The start of my return journey back to LHR and ownward connection to Sydney is more comfortable that the inbound trip to Madrid. The aircraft operating IB3164 is an A340-600. Is this a one off ? No, a quick look at that particular flight history shows that this flight is operated every day with an A340-600. Crew training, aircraft utilisation, or increase cargo capacity, only Iberia know why this short intra European sector is operated by such large aircraft. Today's flight is completely full. This is the start of a long 3 days week-end, which probably explains why.
As I reach the airport quicker than anticipated, I try to get on an earlier flight. However, due to fare restriction, I am not able to. Which in fact suits me fine, as I want to take my time to enjoy Madrid Airport, as this is my first time here. I am also not unhappy to wait for an extra 40 min to enjoy the comfort of the A340 in fact. A side note to talk about my taxi journey. I noticed that the taxi driver did exit the freeway near airport as we missed the exit for T4. Before I knew it we were driving in the opposite direction. I have a very acute sense of direction and I quickly told the driver in the nicest possible way I had noticed he was taking me for a ride. He laughed and answered that this was a quick detour to avoid a toll, just as we passed near the freeway toll gates!
This is my first time in Madrid. I am impressed by the sheer size of the terminal (T4). I am in fact impressed by the total land size of the airport, which has 4 terminals (T1-T2-T3 and T4-T4S). There is also 4 runways!
Check in is a breeze. I am not travelling with bags and my boarding pass is on my phone, so I can process straight to the gate. For those who want to use the kiosks there are plenty about.
The terminal has a nice design and feels very spacious. Going through security is very smooth. However I have to go to T4 S which is almost a km away, and will need to take a train. In fact after going through security, immigration and transit between T4 and T4 S, I have hardly any time left for plane spotting!
Qatar Airways is in town, and I just missed the EK777
My plane today is A340-642X EC-LFS. It is a relatively new plane, delivered mid 2010 and named Ciduad de Mexico.
EK and QR tails in the background. Etihad just launched flights to MAD so that we have all MEB3 covered.
Boarding is a big mess. However my boarding pass says priority group so I managed to board pretty quickly
The cabin is quite spacious. One big forward cabin. Seats are comfortable and unlike IB A320 the pitch is generous.
The IFE monitor size is decent, and the interface is pretty funky and very intuitive. There is an USB port under every monitor, which is very convenient.
See this little demo video:
Although there are 4 runways we are held short of the runway for a solid 15 minutes.
The inflight magazine and a quick view of the Iberia fleet in that boring livery. which I find really dull at best…
With all this entertainment on board the flight goes fast
And soon we land at Heathrow T5. No holding pattern this time. We land on schedule
I do not have much time to look around and make my way to T3 via the Heathrow Express.
Bonus Plane spotting at T3. A few nice catch but low light and glass reflection creates havoc….
This short haul intra Europe flight was really enjoyable. First because Madrid is a functional and user friendly airport, and being my first time I enjoyed discovering it. Second because it was operated by a large aircraft, which made my short journey enjoyable given the plane was full. Crew was nice, although I did not really interact with them. No food was served on board unless you are prepared to pay. I just had a glass of water. Arriving in London was surprisingly smooth. The plane did not have to hold. We docked at T5 satellite 3, which is the furthest away from T5 main concourse. But a quick ride on the train put us back into the customs and arrival hall in no time. I only had to wait for 10 min to get the Heathow Express to T3 where I was catching my Qantas QF2 back to Sydney
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I have a very acute sense of direction and I quickly told the driver in the nicest possible way I had noticed he was taking me for a ride. - I can completely understand your caution. I always get nervy in foreign countries with taxis, especially China.
I must say, I've never been to MAD, but it certainly looks like quite the airport. They must have gotten a discount from one of the firms that does the designs for Chinese airports.
Etihad just launched flights to MAD so that we have all MEB3 covered. - Before it was AUH-FCO-MAD on AZ, no thanks...
What a treat to get an A346 on this short route! This long-haul cabin looks much better and fresh, and having IFE makes all the difference on an otherwise very boring short flight in Y.
I like how the BOB menu is so prominently displayed on the seat, I know you were tempted ;)
Beautiful spotting as always at LHR! Love the NH B77W.
I took this flight few weeks ago on the A340-600 and I was totally delighted, I expected the IFE to be off but having it working was awesome, I don't know on your flight but on mine FAs distributed earphones as we were on a long-haul flight. I wish I had the IFE on all my flights between London and Madrid, it would be better than free food.
The reason for Iberia to send those planes (not only the A346, but the A343 and the A330 as well) is cargo. The flight connects two IAG Cargo hubs and I have been told by IAG staff that the bellies always go full. Additionally, BA operates two daily 767s on the route. I have taken the A340 MAD-LHR flight three times and only once the passenger cabin was full.
Even though MAD has 4 runways, one was not operative from mid April until recently, given that they were working on it. That situation has caused lots of delays during the last month. At least you were lucky not having a holding pattern arriving at LHR, something that only has happened to me once on my MAD-LHR flights...
BTW, I know the detour to avoid the poll you talked about, it seems that everybody is becoming aware of it, I wonder how long would it last :D
Well, thank you again, I know how tedious it is to write a TR. I'm glad you had a nice experience with my country's carrier.
