I just dropped my Daughter off LHR T5. She is flying to HND today (Eco no status). I thought 2 hours would be enough for regular check in. It turned out she had to run to get to the gate and was almost last person on board. Some ppl missed their airplane. The T5 check-in is a nightmare although the staff is very nice. The staff needed on average 10-15min per person to check-in. That’s mad if you consider that some people have their boarding pass already!
Ouch... I can only assume Japan still has entry restrictions or other red tape that was slowing things down? Not a great way to relax into a long flight...
Another hugely enjoyable video, especially laughed at the comment about your taxi driver :) Thanks as well for explaining the wide body/short haul reason. And oh Heathrow, every time I've passed through there recently it's been a very tiresome experience, in the heat though even worse :(
Thanks Steve! For a bit airport, Heathrow can be ok but with all of those windows it was designed to keep you warm in the winter rather than cool in the summer...
Great video as always. BA do the stand planning for T5 so would've been responsible for putting your aircraft on a remote stand. BA also do the bussing from T5, so were responsible for the delayed buses.
Thanks Genius - I had thought they'd used a remote stand as the wide-body would have had a lot of freight aboard so may have been easier to unload remotely....
Good work Matt, love your tone, style and sardonic delivery, keep it up and more of the same please. Your hidden messaging is apparent and your views are fair and realistic. I had a tragic experience on IB myself and have never chosen them again. The A350 equipment could well have persuaded me as you however
I've had my eye on Finnairs A350 route to Helsinki from LHR for a long time now, just need to bite the bullet. Iberia could also now be on my cards so thanks Matt.
I can recommend, I find myself switching between Finnair and Qatar for SIN/HKG/BKK/TYO. Be aware that at weekends, the lounges at HEL run much more limited hours though, so yo can find yourself loungeless if your flight arrives in the early morning for example, not great if you were looking forward to a shower. Bar in the Platinum lounge is very nice for propping up.
Hi Matt. I had to make an EU261 claim with Iberia after they cancelled my MAD-LHR flight 10 mins before departure causing me to miss my LHR- LBA (those were the days!) connecting flight. This eventually meant I had to go to Manchester and was over 4 hours late back to Leeds. The cancellation was due to a mechanical problem with the plane so was fully on them. They initially denied me anything. I appealed to the Spanish version of the CEDR who found in my favour. Iberia then offered me half the compensation I was due and wouldn't budge on anything else. At this point I was so infuriated I made a small claims court claim on principle and they offered me the correct compensation at the 11th hour. Their solicitors fees were no doubt ridiculously more than the £70 they were penny-pinching with me about. I used the "Resolver" tool which I think was initially provided by Money Saving Expert, and I found it fantastic for collating all (copious) correspondence with Iberia. I have used it with BA as well and it is consistently good. Anyway, thank you for another fantastic , informative video. Good luck with your claim!!!
They really didn't want to pay, did they??? Top top on Resolver... I have to decided whether to let the claim run to a conclusion before I complete and release the video, or whether I get the video out there and update people some other way... I doubt it will be a quick process!
Re your comments about freight brought to mind a flight i took probably 30 years ago, probably American Airlines, where the seating ended at a blank wall half way down the plane because the back half was freight (so i was told). Never encountered that before or after.
Thanks - I flew an Eva plane years back that was similar - don't think there's any around these days but if it means a destination can be serviced that wouldn't otherwise I'd be all for it!
Another great video Matt, I’ve no idea about the number of Gold card holders but I’ve just flown in First to the USA and when they called for Group 1 boarding only and the queue was massive. The chap at the gate said there was 87 people in Group 1. I can only assume 8 people in first inc myself and partner +6 others. The other 79 must have been GCH or GGL which blew me away. It kind of destroys the benefits of group 1 boarding and flying in first
Madrid airport is mental...and I had to change out of my boots cos it was so hot in there, and into new shoes, and I got a blister and bled everywhere.
Me and my mum are planning to go to Vigo this October for a little over a week which means going to Madrid and getting a connecting flight for Vigo on Iberia. But my return ticket will be more expensive than my mums because I have to fly back alone from VGO to MAD and then connect to LHR on BA 3 days before my mum comes back on a similar route for a cheaper price. (Iberia and Air Nostrum) I'd be having school exams so I have to be back early on Saturday instead of Tuesday but I am so nervous and excited because this would be my first time flying alone....
I found myself with about 10 hours to waste in T5 on Saturday (doing my four BA segments in a day needed to retain gold this year, as almost all my tier point earning comes from Qatar & Finnair these days). Anyway, I had a bit of a hangover, so I thought I'd give the forty winks area in the F lounge a try. Once I'd figured out the controls (random button pushing self-discovery seems to be the way), I did drift off for an hour or so, and felt fairly refreshed as a result. Probably not much use if you're not in transit though. The lounge was mostly packed throughout the day until about 7:30pm when it started to empty out. The old Champagne bar area was the easiest area to get a seat. If you think Heathrow's a bit third world. you should try MAN.
Thanks - still not sure I'd trust myself in a sleep pod... I'm a 7+ hour sleeper rather than a 60 minute napper! And I did try MAN on this trip! Video is coming but its a rather different experience....
Hi Matt, I do a lot of travelling to and from Madrid for work. While 140 mins all in is clearly a delay, I would say that on these big aeroplanes, the “par” total wait time with Iberia is probably something like 75-90 mins, so perhaps not as much of a delay as you might imagine. This is partly a Spanish thing, they want to do everything in a hurry then wait around for some time. Every single time I’ve taken this flight in either direction, you have to board well before the scheduled take off and then end up sitting around with very little going on. Part of it of course is the fact it’s a larger plane so it will always take a bit longer to fully board the plane…particularly when everyone has enough hand luggage for an Antarctic trek. Personally, I take the usual 737 / A330 precisely to spend less time on the plane stuck on the ground. Also, Iberia do pretty fair last min Business class upgrades - €40-50 - which I am a sucker for! Final point, getting through Barajas airport in 16 min from the satellite without an EU passport is very impressive! I usually budget an hour! (PS just to be clear I’m an enormous fan of Spain and it’s culture!)
Oh but NB, apparently those last minute Busi class upgrades *do not* attract additional tier points ….any light you could shed on this in a future video would be appreciated!
Cheers Jonny. I was offered an upgrade for €60 but stuck with the PE seat as I wanted to review it... And I was in business the next day. A few Antarctic trekkers around me that day! I was Australian on this trip so was expecting passport control to be a chore but I was straight through... Guess 16 minutes was helped by it being after midnight...
@@MattsPlanet thanks for the swift reply! Keep the point about those Iberia upgrades not giving Busi class tier points in mind for one of your “6 of the best” videos, I’d love to understand it (and the other circumstances in which this might be the case) but I’m presently too lazy to work it out!
