Introduction
Hello amigos,
Welcome to this FR on IB's premium economy flight to Bogotá.
While this pair (possibly the busiest between Latin America and Europe) is served by four airlines (IB, UX, AV, PU), I have only flown IB metal since living in Spain. UX and AV are just not worth it and I have moral objections on PU. IB also happens to be the only airline offering premium economy to this market. So…it is a non-brainer.
Another advantage of flying with IB are its multiple flights a day (something that AV also offers). I picked the noon flight that allows us to arrive to Bogotá with enough time to enjoy the afternoon.
At Madrid Airport
I took a ride to MAD and went quickly to the Business Class counters that I can use because of my status with the airline.
Check in was quick and painless. This might have not been the case if checking in on the regular counters
AENA was having trouble with its screens that morning
We then moved on to T4S and went to the Neptuno Lounge ran by AENA, which nowadays tends to be packed.
I went with some fruit for breakfast
And this gorgeous view
CX flight to HKG was being getting ready.
Boarding time
When boarding time came we headed to our gate were a crowd had already amassed. With premium economy, we made use of Group 2 boarding.
In, to the beast
We were welcomed by the crew and directed to the right hand aisle where our seats were located. I chose this side hoping to get cool views of Bogotá if landing on the any of the 34 runways.
This A350 was equipped with the old seats, which…are starting to show their age and use.
Pillow, headsets, blanket and amenity kits were waiting for us.
The crew handed drinks while we waited for the plane to fill up
En route to Bogotá
And soon after a while we departed on time.
It was a quick taxi to RWY 36L. Passing by one of AA's several flights to one of their hubs
A fellow A350 to somewhere in America
And the biggest boy in the playground
Time to go!
Legroom is great for these flights.
It was quite cloudy leaving the Iberian penninsula.
By the time we left Europe behind we got our meals. Let's check the menu.
I went for the lamb
My seatmate with the gnocchi. We concluded the meals were great.
We cruised calmly over the Atlantic
I spotted some ships
And enjoyed some quality art from California.
We were given some popsicles to enjoy while watching our delightful films. Aptly with popcorn flavour.
After a couple of films, and some light sleep, America was nearing
I went to the WCs which were in better shape than expected
The crew didn't enforce a "dark cabin" ambiance some airlines sometimes do.
As we neared Venezuela we were given our next meal
I wonder what it could be
There was a choice between a very cheese-generous sandwich
Or a regular ham and cheese one.
Not as great as in the old days, but at least you are not famished by the time you make it to Bogotá.
Hola Venezuela!
We crossed over to Colombia, it was a very cloudy day
Would we be lucky and land over the city?
The winding road from Bogotá to the Magdalena River Valley
Hmm…this doesn't look like a RWY 32 approach.
We were now over Facatativá
Yep, it would be a "regular" RWY 14 approach
We landed on RWY 14L, ideal for a quick taxi to the international gates
Oooh, nice visitor from Brazil!
And another one from Mexico
Another advantage of our seats was that we deboarded quickly. And so this trip came to an end
Our route as per the IFE
