Iberia short-haul Economy Class A320neo review (MAD-LHR)

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A couple of days ago, I published a review of the Iberia A320 short-haul Business Class cabin, so as my very next flight was on the same aircraft type but in the Economy Class cabin, I thought it would be interesting to review that and to see how the two compare.

Check-in & boarding

I was taking this flight after a short layover in Madrid (where I spent some time in the Iberia Premium Lounge in Terminal 4S) so I had checked-in online and had my boarding pass sent to my iPhone.

This meant that I didn’t have the opportunity to check how efficient (or not) Iberia’s check-in desks are or how swiftly you can get through security at Madrid–Barajas Airport.

I did, however, get the chance to experience how annoying Iberia’s operations team can be when I was given four different departure gates and three gate changes in the space of 4 minutes.

Fortunately, things were more organised at the gate where Iberia is very good at segregating boarding groups properly (something British Airways – it’s sister airline – cannot seem to do).

Iberia only has 4 boarding groups (a few other airlines could learn from this simplicity) and each group had a dedicated boarding line.

Even though I was traveling in Economy Class, my OneWorld Emerald status ensured that I boarded with group 1.

Boarding was slightly delayed with no reason given, and we eventually started to board 15 minutes our departure time.

Iberia A320neo Economy Class cabin

Like most A320 Economy Class cabins, this one offers three seats on each side of a central aisle.

On the Iberia A320neo, the Economy Class cabin extends from row 7 to row 32 and on this particular aircraft, the overhead bins are of the older variety which don’t allow rollaboards to be stowed on their side.

On busy flights, this could mean that overhead bin space is at a premium, so boarding early is advisable if you know you’ll need to use the space above your seat.

Another important thing to know is that not all the seats in this Economy Class cabin are created equal. Far from it.

Iberia A320neo Economy Class seats

All the seats in the Iberia A320neo Economy Class cabin are slimline and non-reclining …

… so the key difference between these seats is the pitch (legroom) that they offer.

The first few rows of the cabin offer just 28″ of pitch which is incredibly tight.

The two exit rows offer 34″ of pitch which is more than enough legroom for most people.

I’m 6ft tall and the exit rows are great for me.

Behind the exit rows come three rows of what Iberia calls ‘XL’ seats which offer 30″ of pitch.

Presumably ‘XL’ is meant to stand for ‘Extra Legroom’ but at just 30″ of pitch, I’m not sure that’s the phrase Iberia should be using.

‘NQAT’ (not quite as terrible) would be more appropriate.

All the rows from 18 onwards offer just 28″ of pitch.

In summary, this is what the row/pitch breakdown looks like.

Essentially, this is going to be a very uncomfortable aircraft for a lot of people because only 5 rows (30 seats) offer more than 28″ of pitch, leaving 20 rows (120 seats) of very, very tight seating.

I wouldn’t fly this route if I wasn’t guaranteed at least 30″ of pitch, and on flights longer than this one, only an exit row seat would do.

The lack of space between the rows means that it’s quite hard to work on a regular size laptop if you’re sitting in a seat with 30” pitch, and it’s pretty much impossible if sitting in a seat with just 28” of pitch.

Fortunately for me, I had an exit row seat on this flight, so legroom wasn’t an issue.

This is the view I had from 14C.

And this is the tray table that drops down from the seat ahead.

That looks to be a reasonable size table until you compare it to the size of an iPad that measures just 10″ x 7″.

Then you realise just how small the tray table is.

Moving on …

Above the seats, passengers have access to reading lights and air nozzles with which to keep cool.

And under the seats, you’ll find USB-A power ports

For every three seats there are four USB-A ports in this cabin (which is good), but Economy Class passengers don’t have access to AC power so make sure larger devices are fully charged before you board.

It’s also worth noting that the USB ports are fitted into boxes that take up quite a bit of space under some seats, so be prepared for the possibility of having limited under seat storage as well as limited legroom.

Overall, this Economy Class cabin doesn’t have very much going for it.

Most seats are incredibly cramped and poorly padded (they’re very thin), the tray tables are small, and while four USB ports per 3 seats is a good ratio, the fact that the USB ports come in boxes that take up space under some of the seats is less than ideal when legroom is already very limited.