Iberia/BA from LHR/MAD is how I ticked off a few widebodys for my log as the fares were usually great and made a nice few day trips (IB A330 / A340 300/600 // BA 767/777-300). Also got a BA 777-300 MAD-LHR in lie-flat club world for a stupidly cheap price which was another nice find
Good video. I've never flown IB long haul, only short haul and narrow body, but I do recall when IAG used to actually provide a service (on BA at least). This (and especially Euro-J on narrows) gives me a reality check on how good we've got it in Australia, despite how we love to moan about QF/VA! Not to mention the occasional A330/B787 (and in the old days a B747) on domestic routes, particularly MEL-SYD!
Fab video Matt thank you! Was guested to a T3 lounge-crawl and A330/350 IB flight to MAD and back. Had a blast. Great you got the brand new cabin and A350 spec too. Would love to see an EU261 video talking about rights and compensation etc. keep up the content, loving it! :)
Indeed... I tend to want to get on first these days as its much easier to film seats and cabins without everyone else aboard... The things I do for my videos!
Sat where you did before our flight to Singapore-booking a shower before flight was great and super efficient-being based in Jersey we rarely have the opportunity to enter through first wing as we go flight connections but recently we missed our connection & were put up overnight. We were able to use it the following morning on the red eye back home-what a dream at 6am in the morning! Brownie points with wife! And straight through to 1st lounge!
Thanks - interested you go through flight connections from Jersey... I came back from Manchester later this trip and we were spat out right in the corner of T5 which I believe is where domestic arrivals come in... It felt much easier to just walk landside across to the F Wing and go back through that way...
Nice to see what’s on the other side of the screen only been as close to entrance before being shooed away to the club check in at T5 I hopefully will enjoy when I reach gold later this year not having to go through the regular security lanes even with fast track on silver so busy most times & also not having to then trudge downstairs back along & up again to the business lounge. Not as impressive as I thought it’d be though the first lounge Matt. We had the pleasure of a wide bodied jet to Madrid on a Saturday morning BA flight pre you know what for a jolly boys weekend. Being we booked club Europe had the pleasure on fully flat beds sadly not on the return with massive hangovers 🤪 which would have been nice. I honestly can’t remember the last T5 flight which has left on time seems to be a regular occurrence even our last flight to BGI in April we entered the plane to a cabin that was so hot the heating was cranked right up followed by a 30 min delay & no water can only assume they were preparing us for the Caribbean heat LOL.
Thanks Madds. The F wing is probably the biggest plus of being Gold - saving you that zig zag walk to get back to the lounges being a large part of it!
Thank you, Matt. A big factor in dropping Gold is the state of flying I've seen in the last few years - not just my experiences, but watching those of others, such as yours. That feeling in the pit of your stomach when you realise it's a bus ride. At least it was only £67 :-)
The flip-flopping of Iberia between T3 and T5 at Heathrow is honestly hellish. Also, the changing of which BA flights leave from T3 is constantly fluctuating… please make up your mind BA
Worth researching these flights in my opinion,,,, my luckiest upgrade was from CE to Club World flat bed on a 767 to Athens ... the IB Madrid service offers twice daily flights on wide bodies as you know... tho the A330s can be very tired....
I flew one of those Madrid - Heathrow widebody flights a few years ago. Almost exactly the same experience Plus my business class meal was either a tomato omelette or chicken in a tomato sauce. I say either as even after eating it, I wasn't sure which it was
Wide bodies are very very common on East Asian legacy carrier flights. In fact, they are mainstays on some domestic Asian routes, especially within Japan. Narrow-bodies are now increasingly common on transatlantic flights. So you must have been lucky. But I’ve taken wide-body flights on BA from EDI to LHR and again from ARN to LHR. Both were on a 767 though with a regional configuration. I think that type has left the fleet? Given Brexit and cost of living concerns, a £67 fare out of LHR is a jackpot.
Thanks Paolo. The 767 has long gone - unlike the 747 BA did announce it was leaving service so had a few farewell flights before it finally got mothballed... And I was on an A350 from BKK to SIN a few months back which was not dissimilar in length to LON-MAD but a world away in terms of the service expectations!
@@MattsPlanet, I flew on an A350 from BKK to SIN almost a month ago (SIA). I'll put up a RUclips video of that experiecne in a few weeks. For now, all I can say is that it felt as if it was over in a blink of an eye.
Great video as always! I used to enjoy getting the old 767s down to Cyprus as a wide-bodied treat, until they were pensioned off. Maybe when BA get the new 777s they’ll be doing the same thing!
I took this flight as well (back in Sept 2022) and really made sure to get on the A350. I was arriving from Gibraltar on BA and had a somewhat generous connection time. Luckily, Iberia was at T3 at that time, so I was able to check out the Qantas Lounge before the flight to Madrid. Masks and all! - Red
I'm looking forward to that video being done! Not looking forward to researching and scripting it though! A video that will probably not do that well, but if you need that information it will hopefully be just what you need! The delay codes are a good detail I will strive to include...
Thanks Matt, great video as always. Just a couple of quick questions - you mention that the First lounge at LHR is pretty much the Gold card holder’s lounge. How then are there young children present (4:35ish)? Surely they aren’t gold card holders? Are you, as a good card holder allowed to invite others in? Do you often see children in the First lounge? Just curious! Thanks again!
Every gold card holder can guest someone in... And kids who travel with their parents can earn their own tier points and get status in their own right. BA will relax the rules during school holidays too when business loads are lower.... Cheers!
Really detailed and useful RUclips, Matt. Re wide-bodies on short routes. One point you omitted was the fact that some airlines like to impress or woo their customers. Look at BA who deploys 787s/777s for LHR-TLV. That route is classified as European and the wide-bodies seek to make the total travel experience of N Americans travelling to Israel via LHR more enjoyable. Some years ago BA would operate LHR-Moscow with B747s configured for long-haul. Again BA wanted to woo wealthy Russian customers both to London (or Moscow on Thames as it was at that time) and, in some cases, to continue onwards using its long-haul network.
Thanks Alex - seen lots from people still grumpy than an equivalent service to that still offered to TLV was dropped from CAI and AMM... Plus BA thinks they can get premium fares out of those Americans heading to Israel!
We too are flying widebody to Madrid soon but, yes, denied T3! We book the occasional trip to Luxembourg mainly to enjoy T3. I’m not sure if that’s entering the insanity zone or not. That said, although I would imagine you’ve done it, Luxembourg City is actually a really good trip. Great video as always.
Thanks - I had a trip to Valencia booked largely to make a video about T3 and BA rescheduled one of the flights which meant I couldn't take the trip... It's destined not to be! I am scheduled through T3 but not until January... I do like Lux so perhaps I should take a look... Free public transport when you're there too!
