At the Airport

Check-in

Iberia flies out of London Heathrow Terminal 5, the home of British Airways, and Iberia is the only other airline that uses this terminal. Most of the rows are used by British Airways, and Iberia’s check-in counters are located in Zone H, on the right side of the terminal building. The airline operates eight counters, six of which cater to their Economy Class passengers while the remaining two serve Business Class passengers. However, only one Business Class counter was open today. There wasn’t a queue at the Business Class line when we were there, and we were served immediately. The ground staff, though, appeared to be a little aloof, but he processed our check-in rather efficiently. But he did not give us any further information on the flight or lounge information.

Iberia flies out of Heathrow Airport Terminal 5

Iberia Business Class queue

Iberia check-in counters are located in Zone H, at the rightmost side of the Terminal building

Economy Class queue at Iberia check-in counters

Iberia has two counters for Business Class check-in

There weren’t any other passengers in the Business Class queue when we check-in

British Airways Galleries Club (South) Lounge Terminal 5

As a member of One World Alliance, Business Class passengers flying on Iberia are given access to the British Airways Galleries Club Lounge. British Airways operates two lounges in London Heathrow Terminal 5, both located on opposite ends of the terminal. The nearest lounge to our gate (and check-in counters) is the larger South lounge located on level 4 of the terminal. Upon entering the lounge, we were greeted by a row of reception staff who welcomed us to the lounge after scanning our boarding passes. Right behind the reception counters is where the only buffet line in the lounge is located. The buffet offering is spread across two large kitchen islands serving Spanish and British cuisine, as well as the kitchen table by the wall that houses pastries, salads and cheese. From the reception and the buffet line, the British Airways Galleries Club Lounge has left and right wings. The left wing is decorated in Scandinavian interior design mixed with modern luxury. This wing is the brighter of the two wings due to the natural lighting from the floor-to-ceiling windows facing the tarmac (hence more crowded). The left wing is predominantly furnished with lounge chairs for passengers to relax. We also spotted some high-back solo-seater pods in one corner of this wing for passengers who wanted more privacy, while some high tables and chairs facing the tarmac occupy the far opposite corner from the solo pods. There is a kids’ playroom tucked inside the left wing. As the lounge is huge, we spotted two beverage stations dotted in the left wing of the lounge.

British Airways Galleries reception at its entrance

There are plenty of lounge seatings near the reception area

Most of the area on the left wing of the lounge houses lounge caris

The left side of the lounge is filled with such two-seater armchairs for passengers to relax before their flight

Pastries at the buffet line

The buffet offer this morming is rather thin

Cold options available at the buffet line

The buffet line is situated behind the reception, in the centre of the lounge

Warm foot options at the buffet in the lounge

The right wing of the British Airways Galleries Club Lounge is decked in dark brown colour that exudes a sense of calm. Here we found more seating options. British Airways strategically placed bar tables and chairs in the area next to the wine bar for passengers to chill. Diagonally across from the buffet area sits the dining area, furnished with dining tables and chairs for two. There weren’t a lot of dining tables to cater to the lounge capacity; we had a hard time finding an empty table during our visit. We spotted a workstation area next to the dining area, furnished with tall chairs and tables, where passengers can do some work before their flight. The rest of the right wing of the lounge, from the dining area, is furnished with more lounge chairs for passengers to relax. At the end of the right wing, we found a pseudo-cinema with chairs that can seat up to 16 passengers. I thought the right wing was quieter and felt more relaxing.

The dining area in the British Airways Galleries Club lounge is located in the right wing near to the buffet station

There are some work stations next to the dinning area in the British Airways Galleries Club lounge

Further into the lounge are more lounging areas

This part of the lounging area in the lounge is quieter compared to that in the left wing

There is no lack of lounging area in the left wing of the British Airways Galleries Club lounge

There is a small “cinema” at the back of the left wing, but it mainly shows news channels

The lounging area before the small “cinema” in British Airways Galleries Club lounge

The Aircraft

Iberia mainly uses the A320s for flights between London and Madrid, and there is only one flight per day where they use the A330-300. We got the A330-300 aircraft for this flight to Madrid, fitted with Mormedi customised Stelia Solstys seats.

Cabin

Iberia only has one Business Class cabin in the forward part of the plane, housing all 29 passengers. The cabin looked clean and bright thanks to the mainly muted colours, with cream used in the seat shells. The colour scheme leans into sophisticated neutrals—cool slates, warm charcoal upholstery, and soft oatmeal panelling—punctuated by Iberia’s signature red. Rather than overwhelming the cabin, deep crimson and terracotta tones are applied with tactical precision through leather headrest trim, stitching, and cushion accents. There are no loud logos, just the signature red emitting from the IFE screen. The overall atmosphere is one of grounded luxury—calming, residential, and bathed in a sunset-toned warmth.

The cabin on the Iberia A330-300 looked bright and a little cluttered

The Business Class cabin onboard Iberia A330-300

Iberia A330-300 Business Class cabin had a utilitarian look

Mood lighting at night in the Business Class cabin

Iberia A330-300 Business Class cabin

There are two lavatories, one situated in front of the plane and the other between the Business Class and Premium Economy Class cabins. The premium vibe is also seen in the lavatories through the wooden laminate used to clad the sink cabinet. However, in terms of amenities, Iberia is rather lacking in its premium class lavatories. We only found their house-brand hand soap in these lavatories.

