Review: Iberia Business Class Madrid to Rome

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We didn’t select Rome as our first stop until quite last minute otherwise I would have preferred to fly economy from Madrid to Rome, but the award avail just wasn’t there when it came time to book. Personally, the added cost of intra-Europe business class just isn’t worth it 99% of the time. However, I was very lucky to find a flight from Madrid to Rome that fit nicely with my arrival from Chicago. That flight was booked using Iberia Avios I’d purchased earlier in the year during their 90k Promo, and when avail opened up on the 27th, I booked it, strategically thinking whatever trip we plan could be facilitated by my entry into Europe via Madrid.

The Deets:

When: December 2018
Where: Madrid to Rome
Aircraft: A321
Cabin: Business
Seat: 1C
Award Currency: British Airways Avios 15k
Duration: 2h25m

Check-In

I actually avoided check-in by checking in online and then going through the connecting flights queue when I arrived into Madrid from Chicago. This flight was booked separate from my ORD to MAD flight and I didn’t know if I’d be able to transit this way, but since I needed to go through passport control either way…it ended up working.

Lounge:

My ticket afforded me the ability to utilize the Iberia Business Class lounge in Terminal 4. It’s quite nice and worth a visit.

Boarding:

As with most European airlines, gates aren’t announced until roughly 45-60 mins prior to departure and then boarding starts promptly 30 mins ahead of time. This was the case here and I boarded with priority.

Seat:

Business class seating on almost every carrier and most every regional aircraft in Europe is just coach with a blocked middle seat. That was the case here. In fact, I’d have much preferred to fly coach and sit in an exit row or bulkhead and save the extra 7500 Avios, but avail never opened. One nice thing about my seat…1C was that it had extra leg room as the bulkhead ended at 1B.

Food:

A quick and simple pasta that was tasty served with a fresh green salad. I didn’t indulge in the cake, but it looked quite nice.

Overall:

The service was very friendly and attentive. Personally, unless it’s attached to a longer itinerary and included in the price, flying business class intra-europe is kind of silly to me. Many of the seats in economy were open and thus quite a few passengers flew the same exact way I did, but without the meal service.