@@MattsPlanet yes exactly and a small airport so quick to get out of. Lots to like. Although noticed no fast track for silver+ on the way home unless we missed it.
Cool video Matt. I really enjoy your videos, especially those with flights on Oneworld airlines. Out of interest, how long did it take for your points/status credits show up on your frequent flyer program? I've flown with Iberia numerous times and it has always taken 12 months + for the points to show up, so i'd be interested to know if BA Executive Club members get better treatment (i'm with Qantas Frequent Flyer).
Thanks - the points for this flight showed up the next day... But Iberia and BA share a few back-end systems so that's going to be one of the easier links...
Nice video Looking forward to next weeks Matt. Flying to MCO in September but starting in Madrid-50% cheaper than Gatwick but really worried about time queuing for passport control on departure.
I'll happily spoil next week's video by saying I was through passport control in seconds outbound from Madrid. Not an issue at all although it can obviously vary by time of day. And departing MAD can be an absolute bargain!
I did a recent day trip with Iberia (A320neo/A350-900) to Madrid. I sat in the Premium Economy as well, it was a good option with free seating privileges. Even if I had to pay up, I'd still do it if I could! I did BA Boeing 777s a few times in 2017/19 when they also operated a wide-body aircraft to Madrid alongside Iberia, but it seems now only Iberia does the wide-body flights for IAG...
@@MattsPlanet I had the pleasure of flying the Boeing 787 twice on two short haulers recently, which was great! I did an AMS & FRA. I also bagged one of those November 2021 A380 training flights.
I'm paying £251 for LGW-MAD return on Easyjet Mid December this year! What a price difference! Never been before so planned to have a couple of days there before continuing further on.
I heard a another reason a few years back for larger planes, with better premium seating, on the Madrid to London. All the IAG executives flying back and forth. Not sure if it's true or not.
I took what I believe was about the final LHR mad flight prior to the UK lockdown. This too turned out to be a wide body and, due to the pandemic, and the fact that there were about a dozen passengers, they took the opportunity to spread us out. Did they hell: we were all sitting pretty much on top of each other until a minor mutiny occured. We were more or less on time into mad, but my connecting flight was then delayed until about 0200 so it was close to 0400 when I finally reached my destination and rolled into bed. I utterly detest the C gates. Combine that with bussing to the plane and I'd be spitting before I reached my seat.
I believe the C gates were partly designed to be the US terminal with immigration pre-clearance completed there like happens in Dublin. But an economic agreement could never be struck... So it is a right pain these days! I assume lock down was more tolerable in Spain than the UK?
Hi Matt, was your flight on Monday 12th June? I was on a flight back from Ibiza to Leeds Bradford, ATC held us for an hour on the runway at Ibiza due to thunderstorms and announced that Heathrow was currently shut.
Good review. Bonus point for your perseverance in getting that PE seat. EU 261 action? Sign me up for some of that! Pilots' take-off/landing practise? Pass.
Thanks - EU261 looks like a solid prospect... Sure the pilots get plenty of practise in a simulator rather than in the cockpit but I take your point either way!
I sat in that very area in the First Class lounge drinking a champagne on Wednesday. This was during a nightmare journey home from New Orleans involving a 12.5 hour mechanical delay on American Airlines in Charlotte in which our 815pm departure turned into an 845am arriving at LHR at 930pm, necessitating an overnight at LHR. American assured me my luggage would be checked onto my rebooked flight to Glasgow the next day but, sadly, this proved not to be the case and it was only delivered yesterday. I’m pretty committed to BA exec club and OneWorld but these kind of events, which used to be the exception, are becoming the norm at least in my experience. I was also caught up in BA’s latest IT meltdown at LHR coming home from Vancouver last month. Fun times!
Ouch. Mechanical delays can happen but if they seem to happen to you every flight then that is enough to dent your loyalty... Really annoying when bags don't make it, especially if they have all night to get it right!
@@MattsPlanet happened on 3 out of the last 4 longhauls I’ve been on. It’s how they respond at the time that counts and both BA and AA disgraced themselves on each occasion. Maybe a run of bad luck, we’ll see. I’m flying Iberia business class to Mexico City in December so it’ll be interesting to see your next video. I’m on JAL premium economy following that trip where one senses they’re more customer focused.
Marvelous video as always - and a steal of a price in my opinion. I've only ever been able to do the long-haul-jet-on-short-haul a couple times, though I'd say service I experienced was on a par with yours (though mine was on AA ). Usually if I experience an equipment change, its to my detriment. I do find it odd that you had to put yourself back into the cabin you had booked. But a PE seat for that flight, I'll take it. Looking forward to your follow-on video. PS First lounge in T5 vs lounge-hopping in T3? Oh how you must have suffered.... :)
Matt, you guys are missing a trick, I’m a Qatar privilege club gold member, not the highest status, that’s platinum, however, I’m regularly upgraded to business class, always get exit row seat with middle seat blocked, lounges, priority, etc. My theory is that Middle East airlines don’t have the same numbers of frequent flyers as BA. Because many people visit the Middle East or Asia as a one off “trip of a lifetime “ flight, compared to BA flying business people all over Europe and USA regularly… My tip is… if you want great benefits, join a Middle East loyalty program instead of a British one.
That's an interesting theory.... Being Emerald in OneWorld via BA or Qatar shouldn't make a difference when it comes to exit rows, lounges and priority. Upgrades is another story... But getting and maintaining status on Qatar is a lot harder to do versus BA so whilst it may bring benefits, its a lot harder....
I don't think it's fair that you had to move yourself back to Premium Economy - surely when the original equipment was reinstated then so should your seat choice? I'm not surprised though. Particularly good take off photography this time 👍
Thanks Roger. It was odd - I was shunted back to row 22 overnight but when I checked online, it was the same type of aircraft and although what I was in (12A) was now showing as taken, 14 A was free... I guess I'll never know what happened but it worked out ok!
When did you travel Matt, was it June 12th? There were lots of thunderstorms cells around Heathrow on the 11th and 12th which caused havoc for ATC in getting aircraft in and out of the airport. There was a live show from BigJet TV on the Sunday which was quite entertaining! And the downpour on the 12th must have been pretty spectacular too - a poster on FlyerTalk reported that 24.2mm of rain fell in the 30 mins around 5pm!
It was indeed the 12th June. I can understand that these episodes are disruptive but it was so confined to a small window that its hard to believe it could so seriously impact the rest of the day... As I said in the video, I was in the lounge and didn't even notice!
Are you confusing 'part pay with avios' (in the commentary at 15:29) with a reward booking - where you can part pay with cash? I guess one of the pros of a reward booking is that it is more cancellable than a revenue booking, but with that low a fare it hardly makes a difference. And of course it depends how you value your avios - which is probably based on how you earned them in the first place.
