Background & Booking
On my return flight from my Spain trip, I ended up flying on the Iberia A330 Business Class product. I had booked a return flight on Iberia since I found off-peak award space for my friend and me. I booked this flight with 34,000 Avios, and I transferred from AMEX when they had the 30% transfer bonus, which cost me 27,000 AMEX points. Taxes and fees for this flight were 183 Euros.
I originally was going to fly a day earlier and had that booked, but I changed my flight to a day later since it allowed me to enjoy another day in Spain. The change cost me 25 Euros, and I could complete it relatively quickly over the phone.
Originally, I was supposed to fly on an Airbus A350 (not the new “Next” ones with the suites). But, the day of there was an equipment swap to the Airbus A330. I had an equipment swap on my inbound flight, and this one as well. So, I’d be prepared for equipment swaps when flying with Iberia. Though, since I flew on the A350 there, it probably was best I tried the A330 on the way back to compare the two. Overall, the hard product was pretty much the same; the A330 was older and felt a bit more cramped.
Flight Details
Iberia Flight 325
Madrid (MAD) to New York (JFK)
Scheduled Duration: 8 hours and 50 minutes
Actual Duration: 8 hours and 32 minutes (Early)
Cabin: Business
Aircraft: Airbus A330-300
Seat: 5L (Window)
Check-In & At the Airport
I checked in for my flight online, and it was still showing the A350 as our aircraft. Then, when I arrived at the airport and refreshed the app it was showing the A330-300 instead. They kept my same seat, though. My friend was also in the same seat (one row in front of me), but they called her name at the gate and handed her a new boarding pass, moving her from 3J to 4J. That was annoying since we would have someone in between us, plus the even-numbered seats on the A330 are better and more private. Oh well. Not sure how the guy in 4L got Iberia to kick my friend out of her seat lol.
Iberia leaves from Terminal 4 at Madrid (MAD). Flights to the United States leave from Terminal 4S, which is the Satellite Terminal. Baggage drop-off & check-in are still from the main Terminal 4 area, but then you’ll take a tram to the satellite terminal.
We went to the business class check-in, and while the line wasn’t too long, only 3 associates were working, so it took about 15 minutes to get through.
After dropping off my bag, we headed to security. Fast Track security is provided to business class passengers, and it is also available to AMEX Platinum cardholders. There was no line and we were past security very quickly.
Lounge Access
After taking the tram to the satellite terminal, you’ll enter a duty-free shop, and then the entrance to the business class Premium Lounge Velázquez is right in the middle of it, which is interesting.
The lounge is quite spacious, and at our arrival around 2 pm, it was quite full, and then it was pretty empty when we left the lounge right before 4 pm. It was a nice spot to wait before the flight, and you can check out my full review here if you’d like.
The Slight Delay & Boarding
When we got to the airport, it showed that our flight was slightly delayed by twenty minutes.
Boarding was scheduled to start at 3:55 pm, and we got to the gate a few minutes before. They started boarding at 4 pm. The whole boarding area was a bit messy as this section of the terminal was for US-bound flights, and they all happened to leave at the same time. They even started boarding Zone 2 before Zone 1 finished boarding.
Boarding was done from the front doors, and I’m not sure why they did that since it was slower and the aisles are narrow. Not the most fun to board in zone 1 just to get hit by luggage and backpacks. I wish they used two boarding doors.
Iberia A330 Business Class Seat
There are 29 business class seats onboard the Iberia A330-300 aircraft. My friend and I were sitting in 3J and 5J, which are the less private window seats, with the seat closer to the aisle. The odd-numbered rows are the less private seats, while the even-numbered rows are the more private seats. Couples might like the center seats in odd rows (E)(G) as they are closer together and further from the aisle.
The Iberia A330 Business Class seat was a bit too exposed to the aisle. The foot cubby was also exposed to the aisle, so you could get easily bumped if your feet dangled in the aisle. In lie-flat mode, the seat converts to a 76″ flat bed.
To the right was a countertop as well as two shelves. The shelves did feel a bit larger than the A350, and housed the amenity kit and headphones. Below the countertop were the seat controls and the remote. There was even a massage function. Also, a small reading light was at head-level. Then, there was an armrest and, below that, a small cubby for storage.
The tray table came out directly from the seatback of the person in front of me, which I like rather than grabbing from inside my armrest. The IFE was less crisp than the A350 but still was sufficient. It was always out and didn’t have to fold in like on some aircraft. The touchscreen was a bit unresponsive, but the remote control helped. There was also a coat hanger next to the IFE.
Underneath that was the universal power adapter, a USB A charger, and the headphone jack. Then going further down to the floor was a cup holder, which seemed weird to be so close to the floor.
There was a gap from the side console to the seat in front of me so I thought it was a good spot to leave my backpack at during the flight. Also there was quite a big gap from the edge of my seat to the window which made me wonder if they made the best design choice as there seemed to be wasted space.
