Review of Iberia flight from Madrid to Chicago in Business

introduction

Hello and welcome to the third instalment in another series of oneworld transatlantic Business class flight reviews. These flights took place over the 2022-2023 Christmas Holidays–as usual, I'm very behind in posting!
 
For these return flights back to San Diego, we'll once again be flying via Chicago with Iberia operating the transatlantic portion and American operating the shorter domestic flight. On this roundtrip itinerary, we flew three of the major oneworld transatlantic joint-venture partners: American Airlines, British Airways, and Iberia. 

Though mixed IB-AA itineraries don't offer the most seamless connecting experience due to some technology communication shortcomings, I always enjoy flying Iberia in Business and try to include at least one long-haul sector on Iberia when feasible. Iberia's long-haul in-flight service has greatly improved since the pandemic recovery period and has since surpassed pre-Covid levels. Over the past several years of regularly flying with Iberia business class, I've had consistently good experiences, and this flight was no exception. 

Routing

Flight reviews in this series:

Check-in & lounge

We arrived at Madrid's Terminal 4 at around 9AM for an 11:30AM departure. There was no wait at the Business class check-in that day and we were on our way in minutes. 

After many levels of escalators down to the lowest level, we hopped on the underground train to T4S, the Satellite terminal from which most non-Schengen flights operate. 

Once at T4S it was quick to get through the passport control. 

Iberia's Premium Velazquez Lounge is located inside the duty free shopping area in the central part of the terminal. This can make it easy to miss for first-timers as it can be unexpected to find a lounge in the duty free area. 

The lounge is quite large and was not yet crowded at this early hour, but filled up progressively as the west-bound transatlantic bank of flights approached. 

Good food and drink options with quite a few hot dishes for breakfast. 

There are nice views of the tarmac and aircraft from the Velazquez Lounge, especially from the sides. 

Nice view of this special livery Etihad 787-9

boarding

We left the lounge about 10 minutes before boarding time as the gate was a bit of a walk away down the concourse. 

We made a quick pit stop at one of the several children's play areas in the terminal so that our four year old could get some additional energy out before the long flight. This is one of the many things I love about Madrid Terminal 4. As a parent who flies often with my child, I always appreciate play areas in airports. They're truly a lifesaver for adults and kids alike. 

Boarding was just beginning as we arrived at gate S47. We were able to board immediately through the Group 1 priority lane. 

I always love glass jet-bridges for the views.

There were two jet-bridges attached to the aircraft–one forward of the Business class cabin, and one between Business class and Premium Economy. We elected to  board through the rear jet-bridge as we were sitting in the last row of Business class. 

This turned out to be the right move as boarding was a bit messy in the Business cabin with some people sitting towards the front having boarded from the rear and vice-versa. 

There are 29 full-flat Stelia Solstys seats in Business class laid out in a 1-2-1 staggered configuration allowing all seats direct access to the aisle. Seats on the A330s are a slightly older generation than the newer A350s, but still very comfortable and roomy. 

Pre-placed on each seat were amenity kits, noise-cancelling hearphones, and very nice premium bedding with a large pillow and a mattress pad. 

Seat controls and  a touch-screen in-flight entertainment remote were located on the side console. 

AC power, USB-A port, and headphone jack are located in the front of the console, which also features some storage spaces. 

Iberia's long-haul fleet is equipped with Wi-Fi.

Shortly after settling in we were greeted by very friendly cabin crew and offered a choice of water or cava welcome drinks.

Menus and bottles of water were distributed during boarding. 

Let's have a look at the menu. 

Boarding wrapped up quickly and we were ready for an on-time departure. 

the flight

We pushed back from the gate a few minutes ahead of schedule. 

At the time, January 2023, Iberia was one of the last European carriers still requiring masks, per Spanish regulations. 

The safety video showcasing beautiful Madrid landmarks played during taxi. 

Taxi time is generally short from T4S as the runway is close. 