Thanks Geoff - this was definitely a reward booking as it consumed a twofer... It is confusing to know which path you're on as both end up with you paying cash and avios... This was definitely a redemption... I'm getting my avios at well under 1p each at the moment but tend to value them at that as it makes the maths easy!
Seems like Iberia gave you the "boarding finger" in several ways on this trip. I'm eager to see if that held true on the return as well or you got the high-quality service you've earned. I have seen both positive and negative reports--with repeat evidence--about Iberia's service (on top of IAG's general thriftiness), which led me to book my upcoming trip with UA and TAP instead. I live in fear of IAG succeeding in their bid for TAP as they're already slightly thrifty due to that nation's/government's economic state.
We have booked a flight for end of August next year to Madrid with a long haul p,and, if of course they don’t change it! Mind I booked it by complete accident and after realised the bonus.
Most are quite well know - from videos like this! Otherwise you have to hunt them out - they're most likely on routes with multiple flights a day between big cities... Lufthansa ran a 747 from Frankfurt to Palma for a few weeks and it got noticed and shared on various blogs...
I think that Iberia and Finnair use widebodies to feed into and out of their international routes at Madrid and Helsinki. Madrid is very good for Mexico and Brazil and Helsinki is great for Far East.
Why was there no literature or paper menu Aer Lingus have done this also on short haul flights the sales menu digital only stupid in my opinion from a sales perspective
For sure picked up a couple of good flights. Virgin to Orlando Upper and Dublin to Chicago Business one way premium the other… that was a good priced ticket.
Great review as always. My experience with Iberia to Panama was never a nice experience. Did that trip 4 times. Food was mediocre. Service was terrible.
Madrid to Bogota next week... It should of been great given all the advantages Iberia has... No spoilers but it wasn't as good as it should have been...
Wait my jaw is still hanging open. Did you say that they didn’t even offer water? And water isn’t free on IAG group flights within Europe? If so that’s crazy 😜
I am sure Iberia (indeed any airline) will give out free water if a passenger is in distress! It wasn't deemed a long enough delay or a hot enough day for water to be offered without prompting...
@@MattsPlanet Hey Matt thanks for the reply but even after takeoff beverages aren’t offered for free? I’m American so forgive my ignorance with IAG I normally fly Delta Air France or KLM. BTW great review I’m a former flight attendant so it’s just unnatural not offer free drinks on any flight unless your flying a budget airline like Spirit. But a full service carrier like Iberia or BA with such a nice A350 that’s a disgrace 🤣 Boy have times changed. Keep’m coming and fly safe ✈️
@@Lad7478 Its an interesting topic... Low cost carriers offer nothing for free - generally true in most parts of the world except Asia, where even the LCCs offer catering. BA and Iberia, traditionally full service carriers, tried a hybrid model where they would be full service in business class (in front of the curtain) and low cost behind it. How much of this was penny pinching versus being an ideological thing was never clear... BA has realised that this wasn't popular so now offers a small bottle of water and "a snack" to economy as well as offering paid options. I was surprised that Iberia is still offering nothing for free to economy. Especially as it was so hot and we were nearly 3 hours delayed... As with many things, the US is different!
@@MattsPlanet thanks Matt for the information I really enjoyed the level of detail you provided in your video ie. no air vents on an A350 shame on IAG. Well you now have a new subscriber and can’t wait to see more content. You can tell your an experienced traveler and it’s nice to see someone who’s not 20 or 30 something doing this. Experience counts for a lot. Very interesting facts about BA vs Iberia. Delta here in the US has decided not to become a bottom feeder and instead has gone the other direction building brand loyalty through premium offerings while still being competitive with its basic economy fares. I was on a recent flight in FC where we had a mechanical and had to return to the gate after an hour. They FA’s offered water and snacks in economy and we were offered drinks and snacks in FC as well. Even airlines like JetBlue and Southwest so called budget carriers offer unlimited beverages (non alcoholic) and snacks with food for purchase as well. They even offer free IFE (not SWA) as well as free wifi. Do you ever fly AF or KLM? I believe they still offer service in economy on inter Europe flights. I don’t do economy anymore but I like to say you can always judge an airline by its economy service… Hello Singapore and Emirates. I’ll keep watching and see what you come up with next. Until then fly safe ✈️ wishing you all the best and much success on you channel 👍Cheers ✈️
well tall people earn 10% per cent more than short people, and men earn 10% more than women so I guess you'rebeating me, a small woman. #Ineedthefootrest
I think I know the answer to this one... Once the doors are closed the airline stops paying rent on the stand they're using - it becomes clearly the airports problem if the filled airplane can't leave... Not the best outcome for the passenger but the best outcome for the airline. Just about sums up the economic model of airlines these days!
Change the cynical monotone delivery. That was awful. Listen to the delivery of Sam Chui Josh Cahill or Paul Lucas or even Noel Phillips. Every sentence was an implied criticism from outset Apologies but you need feedback over that
I just dropped my Daughter off LHR T5. She is flying to HND today (Eco no status). I thought 2 hours would be enough for regular check in. It turned out she had to run to get to the gate and was almost last person on board. Some ppl missed their airplane. The T5 check-in is a nightmare although the staff is very nice. The staff needed on average 10-15min per person to check-in. That’s mad if you consider that some people have their boarding pass already!
Ouch... I can only assume Japan still has entry restrictions or other red tape that was slowing things down? Not a great way to relax into a long flight...
Another hugely enjoyable video, especially laughed at the comment about your taxi driver :) Thanks as well for explaining the wide body/short haul reason. And oh Heathrow, every time I've passed through there recently it's been a very tiresome experience, in the heat though even worse :(
Thanks Steve! For a bit airport, Heathrow can be ok but with all of those windows it was designed to keep you warm in the winter rather than cool in the summer...
Bit of a moaner from what I saw
Great video as always. BA do the stand planning for T5 so would've been responsible for putting your aircraft on a remote stand. BA also do the bussing from T5, so were responsible for the delayed buses.
Thanks Genius - I had thought they'd used a remote stand as the wide-body would have had a lot of freight aboard so may have been easier to unload remotely....
Good work Matt, love your tone, style and sardonic delivery, keep it up and more of the same please. Your hidden messaging is apparent and your views are fair and realistic. I had a tragic experience on IB myself and have never chosen them again. The A350 equipment could well have persuaded me as you however
Thanks! "Tragic" doesn't sound good....
I've had my eye on Finnairs A350 route to Helsinki from LHR for a long time now, just need to bite the bullet. Iberia could also now be on my cards so thanks Matt.
It makes for a fun trip!
