IBERIA - Reviews and experiences

I rang to add our newborn to the return booking and asked for a bassinet. When we booked back in July they had said that wouldn’t be an issue. Fast forward, after a flight change they slapped an extra charge of about €1,800 on us and downgraded the seat to economy. That’s when customer service kicks in, and, well, it was messy: nobody would take responsibility, every agent referred me to a supervisor who never called back, and most calls ended up with an hour on hold or a dropped line. We were told in January it was their error and a refund would be issued within 21 days. It didn’t arrive on time — by mid-February it was still “under review” and I spent two hours on hold trying to speak to a supervisor. In the end the refund did come through, which I’m genuinely glad about, because this kind of overcharge would have been a real pain otherwise. So yes — delivery of the refund happened, albeit slowly, and I appreciate that it was corrected. But the whole customer service and delay experience was frustrating, disorganized, and could have been handled far better.

online check-in failed at home, so we checked in at the counter and handed over bags, expecting the usual. Instead we were told we were going to the gate as standby. Long story short, three of us ended up moved into what they called "premium economy." It was a slightly wider seat, sure, but that was it. The seat comfort was fine for a few hours, nothing luxurious, just bigger, and the legroom still felt cramped compared to what I paid for. Food was disappointing — a dry, almost rock-hard cake and a tiny selection of drinks; not what you hope for on a long overnight. Small things mattered too: someone else was in one of the seats I’d reserved, so there was the awkward swapping and a crew member insisting I couldn't use the business lavatory. The compensation process afterwards was a mess — the online form and the WhatsApp replies didn't line up, different offers for people on the same flight, and I was told to reapply if I didn't agree. I was mildly excited to try them because of the tip from my friend, but between the check-in chaos, the mediocre food and the customer service runaround, I probably won’t book again unless there’s no other option.

it wasn’t. The whole trip hit every snag you can imagine — delays, an out-of-control passenger, brusque crew, a missed connection, a long wait for help, and one checked bag that went AWOL. So yeah, it started rough. What I want to underline, though, is the tiny, messy moment when I actually felt satisfied with how things ended, even if the road there was worse than it needed to be. We left on a delayed first leg and that set the tone. Boarding started late, we didn’t leave on time, and somewhere mid-flight a passenger became disruptive. I get that it’s complicated to manage, but the way staff handled other passengers was what annoyed me — short, sharp orders to sit down, a member shouting at my husband when he only asked for a little courtesy, and no real effort to calm things down. Everyone around us looked tense, my daughter got anxious, and my husband and I were trying to keep our cool. The kids’ pre-ordered meal was messed up too; they offered a replacement and when our toddler didn’t like it they basically shrugged. “Nothing we can do,” they said. That line was repeated a few times — it became almost a joke, except it wasn’t. We arrived in Madrid late and then sat on the plane another half hour while procedures were handled for the disruptive passenger. No updates, no reassurance about people connecting to other flights. The couple of minutes of silence stretched into a missing connection. At the airport, the customer support situation felt like a bad relay race. Iberia’s people at the desk kept having to call someone else for every decision, and we ended up waiting close to three hours to be rebooked, getting meal vouchers only after pushing, and generally feeling like we were invisible unless we asked twice. Then the luggage. Two of our three checked bags showed up at baggage claim; the third was not. We stood there, made the report, explained what was inside (toddler clothes, a favourite blanket — yes, those matter), and got the standard “we’ll look for it” line. The phone calls, the forms, repeating the details over and over — it was draining. So why say I felt satisfied? It’s because of one small, human moment that changed my mood. Late that same night, after we’d set up a makeshift bed for our tired kid, there was a knock: the missing bag had been found and delivered to our hotel by a real person who apologized properly. The agent who eventually handled our case at the local desk — not the faceless outsourced call centre — took responsibility, gave a clear explanation of the delay, arranged a small reimbursement for the inconvenience and made sure the bag arrived. He wasn’t defensive, he wasn’t robotic. He listened. In that instant I felt grateful — relieved, actually — not because the trip hadn’t been a pain, but because someone turned a mess into a human fix. That was the moment I knew I was satisfied enough. Would I book with them again without hesitation? No. The system showed too many weak points: poor on-board responses, customer support that needs more authority, and the kind of indifference that makes a long trip worse. But I’m also realistic: things break, delays happen. What matters is how they’re fixed. On balance I’m thankful we got the essentials back, and I appreciated the one agent who did the right thing. That doesn’t erase the stress, but it does mean I’m ending the trip with a quieter, grateful feeling rather than just anger.

I actually made the one-day meeting and, somehow, the trip didn’t implode completely. Going back over it, it was a mess in places but it ended up okay and I’m honestly relieved. Both flights were delayed and the connection window was tiny, so I had to leg it across Madrid airport — I’d been given a front-row seat which helped, plus I’m young and could sprint, so that combo pulled me through with seconds to spare. If I hadn’t been where I was, I doubt a lot of folks in economy would’ve made it. The annoying part was the luggage: mine was mishandled and didn’t arrive with me on the way there, and it was delayed again on the return. On a business ticket that’s frustrating, no question. At the Paris end there wasn’t really anyone to talk to — mostly kiosks and no visible staff — so finding out what was happening felt impossible for a while. I did see groups of people in the same boat, so it wasn’t just me. What saved the trip was that my one full day of meetings actually happened because I managed the connection and a colleague helped cover until my bag showed up later. I’ve had worse customer service with other carriers before, so I guess I’m comparing here, but honestly I’m grateful it didn’t cost me the whole purpose of the trip. Communication could’ve been way better, and losing business baggage both ways is not great, but in the end the airline did track the bag down and things were resolved. So yeah — stressful, annoying, plenty of room for improvement, but I’m happy it worked out and I did what I needed to do.