Right in the middle of our 3-month long round-the-world trip last year, we had to get from Europe to Central America. These flights are usually very costly if paid in cash as the demand is very high. However, it does not cost as much in frequent flyer miles even for business class tickets!
While planning the trip, I knew this was an opportunity we had to take and was excited to find 2 available seats for the dates we wanted. This flight from Madrid to Bogota will take 10.5 hours onboard Iberia’s latest A350-900 aircraft.
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Iberia’s A350-900 aircraft are their latest long-haul aircraft which has been revamped in 2023. You can typically find these aircraft on cross-Atlantic flights. We are excited to be able to fly in one of them on our first time flying with the airline.
This is a full review of our experience taking the Iberia A350-900 Business Class flight.
Booking Our Flight
Our flight from Madrid, Spain to Bogota, Colombia cost us 42,500 British Airways Avios and S$182.90 in taxes and fees per person. As Iberia is a oneworld partner, we can use British Airways Avios to book our flight.
To book this flight, we specifically looked out for British Airways’s “off-peak” dates which are typically much cheaper than normal flight dates.
This is a reasonably good deal given that the flight is 10.5 hours long and revenue tickets are often north of S$5,000 each.
If you’re living in Singapore, transferring Citibank points is the easiest way to earn British Airways Avios. You can earn plenty of points and miles easily with one of our favourites: the Citi Rewards Card.
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Check-In Process
Check-in for Iberia is at Terminal 4, regardless if it’s a domestic or international flight. There are dedicated check-in counters for premium cabin passengers.
Baggage check-in was quick as there were no other passengers and service was efficient here.
Despite that, I would always wish that staff would explain some benefits entitled to premium cabin passengers such as lounge access. I wouldn’t have known that I had lounge access by my ticket had I not already researched beforehand.
Premium cabin passengers can access the Fast Track security lanes at the Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas (MAD) Airport. When we were there at night, it was practically empty and we were the only ones going through immigration.
I could imagine this can come in very handy during peak travel hours.
Lounge Access
Our business class ticket on Iberia granted us access to business class lounges at Madrid’s Airport. As we had 4 hours before our flight, we had plenty of time to visit the Madrid Iberia Premium Valezque Lounge at Terminal 4S (satellite terminal for international flights).
We have a full review of our experience in the lounge. Spoiler alert: it’s really good!
Seat Map
Iberia’s A350-900 aircraft features 36 business class seats in a 1-2-1 configuration. The seat configuration alternates across different rows, so the comfort level of your flight depends on which seat you choose.
For example, if you’re a couple looking to be close to each other, it might be better to choose the middle aisle in the odd rows. The seats are closer to each other as compared to the even rows.
On the other hand, if you’re a single flyer and prefer more privacy, you might want to look at window seats that face the window directly. These are even-row seats on the left and odd-row seats on the right.
Seats
The business class seats on Iberia’s A350-900s are new and modern, with plenty of space for its passengers. They can fully recline into lie-down beds of up to 2m long.
For our flight, we both wanted window seats and therefore we chose 7C and 8C respectively. As you can see from the pictures above, 8C has slightly more privacy than 7C as its seat is closer to the window with the armrest near the aisle.
All seat movements are controlled electronically, meaning you will not need to manually move any parts of the chair. My favourite position has to be the lounging position (second from the right button). The angle of the leg rest is perfect and the most comfortable I’ve ever felt sitting on an aeroplane seat.
The seat features an international charging port (fits UK, US and EU plugs), together with a USB A and USB C port. Located beside the ports, you’ll find a controller for controlling the IFE system. I prefer to use the touch screen to control the IFE system as compared to the remote control.
Hidden within the storage cabinet, you’ll find a set of noise-cancelling headphones and the amenity kit. I love that the amenity kit is provided for every passenger by default, instead of having to ask for it.
The amenity kit comes with a pair of socks, a huge eye mask, ear plugs and various lotions and creams for your body. The products aren’t of any reputable luxury brands, but they are good enough to get the job done.
On every seat, you’ll get a comfortable normal-sized pillow and blanket (which will come in useful halfway through the flight).
In-Flight Service
Shortly after boarding, we were served drinks by the staff. We were given the choice of water, Cava or apple juice. I decided to go with the Cava, given that we were in Spain and I had to try the local Catalonian sparkling wine.
Throughout the flight, the service by the crew was amazing. It’s very similar in quality to what I’ve experienced with other Asian and Middle Eastern airlines, and that says a lot. They took care of my requests with great care and attentiveness.
In-Flight Entertainment
Every seat on Iberia’s A350-900 business-class flight comes with its own 18.5″ touchscreen monitor. This is a modern LCD screen that has great image quality (much better as compared to older business-class screens on Singapore Airlines).
I typically do not watch movies or shows on flights, even on business class flights, due to their poor image quality. Normally, I would rather watch my pre-loaded Netflix shows on my phone. Despite that, I finished a full 2-hour long movie on this flight. This speaks to the screen’s superior quality.
On top of that, the IFE also features Bluetooth connection which I’m seeing more airlines adopt recently. This allows passengers to connect their own Bluetooth headphones to the IFE system instead of using the airline’s headphones which are often of subpar quality. Because of this, I was able to connect my own AirPods Pro to the system.
There is a wide variety of movies and shows to choose from, ranging from international best hits to Spanish classics.
Meal Service
There was a total of 2 meal services throughout our 9-hour flight. The first was served as supper and the other was a quick breakfast service before landing.
Supper service started 50 minutes into the flight, which is standard for flights on this flight time. There were options to choose from for both the appetizers and the mains.
For the appetizer, I chose the smoked salmon tartare. It came served with a piece of bread, olive oil and butter. I always enjoyed hot bread onboard flights (even in economy) and this was no different.
The Salmon Tartare was fresh and rich in taste, a good start to the mains coming up shortly after. Keep in mind that at this point, it’s already past midnight and we’ve had plenty of food in the lounge just a while ago.
For the mains, I went with the “Grilled cod in a red pepper oil” while M went for the
“Beef cheeks served in their own juices” (interesting name).
The fish was tender, with sufficient freshness and taste that can pass off as a restaurant food on the ground. The potato and grilled eggplant complement the taste of the dish well. It’s not anything mindblowing, but good enough for an in-flight meal.
M’s bowl of beef, on the other hand, was a more lacklustre selection than the cod. The meat was dry and tough to bite, with some pieces of broccoli that attempted to add colour to the otherwise bland-looking dish.
For dessert, both of us went with the Lemon sorbet which was a great end to the meal. The serving was just right, and I loved the wafer topping.
The breakfast service was done 1 hour before landing. The air stewardess offered us a choice between an omelette or a pancake. Naturally, I chose the omelette set.
The food felt a little too heavy for me given that it was 3 am.
Final Thoughts
Iberia Business Class A350-900
Summary
The Iberia long-haul business class experience is an underdog! We were pleasantly surprised by the modern seating and great service experienced on a European airline. Together with the amazing redemption cost, this is a flight that I would highly recommend anyone to take.
