Iberia is a Oneworld airline and Qantas partner based in Spain. From its hub in Madrid, Iberia offers an extensive network of flights across Europe and the Atlantic Ocean, particularly to and from Latin America.

I recently needed to travel from Ecuador to Europe, and noticed that Iberia had a good Premium Economy airfare available from Quito to Paris (via Madrid). “Turista Premium”, as Iberia calls it, was only marginally more expensive than booking Economy… so I thought I’d give it a try!

This review covers my experience flying Premium Economy from Quito to Madrid on Iberia’s Airbus A350-900.

Flight Details

Flight number	IB6454
Route	Quito, Ecuador (UIO) to Madrid, Spain (MAD)
Aircraft type	Airbus A350-900
Class of travel	Premium Economy (Turista Premium)
Seat number	11L
On-time performance	We arrived on time
Star rating

The route

Flight Cost

I paid $1,058 for a one-way Premium Economy ticket from Quito to Paris via Madrid. As Iberia doesn’t offer Premium Economy on its intra-Europe flights, the Madrid-Paris leg booked into Economy.

It’s perhaps worth mentioning that, although you can use Qantas points to book Iberia flights in Economy and Business Class, Premium Economy isn’t currently an option. However, you can redeem American Airlines AAdvantage miles or Avios to book Iberia Premium Economy. If you have Amex Membership Rewards points, you can transfer these to Qatar Airways Avios to do so.

Airport Experience

Iberia offers a dedicated “Turista Premium” check-in line, and I didn’t need to wait too long.

Although Iberia does not offer lounge access as a benefit of Premium Economy, I was able to use the Sala VIP Internacional thanks to my Oneworld frequent flyer status. This was an unexpectedly excellent lounge with lots of seats, showers and even an outdoor terrace!

The extensive buffet selection included sushi, chicken curry, ceviche, soup and freshly made sandwiches which could be toasted on request. Every passenger could order two alcoholic drinks from the bar, including cocktails.

This lounge partners with Priority Pass, so you could gain access through Priority Pass even if you don’t hold any airline status.

Boarding was delayed, but the ground staff did not make any announcements about the delay, nor provide a reason. Once boarding did get underway, priority boarding was available to those who could somehow get through the crowd of people blocking access to the gate.

The Hard Product

The Airbus A350-900 scheduled for this flight was only one year old. The cabin felt new and was fitted with Iberia’s newest generation of Premium Economy seats.

Premium Economy has one less seat per row than regular Economy Class, with a 2-4-2 configuration, so the seats are a bit wider.

The standard seat pitch in Iberia Premium Economy is 37 inches, meaning there’s around six inches more legroom than in Economy. However, I had selected 11L, a window seat in the front row of Premium Economy that happened to be in the exit row.

This seat had practically unlimited legroom and I could easily get out of my seat without disturbing my neighbour. However, this seat was next to the galley so there was a bit of light and noise coming from there during the flight (even with the curtain drawn). There was also no storage space at all around the seat area.

The tray table was stored in the armrest. Since I was in the front row, the in-flight entertainment screen was stowed between the seats.

I found the seat comfortable to sit in when I wasn’t trying to sleep. It had an adjustable headrest and a fold-out leg rest, although (as I often find on planes) the leg rest wasn’t designed for tall people. It didn’t extend out far enough to fully support my legs.

As this was an overnight flight, I tried to get some sleep. I got a few hours of broken sleep, despite the strong turbulence buffeting the plane during the night.

I definitely appreciated the extra space of Premium Economy and I’m sure I was more comfortable than I would have been in Economy. But I’ll be honest – I didn’t have the most amazing sleep of my life. There’s no escaping the fact that this isn’t a lie-flat bed like you would get in Business Class. My body was aching a little bit by the time breakfast came around.

The TV screen had crystal clear high definition and there was plenty of IFE content, as well as a great moving map.

Iberia offers free Wi-Fi to Business Class passengers and Iberia Plus members. Although I had my Qantas Frequent Flyer number on my boarding pass, I do happen to have an Iberia Plus account and was able to log in using that.

Iberia chose not to install a dedicated toilet for its Premium Economy cabin. The nearest toilets were located in the middle of the Economy cabin.

The Soft Product

When I boarded, there was already a pillow and blanket on the seat. The pillow was great, but I probably didn’t need the blanket because the cabin temperature was very warm throughout the flight.

Once boarding was completed, a flight attendant handed out premium headphones and an amenity kit containing the essentials – socks, an eye mask, earplugs, toothpaste and a toothbrush. They also offered a welcome drink of orange juice or water, served in a plastic cup.

The pilots kept the seatbelt sign on for an extended period after take-off due to the weather. Eventually, the cheerful cabin crew were able to start the dinner service.

The Iberia Premium Economy menu wasn’t hugely different to Economy. One of the main course options was different, but everything else on the menu (including the starter and dessert) was the same as in Economy. The drinks list, mid-flight snacks and breakfast menu were also identical to Economy. At least, being a Spanish airline, Iberia serves refreshingly decent Spanish red wine in Economy!

For dinner, I had a choice between roasted beef loin or vegetable tortellini. I picked the beef, which was a Premium Economy exclusive dish. Dinner was served on a tray with ceramic dishes and metal cutlery.

The food was fresh and tasted great. There was just one problem – the beef was unfortunately really tough. Airlines often seem to overcook steak at 35,000 feet, and this flight was no exception.

After dinner, the crew offered tea and coffee. They also handed everyone a bottle of water and a “tapas” box filled with ambient snacks.

After dinner, the crew switched off the lights until the breakfast service began 90 minutes before landing. I don’t recall seeing any flight attendants walking through the cabin offering drinks during the night. Of course, you could always ring the call bell or walk to the galley though if you needed something.

Breakfast came in a cardboard box and consisted of a turkey, cheddar and cream cheese croissant with a vanilla muffin.

It was fairly basic, but the sandwich was actually really fresh and tasted great. It was just enough to ensure I didn’t get off the plane feeling hungry. This came with a choice of water, orange juice or pineapple juice, followed by tea or coffee.

By the way, you can see what’s on the menu on any Iberia flight on the Iberia website.

Although we’d departed Quito late, there was a strong jet stream over the Atlantic and we made up time during the flight. We ended up arriving on time in Madrid.

The seatbelt sign

Finally, there was one thing about this flight that I found quite unusual. The pilots kept the seatbelt sign on for almost the entire ten-hour flight. In fairness, there was a fair bit of turbulence during the middle of the flight. But at some point, everyone including the crew just ignored the seatbelt sign as it was never switched off.

You can only wait so many hours before you just really need to use the bathroom. After the turbulence had ended, I wasn’t sure if it was actually dangerous to be walking around or if the pilots had just forgotten to turn it off. I don’t think the seatbelt sign is supposed to work like this, and I’m not a fan.

Matt Graham

The editor of Australian Frequent Flyer, Matt's passion for travel has taken him to over 90 countries… with the help of frequent flyer points, of course!
Matt's favourite destinations (so far) are Germany, Brazil & Kazakhstan. His interests include aviation, economics & foreign languages, and he has a soft spot for good food and red wine.

You can connect with Matt by posting on the Australian Frequent Flyer community forum and tagging @AFF Editor.