airbus A330-300 aircraft. This still featured three distinct classes, including large lie-flat bed seats in business class.
For UK fliers, as part of the Oneworld alliance, Iberia is a brilliant option for those wanting to use their Avios, especially with the benefit of low taxes and fees on long haul flights, especially in business class.
For this route, using Avios through Iberia Plus, you'll pay from 7,500 Avios for economy and 15,000 for business class. Using British Airways Avios you could pay as little as 7,250 or 13,500 points with one-way taxes capped at £17.50 ($24) and £25 ($35) for economy and business respectively.
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Watch the full video of our experience here:
Business Class - Liam Spencer
We paid: $288
Liam thought the Velázquez Premium Lounge was one of the best business-class lounges he's ever been to. It features stunning tarmac views, a huge bar and great food. Onboard he found the seat was very spacious, private and comfy. He even turned it into a fully flat bed to take a nap. Overall, the cabin looked very sleek and modern and he benefitted from noise-cancelling headphones and a large IFE screen.
On the downside, the cabin crew weren't particularly friendly and didn't make him feel welcome on the flight. Whilst the food was tasty, the options available were fairly limited for a business-class offering.
Premium Economy — Ben Smithson
We paid: $127 plus $27 to select a seat in the premium economy cabin
Ben found that the seat in premium economy was very comfortable with plenty of recline and legroom. His pre-ordered special seafood meal was delicious and colourful and wifi was available during the flight and there were good inflight entertainment options.
It wasn't all fantastic. Ben also thought that the crew were rather unfriendly. He was given a bad seat because of the last minute aircraft change which was compounded by a full premium economy cabin. In addition, his pre-ordered meal was initially delivered incorrectly (though this was eventually rectified).
Economy — Nicky Kelvin
We paid: $37
I thought that especially for a short-haul flight, the seat in economy was incredibly comfortable with a great recline. The large aircraft meant that there were plenty of available seats so I could stretch out and didn't have anyone in the seat next to me (nor in front or behind). The fare was also incredibly cheap for the length of flight and aircraft I got to fly on.
There were some serious issues to contend with though. Other than water, there was no food or drink available whatsoever, even to buy. The last-minute aircraft change was disappointing, but at least we were still on a long-haul aircraft. There were other AvGeeks in economy that I met that were hoping to be on the A350 too!
Finally, there were no amenities provided such as headphones. Whilst this was really a short-haul flight, having inflight entertainment screens without a way to enjoy them was a real tease.
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