What a horrible airline Iberia Express is. I have done a lot of flights and it's rare that I have a poor flight or a bad experience (amazing, because most of my flights are in economy), but Iberia Express sinks lower than any of the LCCs I have reluctantly had to use in the course of my travels.
Got to Madrid airport having purchased a ticket on iberia.com with the IB code. A round trip MAD-PMI was a very reasonably priced EUR92, which rose to EUR97 with the credit card fee. But it really wasn't clear to me that you had to pay for baggage, and I fell into the trap like a dumbo on a first time outing with an LCC. Nowhere during the booking and purchase process was it clearly stated that baggage had to be paid separately. My companion was on an Avios ticket issued by British Airways, so no bag fee for her (it cost 9,000 miles plus GBP24 for the same routing, round trip). So I paid up, of course. Next, in order to sit together, the surly check-in agent asked for 40 more. At this point, I got annoyed and walked away. I think what pissed me off more than anything was the attitude of the check-in staff at MAD.
I understand they have to generate revenue and pull back from the brink, but this is a shoddy way to do it. So you pay to select you seat? Fair enough, that's how it works. Doesn't mean I have to like it, or wish to comply. As it was, we arranged ourselves once on the flight due to a spare middle seat. For goodness sake, what would it cost Iberia just to let you sit together? In front of me, a mother with young children (a Spanish family) was split up across both sides of the aisle, kids separated by men who refused to change their seats to accommodate said family (presumably because they had paid this stupid fee to select their seat). What would it cost Iberia to seat that family together?? Truly shoddy, and unacceptable. I wouldn't for a moment suspect the men of being anything other than pax wanting to reach their destination, but in other parts of the world that would never had happened.
And now, the grand finale: the homeless person. This unkempt hairy guy shuffled into the row behind me, and he stank to high hell because he hadn't had a shower in 37 weeks. Presumably off on his way to try his luck on the streets of Palma rather than Madrid. I must say, I admire his technique for having a full row to himself on an otherwise full flight. I must try that sometime!
My partner, who is a doctor, couldn't believe that Iberia Express let this man board. He had the shakes and was snorting something out of a paper bag, and according to my partner was stoned, on a mixture of alcohol and drugs. What are they doing letting somebody like that board an aircraft? The young mother (from the split up family) in front was greatly alarmed and called the crew, who seemed to confer among themselves..and finally brought him a cup of water (now I know how to get a free cup of water out of Iberia Express, must try that some day).
So the flight took off on time, the girls did a trolley run and did their best to give a smiling service and we landed safely. But whoever made the call to let that guy board got lucky, because he turned out to be harmless and just sat there giggling to himself the whole way. It could so easily have swung the other way, though, you just never know with people like that.
Has anyone ever had a positive experience with Iberia Express or got anything remotely positive to say about it?
Got to Madrid airport having purchased a ticket on iberia.com with the IB code. A round trip MAD-PMI was a very reasonably priced EUR92, which rose to EUR97 with the credit card fee. But it really wasn't clear to me that you had to pay for baggage, and I fell into the trap like a dumbo on a first time outing with an LCC. Nowhere during the booking and purchase process was it clearly stated that baggage had to be paid separately. My companion was on an Avios ticket issued by British Airways, so no bag fee for her (it cost 9,000 miles plus GBP24 for the same routing, round trip). So I paid up, of course. Next, in order to sit together, the surly check-in agent asked for 40 more. At this point, I got annoyed and walked away. I think what pissed me off more than anything was the attitude of the check-in staff at MAD.
I understand they have to generate revenue and pull back from the brink, but this is a shoddy way to do it. So you pay to select you seat? Fair enough, that's how it works. Doesn't mean I have to like it, or wish to comply. As it was, we arranged ourselves once on the flight due to a spare middle seat. For goodness sake, what would it cost Iberia just to let you sit together? In front of me, a mother with young children (a Spanish family) was split up across both sides of the aisle, kids separated by men who refused to change their seats to accommodate said family (presumably because they had paid this stupid fee to select their seat). What would it cost Iberia to seat that family together?? Truly shoddy, and unacceptable. I wouldn't for a moment suspect the men of being anything other than pax wanting to reach their destination, but in other parts of the world that would never had happened.
And now, the grand finale: the homeless person. This unkempt hairy guy shuffled into the row behind me, and he stank to high hell because he hadn't had a shower in 37 weeks. Presumably off on his way to try his luck on the streets of Palma rather than Madrid. I must say, I admire his technique for having a full row to himself on an otherwise full flight. I must try that sometime!
My partner, who is a doctor, couldn't believe that Iberia Express let this man board. He had the shakes and was snorting something out of a paper bag, and according to my partner was stoned, on a mixture of alcohol and drugs. What are they doing letting somebody like that board an aircraft? The young mother (from the split up family) in front was greatly alarmed and called the crew, who seemed to confer among themselves..and finally brought him a cup of water (now I know how to get a free cup of water out of Iberia Express, must try that some day).
So the flight took off on time, the girls did a trolley run and did their best to give a smiling service and we landed safely. But whoever made the call to let that guy board got lucky, because he turned out to be harmless and just sat there giggling to himself the whole way. It could so easily have swung the other way, though, you just never know with people like that.
Has anyone ever had a positive experience with Iberia Express or got anything remotely positive to say about it?