Iberia is the flag carrier of Spain and one of the three oneworld member airlines in Europe. The airline has had highs and lows in the past but how does their economy class fare in comparison with other European airlines? Nowadays that Iberia operates flights on behalf of Finnair between Helsinki and two cities in Spain – Madrid and Barcelona – I have gotten familiar with the airline. Even though the flights are called “Iberia for Finnair”, they still give the full Iberia experience (excluding some menu items). Without further ado, let’s see how Iberia economy class is in Europe.
Iberia Economy Class seat
Iberia has quite nice seats in economy class. They are modern and feature a foldable headrest, so you can get some sleep easily. There is no entertainment system or anything like that. Then again, it is not commonplace to have those in Europe either.
There is quite a bit of leg room as well, unlike some of the competitors like Aegean.
Food and drinks
Iberia surprises me positively in this respect. Their oneworld partner airline Finnair has gone down the hill in this regard and only serves water or blueberry juice for free. Instead, Iberia gives you water and soft drinks for free. And even a muffin to eat!
If you are hungry or want to elevate the experience otherwise, Iberia does have an extensive menu full of paid options. However, it is best to pre-order your meal to have more variety and cheaper prices.
Overall experience
I would like to like Iberia – I really would. They are the most punctual airline in the world. And they provide a free messaging wifi for anyone who has an Iberia Plus account. It’s just that the staff is like whatever. The check-in agents couldn’t care less, the boarding is a total mess and the flight attendants spend more time gossiping with each other than attending to passengers’ needs. I have flown Iberia 4 times this year and only once there was one flight attendant who made me feel welcome. The other times it has been a total mess… I mean, you don’t need to do much in economy class, but Iberia staff even manages to mess it up.
Conclusions
Iberia economy class can be a nice experience – at least all the elements are there. Iberia should really work on the attitude of their staff. Everything else is fantastic – if only the crew acted even semi professionally. It is also not difficult to board in groups and fake a smile when you check in your passengers’ luggage…