I can recommend, I find myself switching between Finnair and Qatar for SIN/HKG/BKK/TYO. Be aware that at weekends, the lounges at HEL run much more limited hours though, so yo can find yourself loungeless if your flight arrives in the early morning for example, not great if you were looking forward to a shower.
Bar in the Platinum lounge is very nice for propping up.
Hi Matt. I had to make an EU261 claim with Iberia after they cancelled my MAD-LHR flight 10 mins before departure causing me to miss my LHR- LBA (those were the days!) connecting flight. This eventually meant I had to go to Manchester and was over 4 hours late back to Leeds. The cancellation was due to a mechanical problem with the plane so was fully on them.
They initially denied me anything. I appealed to the Spanish version of the CEDR who found in my favour. Iberia then offered me half the compensation I was due and wouldn't budge on anything else. At this point I was so infuriated I made a small claims court claim on principle and they offered me the correct compensation at the 11th hour. Their solicitors fees were no doubt ridiculously more than the £70 they were penny-pinching with me about.
I used the "Resolver" tool which I think was initially provided by Money Saving Expert, and I found it fantastic for collating all (copious) correspondence with Iberia. I have used it with BA as well and it is consistently good.
Anyway, thank you for another fantastic , informative video. Good luck with your claim!!!
They really didn't want to pay, did they??? Top top on Resolver... I have to decided whether to let the claim run to a conclusion before I complete and release the video, or whether I get the video out there and update people some other way... I doubt it will be a quick process!
Re your comments about freight brought to mind a flight i took probably 30 years ago, probably American Airlines, where the seating ended at a blank wall half way down the plane because the back half was freight (so i was told). Never encountered that before or after.
Thanks - I flew an Eva plane years back that was similar - don't think there's any around these days but if it means a destination can be serviced that wouldn't otherwise I'd be all for it!
Another great video Matt, I’ve no idea about the number of Gold card holders but I’ve just flown in First to the USA and when they called for Group 1 boarding only and the queue was massive. The chap at the gate said there was 87 people in Group 1. I can only assume 8 people in first inc myself and partner +6 others. The other 79 must have been GCH or GGL which blew me away. It kind of destroys the benefits of group 1 boarding and flying in first
Indeed - I've been on a couple of flights recently where Groups 1-3 were boarded en masse which was borderline ridiculous!
Madrid airport is mental...and I had to change out of my boots cos it was so hot in there, and into new shoes, and I got a blister and bled everywhere.
Now that's a story! Madrid airport features a little more in this week's video...
Me and my mum are planning to go to Vigo this October for a little over a week which means going to Madrid and getting a connecting flight for Vigo on Iberia. But my return ticket will be more expensive than my mums because I have to fly back alone from VGO to MAD and then connect to LHR on BA 3 days before my mum comes back on a similar route for a cheaper price. (Iberia and Air Nostrum) I'd be having school exams so I have to be back early on Saturday instead of Tuesday but I am so nervous and excited because this would be my first time flying alone....
You'll be fine!!! I'm sure you'll love the experience. My first flights solo were to Vancouver and I loved every second of it!
I found myself with about 10 hours to waste in T5 on Saturday (doing my four BA segments in a day needed to retain gold this year, as almost all my tier point earning comes from Qatar & Finnair these days).
Anyway, I had a bit of a hangover, so I thought I'd give the forty winks area in the F lounge a try. Once I'd figured out the controls (random button pushing self-discovery seems to be the way), I did drift off for an hour or so, and felt fairly refreshed as a result. Probably not much use if you're not in transit though.
The lounge was mostly packed throughout the day until about 7:30pm when it started to empty out. The old Champagne bar area was the easiest area to get a seat.
If you think Heathrow's a bit third world. you should try MAN.
Thanks - still not sure I'd trust myself in a sleep pod... I'm a 7+ hour sleeper rather than a 60 minute napper! And I did try MAN on this trip! Video is coming but its a rather different experience....
Hi Matt, I do a lot of travelling to and from Madrid for work. While 140 mins all in is clearly a delay, I would say that on these big aeroplanes, the “par” total wait time with Iberia is probably something like 75-90 mins, so perhaps not as much of a delay as you might imagine. This is partly a Spanish thing, they want to do everything in a hurry then wait around for some time. Every single time I’ve taken this flight in either direction, you have to board well before the scheduled take off and then end up sitting around with very little going on. Part of it of course is the fact it’s a larger plane so it will always take a bit longer to fully board the plane…particularly when everyone has enough hand luggage for an Antarctic trek.
Personally, I take the usual 737 / A330 precisely to spend less time on the plane stuck on the ground. Also, Iberia do pretty fair last min Business class upgrades - €40-50 - which I am a sucker for!
Final point, getting through Barajas airport in 16 min from the satellite without an EU passport is very impressive! I usually budget an hour!
(PS just to be clear I’m an enormous fan of Spain and it’s culture!)
Oh but NB, apparently those last minute Busi class upgrades *do not* attract additional tier points ….any light you could shed on this in a future video would be appreciated!
Cheers Jonny. I was offered an upgrade for €60 but stuck with the PE seat as I wanted to review it... And I was in business the next day. A few Antarctic trekkers around me that day! I was Australian on this trip so was expecting passport control to be a chore but I was straight through... Guess 16 minutes was helped by it being after midnight...
@@MattsPlanet thanks for the swift reply!
Keep the point about those Iberia upgrades not giving Busi class tier points in mind for one of your “6 of the best” videos, I’d love to understand it (and the other circumstances in which this might be the case) but I’m presently too lazy to work it out!
Iberia/BA from LHR/MAD is how I ticked off a few widebodys for my log as the fares were usually great and made a nice few day trips (IB A330 / A340 300/600 // BA 767/777-300). Also got a BA 777-300 MAD-LHR in lie-flat club world for a stupidly cheap price which was another nice find
They are a cost effective way to enjoy an unusual aircraft... Not many A340's around these days....
Good video. I've never flown IB long haul, only short haul and narrow body, but I do recall when IAG used to actually provide a service (on BA at least). This (and especially Euro-J on narrows) gives me a reality check on how good we've got it in Australia, despite how we love to moan about QF/VA!
Not to mention the occasional A330/B787 (and in the old days a B747) on domestic routes, particularly MEL-SYD!
Service on a short haul???? I'm coming back to Aus....
Fab video Matt thank you! Was guested to a T3 lounge-crawl and A330/350 IB flight to MAD and back. Had a blast. Great you got the brand new cabin and A350 spec too. Would love to see an EU261 video talking about rights and compensation etc.
keep up the content, loving it! :)
Thanks! The EU261 video is coming! Trying to make it un-dull!
7:06 that’s when I go sit down and wait for the herd to cattle through
Indeed... I tend to want to get on first these days as its much easier to film seats and cabins without everyone else aboard... The things I do for my videos!