If you can book yourself into an exit row on this aircraft, you’ll be fine. If you find yourself in one of the many rows offering just 28″ of pitch, however, expect to be very uncomfortable if you’re not particularly short.

Comparison to British Airways

Iberia dominates the market between Madrid and London, but it’s sister airline – British Airways – also operates this route.

As BA also offers customers A320/A320neo aircraft between London and Madrid, I thought that it may be useful to see how the two airlines compare when it comes to the amount of pitch (legroom) they offer in Economy Class.

Here’s what the row by row comparison looks like assuming both airlines have their Economy Class cabin start at row 7 (which won’t always be the case for BA).

What this tells us is that while most of the Iberia Economy Class cabin (120 seats) offers customers just 28″ of pitch, all but one row of the comparable British Airways Economy Class cabin offers at least an inch more.

So, if you have your choice of airlines on this route but cannot select your seat in advance, choosing a British Airways aircraft will almost certainly give you a more comfortable seat on this route (relatively speaking).

Wifi

The Iberia A320neo aircraft come equipped with Inmarsat EAN-powered satellite wifi …

… and Iberia Plus members (not just elites) get free messaging onboard.

A 1-hour pass costs €5.99 and a full-flight pass (on a flight of this length) costs €8.99.

I didn’t use the wifi on this flight, but based on the flight I took just before this one (same aircraft type), the connection should be ok.

Note: Unlike BA, Iberia appears to only allows passengers to purchase wifi in Euros, so make sure you us a credit card that doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees if you live outside the Eurozone.

Dining & service

Iberia Economy Class passengers can pre-order and pay for food up to 24 hours before they’re due to fly with some full meals and not just snacks on offer for between €13 and €16.

Passengers who don’t pre-order can access a much more more limited food and drinks menu onboard and can pay for whatever they order through the ordering portal.

The flight attendants passed through the cabin selling food and drinks approximately 35 minutes after take off (I didn’t see anyone receive a pre-ordered meal) and unlike British Airways, no complimentary snacks or water were offered.

I could point out that it seems cheap not to offer any complimentary water onboard or a complimentary cookie, but as I only paid $36 for his flight, I don’t feel like I’m in a position to complain.

Someone paying considerably more than that, however, may well have a reason to be annoyed.

An odd thing I noticed

Torrential rain in Madrid delayed this flight significantly – we pushed back almost exactly 60 minutes after our scheduled departure time – but the FlightAware app showed that we had departed/pushed back 37 minutes earlier.

I have no idea what caused this, but I can’t help but wonder if Iberia was tinkering with the departure stats to improve its performance metrics.

If anyone has any insight into where apps like FlightAware get their data, please let us know in the comments.

Final thoughts

Most of the Economy Class seats on the Iberia A320neo should come with a health warning attached to them ‘danger, risk of cramp’ because, overall, this is a very, very tight cabin.

Unless you can book the ‘XL’ seats or the exit row seats, this is a cabin that I recommend you avoid if at all possible.

I’m fortunate in that my OneWorld elite status will go a long way to ensuring that I never have to sit in one of the tighter seats on this aircraft, but if I thought there was even the slightest risk that I’d end up with just 28″ of pitch, I would not book the flight.

As an alternative, consider the British Airways option.

BA short-haul aircraft are hardly a shining beacon of comfort, but on the Madrid – London route they are the aircraft to choose because unless you’re exceptionally unlucky and end up in the last row, they will offer seats with at least 1″ more legroom than Iberia, and that 1″ can make all the difference.

All reviews in this series:

Review: American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class (transatlantic)
Review: American Airlines Flagship Lounge at Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW)
Review: American Airlines A321 domestic First Class (DFW-PSP)
Review: Marriott Desert Springs Villas I (a Marriott Vacation Club property)
Review: American Eagle CRJ-700ER First Class (PSP-PHX)
Review: Escape Lounge Phoenix (PHX) Terminal 4
Review: American Airlines 777-200ER Business Class (transatlantic)
Review: Iberia short-haul Business Class A320neo (LHR-MAD)
Review: Iberia Premium Lounge Velazquez Madrid Terminal 4S
Review: Iberia short-haul Economy Class A320neo (MAD-LHR)