Spanish national flag carrier Iberia has decided to introduce what it calls a “Comfort Fare” aimed at economy class passengers. In a statement released March 10, the Madrid-Barajas Adolfo Suárez Airport (MAD) full-service carrier said that its new “Comfort Fare ” would be available to all of its destinations and that it was focused on the following:
- Aimed at Economy travelers seeking extra comfort and flexibility
- Seat selection at booking, priority boarding, the early issue of boarding passes, 100% refund, and other advantages
The IAG-owned airline said that in these uncertain times brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic that it wanted to offer Economy passengers a new fare that includes comfort and flexibility.
Having listened to feedback from customers, the new fare meets the following criteria:
- Seat choice at the moment of purchase. This means passengers can select Iberias’ new XL seats with more room between rows for domestic and European flights
- Boarding passes are issued at the moment of purchase
- Priority boarding as group two (group boarding temporarily suspended due to COVID-19 measures)
- One change permitted without penalty (up to 15 days before the flight)
- 100% refund for long-haul and 80% refund for short- and medium-haul flights that customers cancel with 15 days’ notice
The “Comfort Fare” is available on all flights
Iberias’ new “Comfort Fare” provided all the above advantages for the same price rather than purchasing them separately. Starting March 10, the new “Comfort Fare” is available on flights to all of Iberias’ destinations, including those in the Americas.
The rest of Iberias’ fare structure will remain unchanged:
- Basic fare – the most competitive
- Optima fare, with one piece of checked luggage and seat selection 24 hours before departure
- Flexible fare for customers who may need to change their flight at any time
The new Iberia “Comfort Fare” is available through all of Iberias’ sales channels, including travel agents and Iberias’ website www.iberia.com.
About Iberia
Legally incorporated as Iberia Líneas Aéreas de España, S.A. Operadora, Sociedad Unipersonal, Iberia was founded in 1927 and is the national flag carrier of Spain. Based at Madrid-Barajas, Adolfo Suárez Airport (MAD), Iberia is a part of the International Airlines Group who also owns British Airways and Aer Lingus. Iberia currently flies to 109 destinations in 39 countries and a further 90 destinations through codesharing agreements with other airlines; Iberia, along with British Airways and American Airlines, Iberia is a member of the oneworld alliance.
The Iberia fleet of aircraft
According to the aviation enthusiast website, Planespotters.net, Iberia operates a fleet of 69 aircraft with an average age of 9.3 years. Iberias’ fleet comprises the following planes:
- 7 x Airbus A319-100s
- 14 x Airbus A320-200s
- 8 x Airbus A320neos
- 11 x Airbus A321-200s
- 12 x Airbus A330-200s
- 8 x Airbus A330-300s
- 9 x Airbus A350-900s (+3 on order)
As you can see from the above list of planes, Iberia is now an all-Airbus airline but historically had a mixed fleet of aircraft that included Boeing and McDonnell Douglas aircraft.
As airlines worldwide try to recover from what has been the worst year financially in their history, many are offering extremely low fares to entice people to fly. Iberia has not as yet gone down this road but is hoping that the terms of its new “Comfort Fare” will appeal to passengers.
If you have flown with Iberia recently, we would love to hear what you thought of them in the comments.