8:51 very nice set up
It'll do nicely for 2 hours!
Sat where you did before our flight to Singapore-booking a shower before flight was great and super efficient-being based in Jersey we rarely have the opportunity to enter through first wing as we go flight connections but recently we missed our connection & were put up overnight. We were able to use it the following morning on the red eye back home-what a dream at 6am in the morning! Brownie points with wife! And straight through to 1st lounge!
Thanks - interested you go through flight connections from Jersey... I came back from Manchester later this trip and we were spat out right in the corner of T5 which I believe is where domestic arrivals come in... It felt much easier to just walk landside across to the F Wing and go back through that way...
Nice to see what’s on the other side of the screen only been as close to entrance before being shooed away to the club check in at T5 I hopefully will enjoy when I reach gold later this year not having to go through the regular security lanes even with fast track on silver so busy most times & also not having to then trudge downstairs back along & up again to the business lounge.
Not as impressive as I thought it’d be though the first lounge Matt.
We had the pleasure of a wide bodied jet to Madrid on a Saturday morning BA flight pre you know what for a jolly boys weekend. Being we booked club Europe had the pleasure on fully flat beds sadly not on the return with massive hangovers 🤪 which would have been nice.
I honestly can’t remember the last T5 flight which has left on time seems to be a regular occurrence even our last flight to BGI in April we entered the plane to a cabin that was so hot the heating was cranked right up followed by a 30 min delay & no water can only assume they were preparing us for the Caribbean heat LOL.
Thanks Madds. The F wing is probably the biggest plus of being Gold - saving you that zig zag walk to get back to the lounges being a large part of it!
Thank you, Matt.
A big factor in dropping Gold is the state of flying I've seen in the last few years - not just my experiences, but watching those of others, such as yours. That feeling in the pit of your stomach when you realise it's a bus ride. At least it was only £67 :-)
Thanks Peter. Those magic days of aviation do indeed seem to be long gone, sadly!
The flip-flopping of Iberia between T3 and T5 at Heathrow is honestly hellish. Also, the changing of which BA flights leave from T3 is constantly fluctuating… please make up your mind BA
It is certainly annoying and hard to keep track of!
Worth researching these flights in my opinion,,,, my luckiest upgrade was from CE to Club World flat bed on a 767 to Athens ... the IB Madrid service offers twice daily flights on wide bodies as you know... tho the A330s can be very tired....
I remember the 767's.... Vaguely!
I flew one of those Madrid - Heathrow widebody flights a few years ago. Almost exactly the same experience
Plus my business class meal was either a tomato omelette or chicken in a tomato sauce. I say either as even after eating it, I wasn't sure which it was
Thanks Lawrence... Not the best catering then! Great plane though...
Wide bodies are very very common on East Asian legacy carrier flights. In fact, they are mainstays on some domestic Asian routes, especially within Japan. Narrow-bodies are now increasingly common on transatlantic flights. So you must have been lucky.
But I’ve taken wide-body flights on BA from EDI to LHR and again from ARN to LHR. Both were on a 767 though with a regional configuration. I think that type has left the fleet?
Given Brexit and cost of living concerns, a £67 fare out of LHR is a jackpot.
Thanks Paolo. The 767 has long gone - unlike the 747 BA did announce it was leaving service so had a few farewell flights before it finally got mothballed... And I was on an A350 from BKK to SIN a few months back which was not dissimilar in length to LON-MAD but a world away in terms of the service expectations!
@@MattsPlanet, I flew on an A350 from BKK to SIN almost a month ago (SIA). I'll put up a RUclips video of that experiecne in a few weeks. For now, all I can say is that it felt as if it was over in a blink of an eye.
Great video as always! I used to enjoy getting the old 767s down to Cyprus as a wide-bodied treat, until they were pensioned off. Maybe when BA get the new 777s they’ll be doing the same thing!
Thanks Jeb. A 777 would be a lot of plane for a run to Cyprus or anywhere in Europe!
@@MattsPlanetlast year I managed to get a 787 club dormitory seat to athens!
I took this flight as well (back in Sept 2022) and really made sure to get on the A350. I was arriving from Gibraltar on BA and had a somewhat generous connection time. Luckily, Iberia was at T3 at that time, so I was able to check out the Qantas Lounge before the flight to Madrid. Masks and all!
- Red
Happy days Red! As I said in the vid, moderately annoyed they'd moved to T5 by the time I flew!
Looking forward to youe compensation claim video. Presume you will explain delay codes and use expert flyer to assit with that
I'm looking forward to that video being done! Not looking forward to researching and scripting it though! A video that will probably not do that well, but if you need that information it will hopefully be just what you need! The delay codes are a good detail I will strive to include...
Thanks Matt, great video as always. Just a couple of quick questions - you mention that the First lounge at LHR is pretty much the Gold card holder’s lounge. How then are there young children present (4:35ish)? Surely they aren’t gold card holders? Are you, as a good card holder allowed to invite others in? Do you often see children in the First lounge?
Just curious! Thanks again!
Every gold card holder can guest someone in... And kids who travel with their parents can earn their own tier points and get status in their own right. BA will relax the rules during school holidays too when business loads are lower.... Cheers!
Really detailed and useful RUclips, Matt. Re wide-bodies on short routes. One point you omitted was the fact that some airlines like to impress or woo their customers. Look at BA who deploys 787s/777s for LHR-TLV. That route is classified as European and the wide-bodies seek to make the total travel experience of N Americans travelling to Israel via LHR more enjoyable. Some years ago BA would operate LHR-Moscow with B747s configured for long-haul. Again BA wanted to woo wealthy Russian customers both to London (or Moscow on Thames as it was at that time) and, in some cases, to continue onwards using its long-haul network.
Thanks Alex - seen lots from people still grumpy than an equivalent service to that still offered to TLV was dropped from CAI and AMM... Plus BA thinks they can get premium fares out of those Americans heading to Israel!
Wow, the amount of Stilton available in that lounge 🤯
Aha! My cheese correspondent!! I did have you in mind when I took that shot!
I have flown IST-LHR on a A330 before, very sparsely populated. Thanks for the review. :)
Those flights can be sparsely occupied... Mine wasn't!
8:11 🎉 nice, what a beaut
It's a big plane!!!
We too are flying widebody to Madrid soon but, yes, denied T3! We book the occasional trip to Luxembourg mainly to enjoy T3. I’m not sure if that’s entering the insanity zone or not. That said, although I would imagine you’ve done it, Luxembourg City is actually a really good trip. Great video as always.
Thanks - I had a trip to Valencia booked largely to make a video about T3 and BA rescheduled one of the flights which meant I couldn't take the trip... It's destined not to be! I am scheduled through T3 but not until January... I do like Lux so perhaps I should take a look... Free public transport when you're there too!
