Iberojet Review: Spain's Seasonal Nonstop Service from Orlando to Madrid

I've written several flight reviews in the past, all for budget airlines, and I get the same queries coming to my site. Is it safe? How are the amenities onboard? Is it comfortable?

Here I share with you my experience flying the convenient seasonal nonstop service from Orlando to Madrid, including all your burning questions (and a little extra info you may be looking for too).

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Is Iberojet Cheap?

Not really. We paid about $300 for a one way to Europe, but the return was double so we booked with another airline for our return. Play with dates. Sometimes you can get a good deal when it first comes out.

Does Iberojet Operate MCO-MAD Year-Round?

No. They offer a seasonal service only, departing and returning on Saturdays. That's one flight a week, so don't miss it!

Is Iberojet Reliable?

Typical Spaniards, I thought, as we waited at our gate for the once a week flight to receive its crew. Once a week this plane flies, it's not like the crew had other flight plans. They sauntered in late from wherever they were, and we all suffered a 45 minute delay boarding because of it. We did recuperate the time in flight, so all was not lost.

I will say, however, that my two experiences with Iberojet were like this:

• Booked flight, they cancelled it and wanted to move it to two weeks later (uh..no.)

• Booked flight, they delayed it by an hour or two weeks before flying. Ok.

No pasa nada (don't worry about it), as they say in Spain. You have to book with this airline expecting that changes will more than likely happen. Be ready for it and you won't be blindsided.

Is Iberojet Safe?

Yes - as safe as any other aircraft in the sky. They all abide by standards and laws they must follow. Some aircrafts may be older than others, but they are operationally sound and would not fly if they were not functional.

That said, I did have a few moments of 'what if' when we took off, simply due to my own neurosis and the fact that we heard a weird noise on ascent into the sky. It was like a big rig truck kicking up rocks at a windshield on the highway, and it happened several times throughout our flight. My husband called it ice. I don't know, but it was unpleasant to hear.

Because the aircraft was a charter plane, it was an older airplane but still in pretty darn good shape regardless of the strange noises!

Does Iberojet Participate in TSA Pre-Check?

No, they do not participate in the TSA pre-check program, so be sure to leave time for security if you are used to having the speedy lane.

What are the Iberojet Seats Like?

The were all the same as far as I could tell, but apparently the Turista class seats are a little wider. Not sure about that.

In the regular back of the bus seats we enjoyed decent leg room and folding tray tables that gave you options for a half or full sized tray.

They reclined pretty well. Honestly, no complaints.

Does Iberojet Offer Meals?

Yes, meals are included in your service. A hot meal is served at the start of the flight, with a small breakfast assortment bag offered at the end of the flight. Note that they do not offer coffee, tea or hot drinks when you wake up. There IS a Starbucks self-service area by the baggage claim in Madrid if you need a pick me up before going out into the world.

Does Iberojet Offer Blankets and Pillows?

No pillows, but Iberojet does offer blankets. People swear by the latest craze, the trtl pillow, so if you still don't have a neck pillow for your flight then this is a great one to consider purchasing in advance for your trip for maximum comfort.

Is There Seat back Entertainment on Iberojet flights?

It depends. Some of Iberojet's fleet belongs to them (you can see their branding on the exterior of the plane), but in our case we had a plain white aircraft that was used as a charter plane. I.e, our plane was a rental.

This particular 'rental' did not have entertainment on board. There were seat back TVs, but nothing on them. There were no maps, no music, no games and no movies.

You can tell how old it is by these little game console phone things. Look at these wires! Do you remember these?

Is Iberojet Strict About Their Bag Policy?

For my level of service (El Cheapo seats) we get a personal bag and a carry-on bag per person, which I think is pretty generous when you compare to other airlines.

Here are the Iberojet bag dimensions in centimeters:

Personal bag - 35x30x20 cm

Carry on bag - 50x40x25 cm

Note that the total for both bags cannot exceed 10 kg (22lbs).

The personal bag is smaller than other airline requirements, but is good for a small purse or backpack. You can learn more about packing a personal bag for international flights here.

If you need to get crafty with swapping items out to save space and weight, I've got some great packing hacks for this here.

For this trip, my daughter and I packed light, opting for smaller rolling bags (even when we could have gone bigger) so we wouldn't be tempted to tilt the scales on the 10kg weight limit. Remember that is for both bags totaled.

Side note: If you like these bags, you can find the cow print 'it' bag at Marshalls, or similar versions on Amazon here. I got the ride on fire truck in Spain, but you can find similar versions on Amazon like this Trunki brand fire truck. My kid has loved this little bag since she was maybe 2 and now she's almost 6 and still loves riding around the airport on it!

You can find the remainder of the bag fees and details on your booking/ticket confirmation.

Fees range from $80-$180 for additional checked luggage or for baggage on board that exceeds the size and weight limits.

In our experience, no one cared about the bags and simply asked if we had anything we needed to check.

Does Iberojet Have an App?

Yes, but it's pretty bare bones. There is no login, but you can find your flight with your locator number and last name.

Once you find your flight info you can see rate conditions like:

• Onboard menu: included (but who wants that on a midnight flight?)

• Hand baggage (up to 10kg): included

• Baggage check-in: Not included (not sure what this means?)

  and then some information about changing (for a fee) or cancelling your flight (not included).

There are also buttons for adding services, seeing your personal information, selecting seats for a fee, etc.

How is the Iberojet Check In Experience?

Meh. Logging into their website you will like see this as your greeting, no matter what you are trying to navigate to. Occasionally you can get to the booking screen, but clicking away from that will lead you back to this.

I'm kind of wondering how they ever make any bookings with their website in this condition.

On the app there is an option for Priority Check-In and boarding, but they charge you $20 for it. This is the only place I saw anything about check in.

That said, we had no luck online or on the app for a free check in experience and ended up checking in at the airport.

Check-in at the airport was a non-issue, and there was barely a wait. We were able to sit together as a family with no fussing about anything.

Any Other Things I Should Know About Flying with Iberojet?

All in all, it was a good flight for a red eye. If we had to return on the same flight without any seat back entertainment it would have been a long one. They did have USB chargers in the seat back but I didn't try to use it. Same with WiFi, I'm not sure if they had it or not. Prepare to bring some pre-downloaded movies and shows on your tablet or laptop.

If you are looking for a cheap flight, this isn't it. For that you'll have to head to CheapoAir's site. Instead, on Iberojet you'll find convenient routes, Spanish hospitality, and an easy ride. For a good one-way rate I will not hesitate to fly with them again.

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