Flight: Iberia IB 6274 from Chicago to Madrid
Equipment: A359 (Airbus 350-900)
Class: Business
Seat: 1E – 1G, Middle Aisle
Seat Specification: Full Flat, 180 degree recline, Seat pitch: 78″. Seat width: 26″
Iberia flies a couple of different aircraft types in this route (for example A340 and A350) and we got the fly the older A340-600 aircraft. The business class still features 1-2-1 layout with direct aisle access to all seats.
The middle rows are good for couples traveling together while the window seats are better for solo travelers. The odd number middle rows are next to each other (otherwise called “Honeymoon Seats”) while the even number rows have quite a bit of space between them. I had pre-selected bulkhead seats (Row 1E & 1G).
Soon after takeoff we were offered menu card for dinner. Meal service started with drinks and appetizers. I opted for olives and white wine while Karen went for some nuts and soda.
The prosciutto was quite tasty while for the main entree I was not very impressed with the veal medallions. The meat was a little chewy and lacked flavor.
After dinner I laid out the seat in bed mode and went straight to sleep. The flight time is less than 8 hours and after subtracting meal service for dinner and breakfast, you are hard pressed to get a good night sleep.
I slept for a good 4 hours and then woke up and watched a movie. Breakfast was served about 2 hours before landing. The breakfast was very basic and I was quite surprised with such offering in a business class.
Bottomline:
Seat: *****
Service: ***
Food: ***
No complaints about the seat as 1) its fully flat 2) with 1-2-1 layout allowing for direct aisle access to all seats. This is the current minimum requirement for a good business class seat.
The service was very mediocre. Although the purser introduced herself before takeoff, the service from other flight attendants felt lackluster and going through the motions.
I was not very impressed with the dining. I had gotten the beef which was just meh while my wife got the shrimp which lacked much flavor. The breakfast offering was very lacking for a business class.
Overall, I wouldn’t particularly seek out Iberia over other competitors based on this experience. However, because of attractive mileage redemption rates, I see myself flying lots of Iberia flights in the future.