Review of Iberia flight from Madrid to Paris in Business

introduction

Hello and welcome to the 3rd instalment in this new series of pandemic-era flight reviews that will once again take us across the Atlantic. With all the unpredictability surrounding international travel in times of Covid, having dual US and French citizenship has at least allowed us to continue travelling between our two countries.
 
As detailed in the previous review, getting an appointment for a Covid test before departure on either Christmas day or Boxing day was near-impossible. Luckily, I had thought to buy Abbott home travel tests with tele-health certification ahead of time. Although at the time, a negative Covid test was required for travel from the U.S. to France, in the end our test results were not requested at any stage of the trip–not in New York, nor in Madrid, and not on arrival in Paris. It seems that by flying through a third country that did not require Covid tests for fully-vaccinated passengers (Spain), we fell through the cracks–a negative test was not needed for intra-EU travel either. I had half-expected this as I'd heard reports of this happening regularly and was glad I hadn't spent over $200 per person on rapid Covid tests at JFK airport that would end up not being needed. Nevertheless, the official rules were clear that passengers travelling to France originating in the U.S. needed negative Covid tests results within 48 hours of departure to travel regardless of vaccination status, so I preferred to err on the side of caution with the certified home tests. 

routing

transit & lounge

Having arrived from New York in the Terminal 4 Satellite, where we'd breezed through immigration, we then headed to the train to connect to the main Terminal 4 building to catch our flight to Paris. I'm always amazed at how quick and efficient immigration checks are at MAD compared to airports in France or the U.S. 

A child of the pandemic, my not-yet three-year-old son knows all about social distancing protocol.

Once in the main Terminal 4 building, we headed straight for the Iberia lounge, located on the upper level in the central part of the concourse. 

There was no wait to enter the Premium Lounge Dalí, as we were able to scan our own boarding passes to gain access. I'm seeing this becoming more and more common in the pandemic-era.

The lounge is large and spacious, and seemed a bit crowded at first glance. But it turned out most people were concentrated in the area closest to the entrance.

Moving further from the entrance, there was plenty of room. 

The sections on the far end of the lounge to right of the entrance were pleasantly uncrowded with plentiful seating. 

The buffet is located in the central part of the section and had several fresh food options, including hot dishes. I wasn't hungry at all so I didn't get anything. 

Although MAD T4 is one of my favourite airport terminals, one thing I don't like so much is that gates are only announced about an hour before departure and distances can be very long.

Luckily the gate was close to the lounge. 

boarding

Since the gate was so close to the lounge, we left the Sala Dalí just a few minutes before boarding was due to begin. 

We arrived just as boarding began with Business class, and were able to go right on.  

Our aircraft taking us to Paris was EC-IXD, an 18-year-old A321 in special colours Cantabria Parque de la Naturaleza de Cabárceno

Most of Iberia's A321s were parked for a year-and-a-half during the pandemic between March 2020 and summer 2021. This particular aircraft came back online in July 2021. 

We were welcomed on board by friendly cabin crew. The flight attendant who would later work the Business class cabin warmly greeted us in both Spanish and French. She was especially attentive to our young son, and spoke perfect French to him, which was very much appreciated as he only speaks French. 
 
The first six rows, which are convertible to Business class, feature Collins Aerospace Pinnacle seats, the same found on sister carrier British Airways' Airbus narrowbody fleet.

There were only three rows of Business class on our flight that day. 

Seats in the first row have more space, though one of the drawbacks is that armrests are fixed as they house the tray tables. 

A placard on the bulkhead wall informs passengers that Wi-Fi and in-seat power are available on this aircraft. 

In the Business class section, there is a universal power outlet and USB port at every seat, while standard Economy seats have individual USB power. 

The power sources were very useful for keeping our electronic devices charged, especially my son's tablet to keep him entertained. 

The view out of the window. The new-ish Iberia livery has grown on me. Though it's very simplistic compared to the previous livery, I like the bold colours on the tail. 

the flight

Boarding wrapped up early as the flight wasn't completely full.

We pushed back from the gate right on time.

The Iberia colours really pop in the bright sunshine.

As we had a row to ourselves, both my son and I could have a window seat 

We took off after a short taxi with views of Iberia's hangars and the city in the distance.

An Iberia A330-200 took off from a parallel runway at about the same time.

Shortly after takeoff cabin crew handed out French Passenger Locator forms. Some airlines are doing this electronically, but Iberia still do paper–at least they were in late December 2021. 

Oddly, wireless streaming entertainment is provided on Iberia Regional and Iberia Express aircraft, but not on mainline Iberia aircraft. 

Some rudimentary flight and weather information is available through the Wi-Fi portal's home page.
 

The Iberia in-flight magazine "Ronda" is also accessed via the Wi-Fi home page, as printed versions have been suspended during the pandemic. 
 

Messaging Wi-Fi packages are available from 2.49€ and internet navigation from 5.99€
 

As we levelled out, our very friendly flight attendant proposed lunch. I don't recall the other choice (it may have been vegetarian), but I went for the chicken option along with a cava to drink. 

Under current pandemic-era protocol, the meals are served with covers on every course.  

Once again, Iberia's short-haul Business class catering continues to impress me. Do&Co catering is consistently high-quality and well-presented. 
 

The appetiser was a delicious salmon and rice dish with a flavourful wasabi sauce. 
 

The main dish was composed of roasted chicken breast with a carrot purée, lardons, and broccolini.
 

Chocolate mousse cake for dessert. 
 

An overall very good meal for a 1.5 hour flight. In comparison, a flight of similar length in the US would serve only snacks in domestic First class. 
 

After the meal, a Belgian chocolate was given with the coffee and tea service. 
 

Good thing we both had windows to enjoy the view! 
 

With no IFE, at least there were some nice things to see from the window.

Crossing the Pyrenées mountains and the southwestern French Atlantic coast. 
 

During the flight, the flight attendant gave my son two Iberia-branded games. A very nice touch! I remember this being common when I was a kid, but it's become rare these days. More points for Iberia!

As we approached Paris, it was cloudier with showers in the area. 
 

Luckily, the visibility was still good enough to see the Eiffel Tower on landing!
 

A beautiful rainbow welcomed us home to Motherland. 
 

My first time seeing an A330neo

We arrived at the gate a few minutes ahead of schedule. 

As we were arriving from within the EU/Schengen area, it was like a domestic flight with no passport control or Covid document checks.