@@MattsPlanet yes exactly and a small airport so quick to get out of. Lots to like. Although noticed no fast track for silver+ on the way home unless we missed it.
Cool video Matt. I really enjoy your videos, especially those with flights on Oneworld airlines.
Out of interest, how long did it take for your points/status credits show up on your frequent flyer program?
I've flown with Iberia numerous times and it has always taken 12 months + for the points to show up, so i'd be interested to know if BA Executive Club members get better treatment (i'm with Qantas Frequent Flyer).
Thanks - the points for this flight showed up the next day... But Iberia and BA share a few back-end systems so that's going to be one of the easier links...
Nice video Looking forward to next weeks Matt. Flying to MCO in September but starting in Madrid-50% cheaper than Gatwick but really worried about time queuing for passport control on departure.
I'll happily spoil next week's video by saying I was through passport control in seconds outbound from Madrid. Not an issue at all although it can obviously vary by time of day. And departing MAD can be an absolute bargain!
@@MattsPlanet Thanks Matt very reassuring🤗👍
I did a recent day trip with Iberia (A320neo/A350-900) to Madrid. I sat in the Premium Economy as well, it was a good option with free seating privileges. Even if I had to pay up, I'd still do it if I could! I did BA Boeing 777s a few times in 2017/19 when they also operated a wide-body aircraft to Madrid alongside Iberia, but it seems now only Iberia does the wide-body flights for IAG...
BA is a bit hard up for wide-bodies having retired c. 15 747s during the you-know-what so they don't waste them on frivolous things like short haul!
@@MattsPlanet I had the pleasure of flying the Boeing 787 twice on two short haulers recently, which was great! I did an AMS & FRA. I also bagged one of those November 2021 A380 training flights.
I'm paying £251 for LGW-MAD return on Easyjet Mid December this year! What a price difference! Never been before so planned to have a couple of days there before continuing further on.
Madrid is lovely - even in mid-December! Have a great time
I heard a another reason a few years back for larger planes, with better premium seating, on the Madrid to London. All the IAG executives flying back and forth. Not sure if it's true or not.
I hope it isn't!
I took what I believe was about the final LHR mad flight prior to the UK lockdown. This too turned out to be a wide body and, due to the pandemic, and the fact that there were about a dozen passengers, they took the opportunity to spread us out. Did they hell: we were all sitting pretty much on top of each other until a minor mutiny occured. We were more or less on time into mad, but my connecting flight was then delayed until about 0200 so it was close to 0400 when I finally reached my destination and rolled into bed.
I utterly detest the C gates. Combine that with bussing to the plane and I'd be spitting before I reached my seat.
I believe the C gates were partly designed to be the US terminal with immigration pre-clearance completed there like happens in Dublin. But an economic agreement could never be struck... So it is a right pain these days! I assume lock down was more tolerable in Spain than the UK?
Hi Matt, was your flight on Monday 12th June? I was on a flight back from Ibiza to Leeds Bradford, ATC held us for an hour on the runway at Ibiza due to thunderstorms and announced that Heathrow was currently shut.
It was indeed... Someone else commented that there was 20mm of rain in 30 minutes... I guess I can forgive some disruption from that!
Good review. Bonus point for your perseverance in getting that PE seat. EU 261 action? Sign me up for some of that! Pilots' take-off/landing practise? Pass.
Thanks - EU261 looks like a solid prospect... Sure the pilots get plenty of practise in a simulator rather than in the cockpit but I take your point either way!
I sat in that very area in the First Class lounge drinking a champagne on Wednesday. This was during a nightmare journey home from New Orleans involving a 12.5 hour mechanical delay on American Airlines in Charlotte in which our 815pm departure turned into an 845am arriving at LHR at 930pm, necessitating an overnight at LHR. American assured me my luggage would be checked onto my rebooked flight to Glasgow the next day but, sadly, this proved not to be the case and it was only delivered yesterday. I’m pretty committed to BA exec club and OneWorld but these kind of events, which used to be the exception, are becoming the norm at least in my experience. I was also caught up in BA’s latest IT meltdown at LHR coming home from Vancouver last month. Fun times!
Ouch. Mechanical delays can happen but if they seem to happen to you every flight then that is enough to dent your loyalty... Really annoying when bags don't make it, especially if they have all night to get it right!
@@MattsPlanet happened on 3 out of the last 4 longhauls I’ve been on. It’s how they respond at the time that counts and both BA and AA disgraced themselves on each occasion. Maybe a run of bad luck, we’ll see. I’m flying Iberia business class to Mexico City in December so it’ll be interesting to see your next video. I’m on JAL premium economy following that trip where one senses they’re more customer focused.
Marvelous video as always - and a steal of a price in my opinion. I've only ever been able to do the long-haul-jet-on-short-haul a couple times, though I'd say service I experienced was on a par with yours (though mine was on AA ). Usually if I experience an equipment change, its to my detriment. I do find it odd that you had to put yourself back into the cabin you had booked. But a PE seat for that flight, I'll take it. Looking forward to your follow-on video. PS First lounge in T5 vs lounge-hopping in T3? Oh how you must have suffered.... :)
Cheers - as I say in the video, T5 is second prize versus T3 but its still a long way ahead of Luton or Stansted!
Matt, you guys are missing a trick, I’m a Qatar privilege club gold member, not the highest status, that’s platinum, however, I’m regularly upgraded to business class, always get exit row seat with middle seat blocked, lounges, priority, etc.
My theory is that Middle East airlines don’t have the same numbers of frequent flyers as BA. Because many people visit the Middle East or Asia as a one off “trip of a lifetime “ flight, compared to BA flying business people all over Europe and USA regularly…
My tip is… if you want great benefits, join a Middle East loyalty program instead of a British one.
That's an interesting theory.... Being Emerald in OneWorld via BA or Qatar shouldn't make a difference when it comes to exit rows, lounges and priority. Upgrades is another story... But getting and maintaining status on Qatar is a lot harder to do versus BA so whilst it may bring benefits, its a lot harder....
I don't think it's fair that you had to move yourself back to Premium Economy - surely when the original equipment was reinstated then so should your seat choice? I'm not surprised though. Particularly good take off photography this time 👍
Thanks Roger. It was odd - I was shunted back to row 22 overnight but when I checked online, it was the same type of aircraft and although what I was in (12A) was now showing as taken, 14 A was free... I guess I'll never know what happened but it worked out ok!
@@MattsPlanetI'm glad you ended up back in the right section anyway 🙂
When did you travel Matt, was it June 12th? There were lots of thunderstorms cells around Heathrow on the 11th and 12th which caused havoc for ATC in getting aircraft in and out of the airport. There was a live show from BigJet TV on the Sunday which was quite entertaining! And the downpour on the 12th must have been pretty spectacular too - a poster on FlyerTalk reported that 24.2mm of rain fell in the 30 mins around 5pm!
