Iberia Airlines Review

Overall Rating

On one of our four flights the staff were couteous and helpful

It took three days to get home
Communication was appalling
One steward was downright offensive

We flew Iberia to Cuba because we thought it was reputable and reliable. We would like to correct that misapprehension.

On our outward flight they could not manage to seat us together, and the steward (jokingly?!) refused to serve my husband as he was 'a tourist and a vegetarian'.

Our return flight was grounded for 24 hours due to a technical fault. After the first hour's delay we managed to get information in English from the steward. A whole hour later thay took us off the plane and said they were taking us to hotels. Our flight was due at 11.30p.m. and we got to our hotel room at 5.30a.m., six hours later!

When we finally completed the first leg of our journey (madrid)we were greeted by the news of another overnight delay before the second leg to London. The rep who told us this then disappeared while we waited for our luggage to come off the belt. Never to be seen again.

Did we have a rep to smooth our way through the process of reclaiming our luggage, getting our hotel voucher, booking in our luggage for the second leg, finding our way to the different terminals where these things happened? NO!!! Getting directions was like getting blood out of a stone and it took us two hours of going back and forth before we got to our overnight hotel. The next day we got home safely, but had to ask another passenger to move so that we could sit together. (this is despite checking in the night before)

And how did Iberia compensate us for being two whole days late back home, having excess parking bills and missing two days' work?? Well, cerainly on our first time of asking the answer is a big zero. Not their fault, you see. They are not legally obliged to pay us a penny nad clearly goodwill is an alien concept to them.

They are as of now reviewing our case. Our travel insurance may be able to pay something if we can get written confirmation that the flight was late... but you've guessed it, to get that I have to write to a different address, send a copy of my passport, snd documents, etc, etc. I don't think they care about or even like customers at Iberia and I wouldn't ever ever ever fly with them again.

Members' Comments onnicolahudson's Review

• zoespencer on 13th May 2004

  Having myself been delayed on an Iberia flight out of Havana, Cuba for 24 hours (overbooked flight) I completely agree with this review. I have never been so badly treated by a company and was shocked by the rude manner in which they treated the 20 or so customers who were told there were no more seats left on the flight (more than two hours before take-off). Despite the distress and inconvenience of the matter, there was not one single apology given, and the representative was nowhere to be seen. This is an appalling airline and if I can avoid it I will never book with Iberia again.

• fayeh on 12th Jul 2004

  I'm flying to Barcelona next month, and was considering flying Iberia. I had heard many mixed reviews about this airline.
  Thank you, both of you, for your comments, you have made my mind up for me: I’m going to take my chances with Easyjet!

• mandy lawes on 8th Sep 2004

  We Flew to Barcelona on 3rd Sept 2004 we was a group of 12 going on a Hen Weekend, we all checked our cases in and we have not seen them since. On top of all that the flight going out was five and a half hours delayed. Iberia completely Ruined a well planned weekend which was booked back in March 2004. We also found that the customer service staff are unhelpful they try to talk over you. I recommend anyone travelling with this airline to take your luggage as hand luggage otherwise you may never see it again.....or better still just don’t fly with them.

• coolroaming on 7th Oct 2004

  I agree with this poor rating of Iberia. My experience in August in transit in Madrid was of rude and unhelpful staff.
  
  My family and I arrived on a flight from the UK to catch an online flight to Tenerife. We arrived at the transit desk within the required timeframe to find no seats left on the flight. IATA and Iberia rules meant that they should have gone through a process of requesting volunteers to stand down from the flight and compensating us on the spot if we were still unable to board the flight.
  
  This they failed to do and in addition were very unhelpful and rude. They even suggested they would charge us for getting us on their next flight 3 hours later! My complaint in writing via fax, letter and email on the 31st August has yet to receive the courtesy of a response. So it looks like I have to take due legal process.

• zoespencer on 8th Oct 2004

  Since posting my original comment I have now received compensation from Iberia for the delay on our flight, which equates to over a third of the cost of the flight (in line with EU recommendations). After waiting so long for any kind of response, this was a most welcome and un-expected surprise, although I would still be wary of travelling on Iberia in future.
  
  My advice is to persevere with the letters (I sent mine to the complaints department at head office in Madrid), and make sure they know that you are posting detrimental reviews of their airline online! Good luck!

• gert on 22nd Aug 2005

  I cannot say I was not warned, I was. Friends and family members and sites such as this one are a great source. But I just could not pass up the cheap airfare to Barcelona. So I booked all 9 of us (we are all going on a cruise out of Barcelona next June). When I get the e-tickets, I find one of them has a mistake - essentially a typo. My cousin's e-ticket says she is to fly back on the 22nd instead of the 28th like everyone else I booked on the same day with the same agent (who was very pleasant and reviewed our itinerary several times over the phone.
  
  Three days later I print out all 9 e-tickets and realize there is a mistake. I called them and they want $200 because they consider it a flight change. Clearly their mistake but they refuse to admit or even consider that their agent typed in the wrong number on passenger number 9. Their supervisor was professional and pleasant but simply refused to acknowledge that the discrepensy was their fault. He could not even give me the benefit of the doubt. Basically told me that they cannot possibly believe my story and that they could not get into a "he said she said" situation between me and their agent.

• JMEENAN on 14th Apr 2009

  Will never fly Iberia again ( MADRID-MOSCOW-MADRID)
  
  I taken my partner away on a easter break. We ordered seafood on the net when booking and received cold pasta with a little cheese and tomato sauce.
  
  On the return flight we slept at the airport as we had a early morning flight (moscow to madrid) and we were first to check in. We were given boarding cards, and I received the same seat number as another passenger. I was moved around the plane like a toy. from one seat to another and had to end up sitting several rows behind my partner.