Review of Iberia Regional (Air Nostrum) flight from Madrid to Valencia in Economy

ANE

YW - Iberia Regional (Air Nostrum)

Flight taken on 23 June 2022
IB8878
20:20 01h 05m 21:25
Class Economy
Seat
Chibcha
248 · 48 · 0 · 5

Introduction


Hello amigos,

Welcome to this FR on IB's (Air Nostrum really) flight betwen Madrid and Valencia.

Contrary to Barcelona, which keeps the 'Puente Aéreo', the Madrid-Valencia route has been relegated to a feeder flight. Most traffic between the cities uses the high speed rail. Thus, timings and fares are inconvenient betweeen these two cities.

But every once in a while the stars align for AvGeeks like me and there is a perfect timing/price combo that beats the rail offering.

So here goes my FR on a route that may be only a memory if the Spanish Government succeeds in linking MAD with the HSR lines.


At Madrid Barajas


Another perk of flying instead of riding a train in my case is that I have a more convenient metro connection to MAD than to Atocha or Chamartin.


photo 20220623_183745

Back in the day I had fast track as an IB Gold traveller…which allowed me to get airside in almost no time. BTW, you also have to go through security on the HSR in Spain.




I was also entitled to the VIP Lounge where I had some pre-party drinks




Boarding Air Nostrum's CRJ 1000


Time flew while I had my Alhambra and tapas…and so it was time to walk to the north end of T4 where Air Nostrum's ops are relegated.

This took a while, and by the time I arrived I was almost due to board.




Fortunately we didn't have to take a bus


photo 20220623_200325

I had previously flown CRJs but as I don't do it often, I forget how small and tight these planes feel (specially compared to the Embraers)



photo 20220623_200432photo 20220623_200446photo 20220623_200448

And while the planes are relatively new, Air Nostrum's choice of seats make them feel as if they are out from the 80s. I can't complain about confort though, they are better than the crappy seats on the mainline A32Xs.



photo 20220623_200532photo 20220623_200713photo 20220623_201405

Enroute to Valencia!


Boarding completed in no time and we were good to go. I was on a tight schedule. I had to catch the metro at VLCs station at a specific time or else I would miss the last bus that would take me to Port Saplaya, were I was going to spend the weekend.

And so I hoped for a southward departure.




And the Flight Gods obliged




We basically followed the same route as the highway and train…which took us over Cuenca



photo 20220623_204908photo 20220623_204933photo 20220623_204940

And in no time we were ready for a direct approach to Manises. Bad for the sightseeing, great for my timing.




And so the very short flight came to an end



photo 20220623_210605photo 20220623_210617photo 20220623_211259

It took us some time to disembark…and then I rushed to the metro station (it's quite a walk BTW).




Made it!


photo 20220623_213201
Display all

Product ratings

Airline

Iberia Regional (Air Nostrum) 3.9

  • Cabin7.5 / 10
  • Cabin crew7.0 / 10
  • Entertainment/wifi0.0 / 10
  • Meal/catering0.5 / 10
Lounge

Iberia Sala Dalí5.0

  • Comfort5.0 / 10
  • Meal/catering5.0 / 10
  • Entertainment/wifi5.0 / 10
  • Services5.0 / 10
Departure airport

Madrid - MAD8.9

  • Efficiency10.0 / 10
  • Access7.5 / 10
  • Services10.0 / 10
  • Cleanliness8.0 / 10
Arrival Airport

Valencia - VLC7.9

  • Efficiency6.5 / 10
  • Access10.0 / 10
  • Services5.0 / 10
  • Cleanliness10.0 / 10

Conclusion

Is this better than the train? Probably not. But I'm an AvGeek and we AvGeeks dont waste a chance to fly.

Other than that Air Nostrum did the job.
MAD was great, as most times, and being able to have a beer and a tapa before the flight is a great perk.

VLC seemed a bit mazy and dingy. Not up to par with how great Valencia is. (In other non-reported trips I confirmed the metro station is a s.tshow and cannot handle the amount of tourists visiting the city).

Thanks for reading!

Did you enjoy reading this?

Let the author know by sharing a clap! It will be greatly appreciated!

5 Clap

Chibcha 's latest reviews

Comments (0)

Login to post a comment.
Flight-Report

Ad Blocker Detected

Flight-Report is a free website hosting more than 500 000 pictures and 17 000 reviews, without ads, this website can't exist.

If you enjoy our website, we would greatly appreciate it if you could disable your ad blocker to support us. Thank you for your help and understanding!

How to Allow Flight-Report.com?