It was indeed the 12th June. I can understand that these episodes are disruptive but it was so confined to a small window that its hard to believe it could so seriously impact the rest of the day... As I said in the video, I was in the lounge and didn't even notice!
@@MattsPlanet Maybe this was an example of the "wrong sort of rain" ... !!
Love airbus ❤❤❤
They're doing well given Boeing's troubles....
Are you confusing 'part pay with avios' (in the commentary at 15:29) with a reward booking - where you can part pay with cash? I guess one of the pros of a reward booking is that it is more cancellable than a revenue booking, but with that low a fare it hardly makes a difference. And of course it depends how you value your avios - which is probably based on how you earned them in the first place.
Thanks Geoff - this was definitely a reward booking as it consumed a twofer... It is confusing to know which path you're on as both end up with you paying cash and avios... This was definitely a redemption... I'm getting my avios at well under 1p each at the moment but tend to value them at that as it makes the maths easy!
Seems like Iberia gave you the "boarding finger" in several ways on this trip. I'm eager to see if that held true on the return as well or you got the high-quality service you've earned.
I have seen both positive and negative reports--with repeat evidence--about Iberia's service (on top of IAG's general thriftiness), which led me to book my upcoming trip with UA and TAP instead. I live in fear of IAG succeeding in their bid for TAP as they're already slightly thrifty due to that nation's/government's economic state.
Thanks Kevin. Next flight was MAD to Bogota during which similar themes emerged... This time next week, and a little earlier for patrons!
Thanks Matt
Thanks Peet!
We have booked a flight for end of August next year to Madrid with a long haul p,and, if of course they don’t change it! Mind I booked it by complete accident and after realised the bonus.
Always a pleasant surprise to get a widebody if you weren't looking to book one!!
How do you look out for long haul planes on short haul routesv
Most are quite well know - from videos like this! Otherwise you have to hunt them out - they're most likely on routes with multiple flights a day between big cities... Lufthansa ran a 747 from Frankfurt to Palma for a few weeks and it got noticed and shared on various blogs...
Hmmm that boarding makes Ryanair look posh 🙂
Not Iberia's finest moment!
I think that Iberia and Finnair use widebodies to feed into and out of their international routes at Madrid and Helsinki. Madrid is very good for Mexico and Brazil and Helsinki is great for Far East.
Next week's video is Iberia to South America...
Why was there no literature or paper menu Aer Lingus have done this also on short haul flights the sales menu digital only stupid in my opinion from a sales perspective
It saves money but its not wildly helpful for newcomers or people without phones!
Man I’m in the Moran zone
I hope this helped you get out of it!!!
For sure picked up a couple of good flights. Virgin to Orlando Upper and Dublin to Chicago Business one way premium the other… that was a good priced ticket.
Great review as always. My experience with Iberia to Panama was never a nice experience. Did that trip 4 times. Food was mediocre. Service was terrible.
He is called Matt
Madrid to Bogota next week... It should of been great given all the advantages Iberia has... No spoilers but it wasn't as good as it should have been...
Wait my jaw is still hanging open. Did you say that they didn’t even offer water? And water isn’t free on IAG group flights within Europe? If so that’s crazy 😜
I am sure Iberia (indeed any airline) will give out free water if a passenger is in distress! It wasn't deemed a long enough delay or a hot enough day for water to be offered without prompting...
@@MattsPlanet Hey Matt thanks for the reply but even after takeoff beverages aren’t offered for free? I’m American so forgive my ignorance with IAG I normally fly Delta Air France or KLM. BTW great review I’m a former flight attendant so it’s just unnatural not offer free drinks on any flight unless your flying a budget airline like Spirit. But a full service carrier like Iberia or BA with such a nice A350 that’s a disgrace 🤣 Boy have times changed. Keep’m coming and fly safe ✈️
@@Lad7478 Its an interesting topic... Low cost carriers offer nothing for free - generally true in most parts of the world except Asia, where even the LCCs offer catering. BA and Iberia, traditionally full service carriers, tried a hybrid model where they would be full service in business class (in front of the curtain) and low cost behind it. How much of this was penny pinching versus being an ideological thing was never clear... BA has realised that this wasn't popular so now offers a small bottle of water and "a snack" to economy as well as offering paid options. I was surprised that Iberia is still offering nothing for free to economy. Especially as it was so hot and we were nearly 3 hours delayed... As with many things, the US is different!
@@MattsPlanet thanks Matt for the information I really enjoyed the level of detail you provided in your video ie. no air vents on an A350 shame on IAG. Well you now have a new subscriber and can’t wait to see more content. You can tell your an experienced traveler and it’s nice to see someone who’s not 20 or 30 something doing this. Experience counts for a lot. Very interesting facts about BA vs Iberia. Delta here in the US has decided not to become a bottom feeder and instead has gone the other direction building brand loyalty through premium offerings while still being competitive with its basic economy fares. I was on a recent flight in FC where we had a mechanical and had to return to the gate after an hour. They FA’s offered water and snacks in economy and we were offered drinks and snacks in FC as well. Even airlines like JetBlue and Southwest so called budget carriers offer unlimited beverages (non alcoholic) and snacks with food for purchase as well. They even offer free IFE (not SWA) as well as free wifi.
Do you ever fly AF or KLM? I believe they still offer service in economy on inter Europe flights. I don’t do economy anymore but I like to say you can always judge an airline by its economy service… Hello Singapore and Emirates. I’ll keep watching and see what you come up with next. Until then fly safe ✈️ wishing you all the best and much success on you channel 👍Cheers ✈️
Odd, my original comment has disappeared entirely.
Something does sometimes happen to comments left before the video goes public... I think that's what happened to yours!
well tall people earn 10% per cent more than short people, and men earn 10% more than women so I guess you'rebeating me, a small woman. #Ineedthefootrest
Fair enough! Score one for footrests!
complete shambles and why board the passengers to sit there for over an hour 🤷♀️
I think I know the answer to this one... Once the doors are closed the airline stops paying rent on the stand they're using - it becomes clearly the airports problem if the filled airplane can't leave... Not the best outcome for the passenger but the best outcome for the airline. Just about sums up the economic model of airlines these days!
Change the cynical monotone delivery. That was awful. Listen to the delivery of Sam Chui Josh Cahill or Paul Lucas or even Noel Phillips. Every sentence was an implied criticism from outset
Apologies but you need feedback over that
If you don't like my approach, the very best advice is don't watch my videos!!!
Sadly that response entirely shows what's wrong with you....@@MattsPlanet