Iberia Airbus A340-600 is one of few regular Wide Body services in Europe that you can easily fly.
First off on a random side note, I spent my morning/early afternoon exploring the Muse Del Aire in Southern Madrid.
Its the only way to fly an Iberia long haul aircraft on their European network.
This flight can alternate between Airbus A340, Airbus A330 and recently on occasion the brand new Airbus A350.
As the A340 isn't as efficient as the A330/A350, could one join the DC-9 & B727 here?
The price of this flight can be very erratic for trips, I've seen a return trip with this flight as low as £75 and as high as £200.
Getting to the airport with a good 2 1/2 hours before my flight was due to leave, I breezed through security and made my way straight to the Terminal 4 Satellite.
I got some parked wide body and taxiing aircraft around Madrid Barajas whilst I waited for my flight to announce the gate and begin boarding.
My flight had a last minute plane change so it was operated by one of the two older Airbus A340-600 not due to receive new cabins. So it only had the older First Class and Economy Class.
My flight was on EC-JFX. Airbus A340-600 built for Iberia in June 2005. Interesting note- Iberia owns the last Airbus A340-600 built in 2011 (EC-LFS)
The plane boarded everyone early as the flight was only half full. I was originally in 41L, but as no one took the emergency exit row, I jumped into the 40L seat!
With great legroom comes great responsibility. Thankfully I had a spare window so I could film on my GoPro during the flight!
We pushed back on time and got going, quickly leaving a cloudy Madrid behind. I couldn't believe how cold and cloudy Spain was! I know it was January, but was expecting better than England!
As with the rest of the International Airlines Group (IAG) carriers, Iberia has Buy on Board bistro for their European flights. In my opinion they have a better variety than BA and Aer Lingus.
I chose to enjoy a 10EUR meal deal with a yogurt on the side for an extra 2EUR. I found it very nice and ample for a 2 hour flight.
Cruising along I decided to enjoy Brooklyn-99 and Big Bang Theory from the extensive In-Flight Entertainment. There had been changes since the last time I used this flight in July 2017….
One respect to Iberia- at least they have the In Flight Entertainment work on this flight unlike BA on their Speedbird 460 flight!!!!
We didn't have to hold this evening, so we came into London directly over Berkshire. Turning on over Reading and flying over Slough, Windsor and Langley straight over the M25 and we plonked down on the South Runway with Terminal 5 on the right side providing a good view as we landed.
We parked at Terminal 5C, which was where I left from on the BA 777 the previous afternoon. The crew didn't allow a flight deck visit (BA & EI don't mind, I guess its IB Policy or Spanish laws)
BA460 video:
After a good flight I made my way to the Premier Inn at Terminal 4 for the night, I was due to fly again the following dawn!
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Verdict
Iberia
9.1/10
Cabin10.0
Cabin crew10.0
Entertainment/wifi9.0
Meal/catering7.5
Madrid - MAD
9.8/10
Efficiency9.5
Access10.0
Services9.5
Cleanliness10.0
London - LHR
9.6/10
Efficiency10.0
Access10.0
Services8.5
Cleanliness10.0
Conclusion
Iberia- Pretty solid reliable product. Would only do this flight regularly in or out of LHR. Why do an A320 when you get all this on the A340!
MAD- Efficient. Great views. Nice restaurants. Good public transport link for tourists, despite a 4EUR premium!
LHR- Made it from plane to my hotel in 15 minutes, the biometric passport gates made my journey really easy! Plus the airport is well connected internally!
10 LIKESLIKE TO THANK THE AUTHORTHANKS ! FLIGHT-REPORT LIKED
Instead of providing a meaningful, flight-time-oriented full service on board, one makes a buy on board service to get even more profit out of it. But that is just one side of the consideration. The other side is why the passenger ever lets that happen. Something happened to the passengers and their behavior in past years.
Buy on board provides a better selection, where as with complimentary its one or two options... I think European Flag Carriers should take the approach of US Airlines and provide a buy on board for alcohol and sandwiches/hot meals but provide soft drinks and crisps free of charge
Thanks for this FR. I did that very same flight and it was a treat flying this relatively rare plane on a Euro route. However I found IB BoB pretty expensive for an offering that was more generic than BA.
A nice flight report, however it is a pity that IAG makes their airlines a glorified lcc on regional routes for prices that are not much lower than KL or LH with food/drinks included.
I don't agree with IAG's buy on board program. It only works on Aer Lingus who is using a hybrid model over the last ten or so years. BA should provide free soft beverages at least, charging for booze I agree with as it reduces the chances of idiots causing problems on board. I mean Finnair provides coffee, tea, water and blueberry juice for free then buy on board for booze and food.
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8 Comments
I did that very same flight and it was a treat flying this relatively rare plane on a Euro route.
However I found IB BoB pretty expensive for an offering that was more generic than BA.
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