Hola Martin, muchas gracias for your comments. Yes I have read some of your reports, which is really enjoyable since I can relate to your experiences. I had a great time in MAD although I was on the ground for 4 days only... I will be back, that is for sure. Was very impressed by the airport. Huge, and sleek design. But it took me a while to go from check in area to my gate at T4 S. I thought I was way to early, but I ended up not having much time to look around and plane spot ! Going through Customs was a bit of a scramble for some reason. Being on the eve of a long week-end I guess there were lots of people about, including on my flight which was full. Yes we were given headset which I have kept. But I could also use my iPhone headset, which is kind of cool. Thanks for reminding me this detail. I thought the use of the A340 was cargo related. To my absolute delight of course!ok, well noted regarding the runway. Mind you on the IB3175 LHR/MAD we had to circle a few times, but I think it was more weather related. it is not really tedius for me, I enjoy writing FR. I still have a few to write and then I will be up to date. What's tedius is up loading the photos..specially when you have to reduce their size. Looking forward to reading more of your flight reports. Hasta luego desde Sydney
I'm glad you enjoyed your visit to Madrid, I'm very proud of my hometown. T4 is one of my favourite terminals, it was very expensive but at least everybody seems to like it. It's true that distances are long, though. It's always better to use your own headset than the ones provided by airlines in economy, I always refuse them and use my own when possible. I have some interesting trips ahead so maybe I'll write another TR since there has been a long time since I last wrote one, the more people contribute to this website the more interesting it gets. I'm also looking forward to reading the next reports of yours on Qantas! Hasta luego desde Londres ;)
Thanks for sharing this report with us. You were very lucky to get an A 340 for a european flight . Its a much better experience with and IFE and a better legroom. Too bad Iberia has gone low cost in economy and does not offer anything for free, it's one reason I have stopped flying with them, the second one , which seems to be improving, is that their crew are usually not very friendly.
Thank you skyteamchc. I agree with you. A little snack would be nice...and more smiles too ! And IFE makes all the difference between a boring flight and an entertaining one...
What a contrast from the pretty bad flight on the way down to Madrid. Looks like IB's hard product is hit or miss. Don't they still have some old A340s without IFE, or are those all gone by now? The soft product on European flights IS consistent...but it's consistently crappy, unfortunately. Kind of sad when a legacy flag carrier doesn't even offer a small snack for free. Especially considering that sister airline BA serves sandwiches on intra-Europe flights.
I think IB's been running this widebody flight to LHR for a while to. BA also runs at least on 767 LHR-MAD I believe. I'm assuming large aircraft are put on this route because it is a hub-to-hub route for the IAG airlines.
Nice plane. The shot of your A346 departing is just gorgeous.
I hate IB's new livery, almost as much as I hate Avianca's and AA's ...lets hope Alitalia doesn't screw it up.
Managing to score the A346 on such a short flight is a very lucky shot!
The hard product looks great, what a shame IB seems to be so crappy. I would fly to MAD on IB though, AV doesn't seem to be any better.
MAD is awesome, but I never went to the airport on a cab. Madrid has one of the best public transport systems in the world, so I used the Cercanías and the Metro to get there and it was OK.
I agree. IB livery is most likely the dullest in the sky... . Yes public transport is very convenient and cheap in Madrid, and a good way to get to and from the airport.
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346 reviews
15 Comments
An intra-European flight on a wide-dody aircraft is amazing!!!! :D
What about the IFE, were movies available on such a short flight?
Sad no food is offered :(
That's good to have a A346 on a European flight ! Better than the A320 on the inbound trip ^^
See ya :)
I have a very acute sense of direction and I quickly told the driver in the nicest possible way I had noticed he was taking me for a ride.
- I can completely understand your caution. I always get nervy in foreign countries with taxis, especially China.
I must say, I've never been to MAD, but it certainly looks like quite the airport. They must have gotten a discount from one of the firms that does the designs for Chinese airports.
Etihad just launched flights to MAD so that we have all MEB3 covered.
- Before it was AUH-FCO-MAD on AZ, no thanks...
What a treat to get an A346 on this short route! This long-haul cabin looks much better and fresh, and having IFE makes all the difference on an otherwise very boring short flight in Y.
I like how the BOB menu is so prominently displayed on the seat, I know you were tempted ;)
Beautiful spotting as always at LHR! Love the NH B77W.
I took this flight few weeks ago on the A340-600 and I was totally delighted, I expected the IFE to be off but having it working was awesome, I don't know on your flight but on mine FAs distributed earphones as we were on a long-haul flight. I wish I had the IFE on all my flights between London and Madrid, it would be better than free food.
The reason for Iberia to send those planes (not only the A346, but the A343 and the A330 as well) is cargo. The flight connects two IAG Cargo hubs and I have been told by IAG staff that the bellies always go full. Additionally, BA operates two daily 767s on the route. I have taken the A340 MAD-LHR flight three times and only once the passenger cabin was full.
Even though MAD has 4 runways, one was not operative from mid April until recently, given that they were working on it. That situation has caused lots of delays during the last month. At least you were lucky not having a holding pattern arriving at LHR, something that only has happened to me once on my MAD-LHR flights...
BTW, I know the detour to avoid the poll you talked about, it seems that everybody is becoming aware of it, I wonder how long would it last :D
Well, thank you again, I know how tedious it is to write a TR. I'm glad you had a nice experience with my country's carrier.
I think IB's been running this widebody flight to LHR for a while to. BA also runs at least on 767 LHR-MAD I believe. I'm assuming large aircraft are put on this route because it is a hub-to-hub route for the IAG airlines.
Nice plane. The shot of your A346 departing is just gorgeous.
Thanks for sharing!
Managing to score the A346 on such a short flight is a very lucky shot!
The hard product looks great, what a shame IB seems to be so crappy. I would fly to MAD on IB though, AV doesn't seem to be any better.
MAD is awesome, but I never went to the airport on a cab. Madrid has one of the best public transport systems in the world, so I used the Cercanías and the Metro to get there and it was OK.
Thanks for sharing!
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