After take-off the flight time of 9h22m displayed on the moving map. 

Wi-fi & entertainment

Once we were above 10.000 ft, the Wi-Fi was available. 

The Messaging plan is free for Business class and Iberia Plus members.

Otherwise, the messaging plan begins at 3,49 EUR

Full browse & stream plans begin at 5,99 EUR 

However, 5,99 is for only 1 hour of internet. Otherwise it costs 13,49 EUR for 4 hours or 20,49 EUR for the full flight. As this was a 9h flight, I bought the full flight plan, which I felt was a better value. 

As for the in-flight entertainment, there is a lot of content for all tastes and all ages with lots of movies, TV series, documentaries, music, games, and children's programming. 

Content can be selected directly on the main screen or on the remote controller's touchscreen, which can also display the moving map throughout the flight–a feature that the aviation geek in me particularly likes. 

Shortly after takeoff, the chief purser came through the cabin to take lunch orders. He came to us first and especially thanked us individually by name for our loyalty as oneworld Emerald members (yes, even my 4 year old has Emerald status, haha…we fly a lot!). This is a very classy touch by Iberia and something you don't see on big sister British Airways anymore.  

lunch service

The service began with hot towels, something that had been discontinued for over 2 years during the pandemic. 

The apéritif service followed with some Spanish cheese, olives, and picos to munch on. This is much better than the small bag of nuts or little box of cracker many other airlines serve with pre-meal drinks. 

We began our ocean crossing off the coast of the western tip of Galicia. 

Speaking of Galicia, the appetiser course of Galician octopus was served at that time. 

Galician octopus carpaccio with an olive oil vinaigrette
Infused with Valencian oranges,
Blanched potatoes, and Spanish smoked paprika 

Delicious, fresh, and well-presented. You won't find this type of elevated and creative dish on North American carriers. 

The La Menina shaped salt and pepper shakers are adorable.  

For the main, I stayed with seafood. In my experience, the fish option in Iberia Business is always a good bet.

Hake on a bed of blanched potatoes
Marinated in paprika with crispy garlic served with peas,
Edamame, and green asparagus tips sautéed in olive oil. 
 

Once again, delicious and perfectly cooked. 

A selection of Spanish cheese to finish the meal enjoyed with a nice Jerez.

At the end of the meal service we were close to the middle of the Atlantic. I napped for more of the flight after that. 

faa morning meltdown

About 2 hours before landing I was doom-scrolling Twitter and came across this lovely piece of news. Total chaos in US airports following an FAA system outage impacting NOTAMS. 

Basically all commercial air traffic was grounded until after 9AM Eastern Time! Not the best way to start off the day.

At first, our connecting flight from Chicago to San Diego  was showing on time, but I knew there was a 99% chance it wasn't going to stay that way. 

Soft lighting came on for the pre-arrival meal service

As with most European carriers, the pre-arrival light meal service is indeed quite light, which is fine on these shorter transatlantic flights. 

There were two options; I chose the Spanish potato omelette (Tortilla the patata), which was tasty, especially with the ham.  

Homemade Spanish omelette
Serrano ham and grilled artichokes

arrival

As we got closer to our destination, the arrival time began to creep up. I assume this was due to the airport congestion in the aftermath of the FAA system meltdown earlier that morning. 

Descending over Lake Michigan

We went quite far inland before making a turn back towards Lake Michigan for landing. Again, I assume the extra-slow landing into ORD was related to the ground congestion. 

Despite an early departure, we landed a bit behind schedule and followed this ANA 777-300ER all the way to Terminal 5. 

We parked right next door at the same time. 

Immigration was nice and quick with Global entry. 

But, we were in no rush…
By the time I took my phone off airplane mode, our connecting flight to San Diego was showing delayed, as I'd predicted. 

Only by an hour and 20 minutes, which, all things considered, didn't sound terrible.

Will it stay that way? We'll see in the next review. Thanks for reading!