Iberia Airlines Review

Overall Rating

I am a frequent domestic US traveller and have also flown on 2 other foreign/international carriers. Iberia Air is the single worst overall airline that I have ever flown. I detest them and will never fly with them again.

I strongly recommend to anyone who does not wish to be treated like cattle to avoid at all costs. From start the finish my experience was sub par and the customer service is laughably atrocious.

The employees AT BEST are gruff and at worst are incompetent, lazy, unhelpful, and rude as hell. I had the worst itinerary ever, I was almost late not once, but TWICE for my flight due to Iberia. The plane I took from the US to Spain was shabby, old, and the bathrooms become filthy and disgusting after just 2 hours (I have NEVER seen such a disgusting bathroom on ANY flight domestic or foreign).

I have even spoken with a former employee of Iberia and she told me a similar story about how horrible her coworkers were and her experience working for them.

Overall, a horrible airline and I will NEVER fly with Iberia again.

Booking/Check-In
I was almost late for the first leg of my flight because of what the check in agents told me. First I was told I had an overage in baggage and strongly recommended to get a 2nd bag at the airport store. Otherwise there would be a 50 euro fee for exceeding the weight limit.

When I bought another bag, the line had ballooned so I informed a check-in agent that I was going to be late for my flight. She gave me a dirty look and told me to get back in line. The second check in agent told me there would be a 50 euro fee for my second bag!!!

Ridiculous! When I explained how that made no sense and what the first agent had told me, the second agent made a face and said something that you will hear A LOT from Iberia, "I don't know why [she said that], but ANYWAYS, you have to pay a fee."

In addition to the overall incompetence of the employees, the attitudes of the 2 second check in staff were just plain rude, unsympathetic, unhelpful. I am not kidding when I say one of the woman was making a face at me the ENTIRE time I was at the counter.

Layovers
When I landed in Madrid, my flight to Boston was already BOARDING. I have had bad layovers before, but this was ridiculous. They booked it so my departing gate was the farthest away - even the airport estimated it took 22 minutes. I had to run like a madman to get to the gate before it closed and it was LAST CALL when I reached my plane. When I spoke with Iberia employees at the airport they had that same rude and unhelpful attitude and acted as if this were MY fault I were going to be late and I how dare I not follow their boarding protocol. My legs were literally spasming on the flight once I ran on because of the exertion.

In Flight
Iberian flight attendents are famous for being gruff. I didn't mind this on the flight to Spain because the flight attendents did their jobs. And there is a difference between being gruff and beign RUDE.

However, on the flight to Boston my flight attendent REFUSED to get me water and lied and told me I had to walk to the back of the plane to get it. The couple next to me 1 minute later asked for the same thing and received a BOTTLE of water. When I asked that flight attendent for water, I was told it was the LAST water bottle on the plane. And I was not offered any alternative (no juice, no cup of water). I have never been treated so outright poorly by asking a simple request. The flight attendents were rude as hell, unhelpful, incompetent, and outright liars. They do not want to do anything on the flight and make it clear you are bothering them if you ask them for anything, even during meal service where you have to tell them what you will be eating and drinking!

Other Passengers
Maybe like attracts like because so far I have sat next to or in front of passengers who are likewise rude or ignorant. The college student behind me on the flight to Spain asked spoke loudly in Spanish about the "Chinese" sitting in front of her and asked her seatmate "What's the difference between Chinese and Japanese?" She also kept hitting my seat because she wanted me to put my seat all the way up up so SHE could lean back in her seat and put her feet on the back on seat. After travelling a little through Spain, I'm not too surprised by this ignorant behavior, especially in a young person, but it's a sneak peak at what you may encounter on your flight.

After Flight
If you want to speak to someone at Iberian to make problems alright, GOOD LUCK! Their customer service promises are all PR and a joke. Their online complaint form is buried in their website, times out in under 5 minutes, and allows you only 500 words. So write fast!

Overall
Avoid at all costs. The only good thing I can say about them is that the food they provide for the flights is not subpar.