gail

Just returned from 2 wk trip to Spain. Flights were a nightmare of canceled flights, missed connections, lost luggage. Continental responsible for most of problems but Iberia was downright hostile, refused to stamp tickets so we could use them to get on a Spanair flight. Full details available to whoever wants to email me directly. Best advice I can give to those going to Spain: don't use Iberia. Customer service is not in their lexicon. Continental was inept but at least had a decent attitude.

Mariarosa

Hi Gail! I hear ya'. I have posted in the past awful experiences with Iberia too. The 3 times I have flown Iberia have been my 3 worst flying experiences! However, my in-laws just flew Chicago-Madrid-Chicago with them and thought they were OK, so maybe I have been most unlucky or they were just terribly lucky!

Maira

Gail-- What/How is Continental involved in all this?

xxx

maybe continental and iberia have some sort of partnership?

chopchi

Iberia is a government run airline........it is for sale. The crew must have to pass a test in rudeness/indifferance!Hopefully this will change when they are sold.The only observation I have made over the years is that they have this attitude with everyone including the Spaniards,so don't take it personally! I just laugh at them!Air France was going in this direction before they were sold just before they could Iberia some stiff competition in this department!

gail

Maira, as briefly as possible: Continental canceled flt from Manchester NH to Newark, sent us by taxi to Boston where we waited hours while they loaded several flts to Newark with other psngrs including some we noticed had arrived after us, put us on flt to Paris (flt was supposed to be Newark to Madrid) that was to continue on to Madrid, promised our luggage would be in Madrid (HA!) and said they got us reservations on Iberia to Malaga. Instead, no luggage in Madrid and no reservations on Iberia. Told by Iberia that we were only standby (#26 in line) and the next flight which was 3 hours later was only a so-so chance of boarding. Spanair had a flight leaving in 45 minutes (at this point we'd been traveling 24 hours) and would let us use the Iberia tix if Iberia would stamp them since the Iberia tix were business class and Spanair doesn't have business class. Iberia refused to stamp our tickets with a "yc" and demanded we go to some office elsewhere in airport and turn in tickets and repurchase tix in proper class, all of which no doubt would have meant missing the Spanair flt. Bought new Spanair tix, went to Malaga, Spanair located luggage in Paris (Continental lost it)&amp;luggage didn't show up til end of 3rd day of trip.<BR>On return, Iberia left late.We got to Madrid and found Continental had given away our seats after we were forced to wait in a huge line of students checking baggage when all we needed were boarding passes. Raced for gate, only to have plane delayed without any explanation at all for the first hour or more, finally departed 4 hours late. Missed Newark connection and barely made it onto last 2 seats on flight to Manchester which Madrid agent had said was "empty". Trip from NH to Malaga took at least 24 hours each way.

local

We flew to Madrid on 23 March, from there to Lisbon, back to Madrid and back home (not US). On the return flight Iberia upgraded us to business class. No hassles anywhere.<BR><BR>Sorry, guys, on this one Iberia gets my vote.

Mariarosa

To the top for Laura who wants to know about Iberia! <BR> <BR>(I can't believe I am back to topping - that was the one feature I loved about the new, now old, format, the ability to put in a clickable URL for each thread!)

xxx

I just flew Continental to/from Europe and they were tops. Courteous service, on-time flights. Sometimes the airports cause the delays, no matter which airline you fly.

Courtney

Air Europa has been expanding service between many cities in Spain that were only serviced by Iberia in the past. Their prices are equal or lower than Iberia's for the intineries I've looked into so far. I agree with the negative comments about Iberia provided by others and am very glad there is now another option. I've only flown Air Europea once so far but it went much more smoothly than any Iberia flight I ever had.