Cindy T.

Ok, we are leaving for Spain in one week and I am starting to get really concerned about all the things I am hearing about Iberia. We are flying from New York to Madrid and then from Madrid to Malaga round trip on Iberia. I have friends who recently flew Iberia who came back with all sorts of horror stories from delayed and cancelled flights to lost luggage and having to return to the States via 12 hour lay over in Montreal! I have read many not so positive comments about Iberia on this forum and today I read an entry suggesting that there is a labor dispute or strike of some sort going on. To top it all off, we have paid a premium for our tickets and I'm somewhat of a nervous air traveler. Someone please tell me what the real story is! Have we made a big mistake in choosing this air carrier?

ben

Their nonstop service from Miami was a bit lacking (old plane, gross people), but we landed safely both ways and without delay. <BR> <BR>Their service *in* Spain was nice. I had no problem with them--flew them twice. On one flight, we had a brand new plane. <BR> <BR>I wouldn't worry--they have hundreds of flights a day, a good safety record, etc.

Brian in Atlanta

Cindy, I wouldn't worry so much about the safety of flying Iberia (any carriers flying into the US have to have same FAA safety standards as domestic carriers) but I would be concerned about flight delays if there is indeed a labor dispute. <BR> <BR>I searched on Yahoo for news stories to this effect but found nothing - except a story about passengers from Mexico City taking 3 days to get to Madrid due to a bad part that had to be flown to Canada from Madrid - it should make you feel better that they were willing to inconvenience passengers for the sake of safety. <BR> <BR>My advice is to not worry about it (as there is probably little you can do about it) and hope for the best. You can go to http://www.iberia.com/ingles/index.html each day a few days before your flight and enter your flight number to see if your flight is running on time that day. If it consistently is, then it may put your mind to rest regarding your day of travel.

Cindy T

Ben and Brian, thanks for the sound and soothing advice. I know we have no control over delays and such, but I would hate to see us waste a lot of time and energy in airports when we have saved for so long to make this trip. Flying is not my favorite thing, but it is a necessary evil if you want to travel which probably is my favorite thing! Anyone have any other news about Iberia?

kristi

Hi Cindy. We just got back from Spain on June 6 using Iberia. We did not have any cancelled flights but all four flights we were on were late. In Chicago they were having trouble with the ramp to get on the plane, in Madrid we were delayed by an hour, Barcelona they moved our flight time and the flight back to Chicago was delayed because they were waiting for us passengers from Barcelona. <BR> <BR>Nothing extraordinary really although I thought the leg from Madrid to Barcelona was unusual. They changed the gates several times, the monitor said it was delayed by a couple of hours and then they just started loading passengers on a plane. I would advise to stay near the announced gate and check the monitors frequently and you should be OK. They make the flight announcements over the intercom in english as well as Spanish. Our luggage came through just fine by the way. <BR> <BR>I think they are having the most trouble in Madrid. They were quite a few delayed flights there but I didn't see any cancellations. You might check with the Iberia desk when you get there to make sure your flight isn't delayed.

Brian in Atlanta

I just read on Bloomberg in Iberia's quarterly financial announcement that their results were hurt due to a pilots strike that began "at the beginning of the Holy Week," whenever that was. It went on to say that the company and the pilots had resolved their differences (whatever that means) on June 3rd.

up

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merriem

Have never flown Iberia, and decided not to when I found out they were a smoking airline. We flew on Lufthansa....weren't impressed, but they were on time.

Valerie

My one and only experience with Iberia was last year in Madrid trying to fly to Barcelona. The morning flight was delayed for 6 hours ( we had just flown a red eye from NYC on Continental) Finally they said our flight was ready and we all stood at the gate for another hour and a half. Again standing in a small area crowded together waiting. Then we had to walk way out to the plane. We felt that the customer service was really bad and we vowed never to use then again. Also when we returned, we had heard from others that they had had safety problems in the past.

Ellen

<BR>I flew Iberia just lack week and had heard so many negative things that I was really starting to panic. <BR> <BR>First of all, the flights left exactly on time. No delays. That has never happened to me in all my travels. The aircraft was clean and I felt safe. <BR> <BR>Granted the attendants do not go up and down the aisles at all to see if all is okay or you need anything. They really just distribute the meals and beverages. You will have to walk to the galley area yourself if you need anything during other times. Aside from that, no complaints here. <BR>