IFE & Wi-Fi
The 15.4″ in-flight entertainment screen was decent, though the touchscreen display was a bit unresponsive. Thankfully, the remote helped out with that. There were plenty of movies, recorded TV shows, music, and games to keep you entertained for the flight.
Wi-Fi was also available on the flight. Iberia Plus members (free to sign up) and business class passengers could have free messaging. Or it was 3.49 EUR otherwise.
A browse and stream flight pass was 16.99 EUR for the whole flight, 13.49 EUR for 4 hours, and 5.99 EUR for 1 hour.
Amenities & Bedding
The amenity kit contained an eye mask, socks, hand cream, lip balm, earplugs, toothbrush, toothpaste, and a bookmark.
The pillow and duvet that were provided were nice. Also there was this mattress pad that could also be used as a pillow, depending on your preference.
In terms of lavatories, for business class passengers, there was one in the front of the cabin and one in the back, both on the left sides of the plane. They were kept clean throughout the flight, though they were pretty standard, with no amenities other than hand lotion.
The Flight
As I was getting settled, orange juice, a special grapefruit juice, Cava and water were offered as a welcome beverage. I remember really liking the grapefruit juice on my outbound flight as it was a good balance of sweet and sour.
Boarding was completed in about an hour, and we left the gate a bit past 5 pm. We ended up taking off 1 hour after our scheduled departure time. The captain let us know that our time in the air would be 7 hours and 30 minutes, and he apologized for the aircraft swap due to mechanical issues. He said we would land about half an hour early. I appreciated the detailed announcement and how he told us the exact route we were taking and what we were going to be flying over.
Dinner Service
After reaching cruising altitude, the meal service began.
First, the flight attendants came by with drink orders and some nuts.
Since I didn’t try it on the outbound flight, I had to give the Johnnie Walker Blue Label a try, which does retail for around $200 a bottle. I’m not a whiskey connoisseur by any means, but it tasted alright, and part of me expected more. Still, it was fun to try it!
For the meal itself, there was a choice of a starter between:
- Steamed prawns– with a cocktail sauce, avocado, sun-dried tomatoes and picual olives.
- Baby zucchini– broccolini, spinach, fresh lettuce leaves, and sundried tomato salad with a creamy yoghurt and lemon dressing.
And for the mains, the choices were between:
- Grilled beef tenderloin in oxtail jus– served with sweet corn mousseline, steamed broccoli, and sun-dried cherry tomatoes.
- Pan-seared cod in a green sauce, served with spinach, pine nuts, and baked potatoes.
- Mezzalune pasta filled with ricotta in a mushroom-infused sauce, served with sauteed mushrooms and parmesan cheese.
Along with:
- Warm artisan bread- served with organic extra virgin olive oil and butter
I found the steamed prawn appetizer to be decent, though I think the prawns that were in my main meal from the outbound flight were better.
The cod was not too bad, but again, I found the main to be better on the outbound as well.
Dessert
For dessert, they had a choice between:
- Homemade creamy flan served with cream.
- Mango Ice Cream– served with fresh mango and white chocolate shavings.
- Selection of Spanish cheese served with quince, grapes, and dried apricots.
I was contemplating between the flan and ice cream, and since it was a full flight, there wasn’t enough to get two, so I settled for the flan, which was pretty solid.
After the main meal service, they gave us dark chocolate and a bottle of water. At this point, they dimmed the lights for those who wanted to sleep. Since it was an afternoon flight, I didn’t really nap on this flight, but I watched TV and read a book. Service on this flight was alright, though my outbound flight had friendlier flight attendants.
If you needed a snack throughout the flight, in the galley, there was a snack box with two types of chips, caramel popcorn, pretzels, Kit Kat & Twix.
With 3 hours left in the flight, the flight attendant came by with ice cream, which was a nice touch!
The lights came on 1.5 hours before landing, and then the before landing meal was served. There was a choice between:
- Spanish potato omelette, served with iberian ham, cod brandade on tomato slice, gherkin & goat cheese.
- Homemade pisto pie, served with piquillo tartare, roasted zucchini, and gordal olive.
I ordered the omelette, and it was not good at all lol.
We landed 30 minutes ahead of schedule and got to the gate 10 minutes ahead of schedule, before 8 pm local time.
The Verdict
Overall, I enjoyed my Iberia A330 Business Class flight and would definitely consider flying them again. While this plane is more dated than the A350, it’s still a decent option to fly trans-Atlantic. I would love to try the A350 “Next” aircraft with the suite doors in the future, or the new A321 XLR, too.
Have you flown on the Iberia A330 Business Class cabin before? Share your experience below!
Cheers,
Ty
Have any questions? I’ve also started working with a travel agency, Fora Travel, and can assist in booking & planning trips. Comment below or email me at takeofftotravel@gmail.com. You can also view all my other posts here! Thanks for stopping by!
