Hi and welcome to the continuation of my around the world trip with this intra-European flight on IB.
SFO-LHR on UA Y - http://flight-report.com/en/report-12219.html
LHR-LIS on TP Y - http://flight-report.com/en/report-12240.html
LIS-MAD on IB J - you are here
MAD-LHR on IB J - http://flight-report.com/en/report-12318.html
LHR-HEL on AY J - http://flight-report.com/en/report-12341.html
HEL-CPH on AY J - http://flight-report.com/en/report-12412.html
CPH-IST on TK J - http://flight-report.com/fr/report-12544.html
IST-HKG on TK J - http://flight-report.com/en/report-12641.html
HKG-SFO on CX J - http://flight-report.com/en/report-12980.html
I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Lisbon and found it to be one of the most underrated cities in Europe. Lisbon is charming, compact, easy to navigate, affordable and surprisingly friendly. After this trip it has become one of my favorite European cities. I will post a bonus at the end of the trip report.
The trip from the hotel to LIS airport took 20-25 min. by metro from my hotel and I went straight to the IB counter. After standing for a minute in the empty counter a friendly agent waited on me and asked me if I had any bags to check. When I told him that I only had carry-ons he did not even weight them and just issued me the boarding passes.
I used the priority line which was quick and was deposited at the main hallway. My gate was not posted yet so I stayed put for a couple of minutes. Lots of stores and a huge lounge by ANA (not the airline but the LIS airport authority) in the middle with escalators leading up to it.
LIS airport.
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Blue Lounge.
This was a very average lounge that was functional and provided basic catering. It was located next to the gate and it was composed of two areas that are similar with a reception desk in the middle. I presented my boarding pass to a robotic agent and was welcomed inside. There were WC's on the right section of the lounge and one or two computer terminals.
Entrance.
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Interior.
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No ice in a lounge? Kiss that drink on the rocks goodbye.
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I stayed or less than 10 min. and then waited at the gate. LIS airport is not great for taking pictures of airplanes at the gate due to the pattern of dots on the window but I managed my best to take pics of my plane.
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At about 30 min. before dept. an announcement was made to line up for boarding. I presented my boarding card and inside the jetbridge we had to wait for a couple of minutes before we were allowed to go to the aircraft.
Upon boarding I was greeted by a FA and settled into my seat. Once boarding finished there were only 3 of us sitting in J.
Cabin.
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Bulkhead.
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Headreast.
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An attentive FA offered periodicals and reading materials which I declined. Soon we taxied to the runway.
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Bye Lisbon. I shall be back.
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There was one hot breakfast option on this short flight without any printed menus handed out. Service was very good with attentive and smiling FA's making rounds several times throughout the flight. I asked if grapefruit juice was available and the FA brought me orange juice. Not a big deal.
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Cabin during service with curtains drawn.
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Cloth napkin.
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Breakfast.
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At one point I asked one of the FA's for some souvenirs with the logo of IB. He searched everywhere and finally gave me one of his buttons with a smile. Great service!
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Soon the captain announced our arrival into MAD.
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Landing.
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–BONUS–
I stayed at the Alif Avenidas hotel which is a 4* property located in front of one of the exits of the red line São Sebastião metro station. The location was very convenient within 2 blocks of El Corte Ingles dept. store. The hotel is decorated in a modern style and its buffet breakfast in the morning offers ample choices. I paid about USD 47 or EUR 44.29 per night.
Entrance.
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Room.
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Buffet.
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Dining room.
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Sights of Lisbon.
Pasteis de Belem.
I developed this terrible addiction for these pasteis on this visit.
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Dinner at Laurentina.
Great restaurant with top notch service. I had a traditional roasted cod dish with baked potatoes and sauteed greens. There are a few Mozambican dishes featured on the menu as well.
Below is a link with more information.
http://www.restaurantelaurentina.pt/ementa
My cod dish was delicious, albeit just a bit salty. I've heard that Portuguese cooks tend to be a tad liberal with their use of salt.
Entrance.
Interior.
Main dish. I must say that they had great bread at this place.
Gracias Adan!
ANA (not the airline but the LIS airport authority)
- That's disappointing, but I like the quirky wood boxes sticking out. The Blue Lounge looks very American Express with those blue squares, lol.
Great shot of the A343 landing.
IB uses a fixed J-cabin? With only 3 passengers, I'm surprised they didn't compress the cabin. Was there any extra pitch in these seats to warrant a fixed J-cabin (other than really classy Business Class on the bulkhead)?
A decent breakfast offering on this route. No option is acceptable for a flight like this. It's good to at least see a real entree. An improvement over the breakfast sandwiches AZ had served me last time I was in C.
finally gave me one of his buttons with a smile.
- Now he won't have the required number of pieces of flair on his uniform, you are going to get him fired!
Fantastic bonus of Lisboa. Really like the sunset shot over the city. Dinner at Laurentina looked very good. Very generous portions of potatoes though ;) I developed this terrible addiction for these pasteis on this visit. <== Time to hit the gym.