The Business Class lavatory onboard Iberia A330-300 is a little small

There are not many amenities in the lavatory and this handsoap is one of the few

Other than the handsoap, the only other amenities in the lavatory is a hand lotion

The mirrors on the walls in the lavatory somewhat made it feel bigger

Seat Features

Business Class seats onboard Iberia A330-300 are arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration, with each seat having a pitch of 46″ and measuring 20″ wide. When converted into a bed, the seat pitch measures 76″ long. Like most Business Class seats, Iberia Business Class on board their A330-300 comes with three preset modes: upright, lounge and bed mode. The upright mode is the default mode that greeted us when we first boarded the plane. I thought that, being the most uncomfortable position, Iberia’s Business Class seat in this mode was rather decent, mainly due to the thick cushioning and the soft fabric material used. The seat can be reclined 180° to a flat bed, which also feels equally comfortable. As our flight time is only 2 hours, no bedding was provided, which might add to the comfort of the seat when in bed mode. The mode that I find the most comfortable is the one between the upright and the bed modes, which I termed lounge mode. I find the default lounge mode setting to be a tad too far from the screen and a little too upright for my liking. Fortunately, the seat back angle and the seat position can be further adjusted using the buttons in the seat control panel, where I was able to find a comfortable position in this mode.

Iberia A330-300 Business Class seat in take-off/landing mode

The preset lounge mode of the seat has a slight titled angle

Iberia A330-300 Business Class seat in flatbed mode

Seat controls

Iberia’s Business Class seats have quite a number of storage spaces. The most obvious is the large side table, which can only be used when the aircraft is at cruising altitude and can be used to place my tablet and laptop. In addition, the cup cutout made this side table perfect to be used as a cocktail table without the need to deploy the seat table. Each Business Class seat onboard Iberia’s A330-300 is fitted with a two-tier open shelf at the side table, where the headphones were already waiting for us on the top shelf. This shelf is not that tall, and I was only able to stow some smaller items in it. There is also a small cubby under the armrest beneath the IFE controller slot, which I find useful to stow important items like my mobile phone and passport. On top of these, the space under the footwell can also be used to stow our carry-ons.

The side table is fairly large enough for me to place items, and together with the side cabinets, Iberia A330-300 has quite a substantial amount of storage space

The space under the footwell can also be used to stow our carry-on

There is a small cubby hole under the armrest to stow smaller items like passports and mobile phones, and I find it large enough to swallow my 11″ iPad

The literature pocket, which technically can be used to stow slimmer items, but its placement and the rigid design made it difficult to use for storage

Iberia Business Class seat on the A330-300 is stowed at the back of the seat console in front. To deploy the seat table, we had to unlatch it and flip it down. The table is rather sizeable and sturdy when deployed, large enough to place a 13″ laptop on. I like how the table can be swivelled so I can leave my seat without putting it back to its stowage position. Each seat is also fitted with an international power outlet and a USB-A charging port, located in front of the side console at calf level. I find the position of these charging solutions a tad out of place to use. Apart from the overhead reading light, the Business Class seat onboard Iberia A330-300 is also fitted with a second reading light at the headrest area, which can be adjusted to suit any seat position.

Seat table is stored by the entrance to the seat

The seat table is rather sizeable when fully deployed

Power outlets and headphone jack is found at the lower bottom part of the seat

Additional reading light near the headrest

Primary reading light above the seat

Inflight Entertainment

Each Iberia Business Class seat onboard its A330-300 aircraft is fitted with a 15.4″ IFE TV that comes with a touchscreen function. The picture quality of the IFE TV was sharp and allowed me to watch the entertainment without the need to lower the window shades. However, the touchscreen function felt a little laggy. Fortunately, we still have the IFE controller option to select the entertainment we wanted. The IFE controller, designed to look like a PSP, is very easy to use. But one point to note: I noticed the IFE controller is upside down, making it a little challenging to use. When it comes to entertainment options, Iberia’s IFE system is intuitive and well categorised into six menu options: Movies, TV, Audio, Games, Kids and Info. We could easily find the type of entertainment that we wanted to watch during the flight. Iberia has a large variety of shows, but mainly European and Hollywood blockbuster movies, with a small selection of movies from other regions. For a short 2-hour flight, I thought it was sufficient to keep us entertained. Iberia also provides free wifi to its Business Class and frequent flyer members. However, the internet speed is only good for chatting and social media browsing.

IFE controller is stowed above the armrest

IFE controller is very easy to use

Iberia installed each Business Class seat with a 15.4″ touchscreen TV

Noise cancelling headphones are made available to all Business Class passengers

The IFE menu is intuitive to navigate and has quite a good selection of entertainment options

Meal Service

Meal service commenced 30 mins after take-off. As the flight time was around 2 hours, all three courses were served on one tray. The Tomato tartare appetiser tasted surprisingly fresh, and the peppers used were not too overpowering. There were two options for the main course: the Chicken with Potato Gratin or Pasta with Mushroom sauce. I went for the chicken dish, which was delicious; despite using the breast meat, the chicken was moist. The potato gratin was very delicious and complemented the chicken very well. Tiramisu was the only choice for dessert, which was rich and creamy. I enjoyed the catering for this flight.

Meal options for this short 2hour flight from London to Madrid

I opted for the chicken breast which was moist and tasty

Cabin crew came around serving coffee after meal trays were collected

We were even given a small piece of chocolate after meal

Service

Service onboard was good. Other than the mandatory greetings at the door, the crew working in the Business Class section were friendly. They wore smiles during interactions and were very observant in the cabin, clearing empty plates as soon as they saw passengers were done with the food. The cabin crew working at my aisle, despite not smiling much, were friendly and observant.

Afterthought

It is rare to find an actual lie-flat, not your typical middle seat block-off posing as Business Class product in Europe. Despite the aircraft showing its age, I would choose this A330-300 product over any newer middle seat block-off European Business Class. The seat was comfortable, thanks to its thick padding. The entrance to the seat can be tight due to its narrow walkway. The food served was of good quality and was tasty. I feel we were very well taken care of by the crew on board.