Isn't a A343 but a A342 ;)
Simple detail ^^
TAP do the maintenance of the both A342 of the French Republic, for the heavy maintenance they're going to Lisbon ;)
Thank you for that clarification Sebastien.
De nada Michael.
..but I like the quirky wood boxes sticking out
- Reminds me of tree houses.
Great shot of the A343 landing
- Talk about being at the right place at the right time.
Was there any extra pitch in these seats to warrant a fixed J-cabin (other than really classy Business Class on the bulkhead)?
- According to seatguru.com, there are 50 seats in front of the A321 that offer a seat pitch of 34 vs. the regular 31.
An improvement over the breakfast sandwiches AZ had served me last time I was in C.
- I can't believe that an airline representing a country with such renowned gastronomical traditions provides such lackluster breakfast.
Now he won't have the required number of pieces of flair on his uniform, you are going to get him fired!
- Now don't lay that guilt trip on me. Because of you I will lose sleep over this incident. :P
Time to hit the gym.
- A moment on the lips a lifetime on the hips. ;) ha ha.
Thanks for your comments. Wonderful city indeed.
Thanks for sharing this FR
When I told him that I only had carry-ons he did not even weight them
This is not LH ;)
Very bad airport lounge
The breakfast is decent even if the croissant and the omelette are not appetizing
He searched everywhere and finally gave me one of his buttons with a smile
Is it because of your seduction or your Spanish language skill ?
IB FAs are known to be rude !
You caught a TU airplane when landing
Nice bonus with always a gastronomic touch
See you soon for the next leg
This is not LH ;)
- No kidding. On top of that on my last trip with LH from NCE-GOT, I discovered a missing zipper in my bag when I got back to the hotel.
Very bad airport lounge
- I didn't spend too much time there as you figured out on the report, but I had to make a sacrifice in order to bring a more complete picture of this travel experience. ;)
The breakfast is decent even if the croissant and the omelette are not appetizing
- They did not look good but tasted fine. Anyways IB deserves an A for effort with this catering considering it is a short flight. They could very well serve a continental breakfast.
Is it because of your seduction or your Spanish language skill ?
- You tell me. ;) IB FA's rude? Who would have thought? So far in all my experiences flying with them the FA's have ranged from good to excellent and one of those trips was JFK-MAD in Y. :P
You caught a TU airplane when landing
- Yes, that was the first plane that I saw when I touched down in MAD. It's a beautiful livery.
Nice bonus with always a gastronomic touch
- Life without food is like seeing without colors. ;)
A plus tard et merci Gilbert.
Thanks for sharing this flight report with nice pictures!
Nice airport lobby design but bad lounge. You are so lucky to have an entire row for your J class seat. And breakfast looks good for this short flight.
Nice bonus photos with Lisbon! A beautiful city with traditional houses and the food looks very delicious!
Looking forward to your next report!
Thank you very much for your comments Ashley.
I was very grateful for having an empty row and very lucky as you said.
You should visit LIS if you haven't been there.
Thanks for sharing this report !
The airport look nice but not the lounge.
Nice breakfast for this short flight.
Great shot of the A342 of the French Republic ;)
Very nice bonus of Lisbon ! I really want to return. Such a beautiful city :)
See you
Thank you Sebastien for your visit.
I guess the French Republic plane and the Je suis Paris sign on the building were reminders that made this trip more special. ;)
I will try to be back to LIS. There are still a lot of things that I have not covered.
Thanks for this FR.
A positive experience on IB that's not common!
The meal served is indeed pretty good for such a short flight.
Thank you Etienne for stopping by.
I guess I am in the minority when it comes to positive experiences with IB. The next leg MAD-LHR was even better and the FA's provided one of the best experiences of this around the world FR. Stay tuned.
A pleasant crew on IB? That deserves a good grade--you've found a rare unicorn :-P
Cool that you got a plane in the new colors. They're growing on me. The Blue Lounge carries its name well with all that blue.
The catering looks surprisingly good. Iberia's never had a great reputation on this site, but this report shows a positive side of IB.
Great bonus pics. You had some great weather too!
Thanks for sharing!
A pleasant crew on IB?
- Believe me, I am well aware of IB's reputation through this site and others. However, in my own personal experience, I have always been treated well by them and this is reflected in my FR's. I have only flown with them 3X so far (JFK-MAD in Y and LIS-MAD, MAD-LHR in J).
For such a short flight between LIS-MAD, a hot meal deserve an A for effort, don't you agree?
LIS is a great city that inspires me.
Thanks for your comments Kevin.
The flight itself didn't seem as something special. I loved the bonus pictures, brought great memories to me. Lisbon is one of my favourite cities, thanks for sharing !
Hola Chibcha and thank you for your comments.
The flight was average, but the hot breakfast was a nice surprise. Lisbon is a charming city and I have fallen for it. ;) Glad you liked the bonus pics.