Iberia Delay Compensation. Your rights.

Iberia flight delay or cancellation? How much compensation are you entitled to?

According to EU 261/2004, if your flight has been delayed or cancelled, it should meet one of two conditions:

• Your point of departure was an EU airport, and the flight was operated by either EU or Non-EU Airline
• Your point of departure was a non-EU airport but the final destination was Europe - applies only if the flight was operated by EU Airline

Additionally, the compensation for flight delays and cancellations depends on the distance of the flight. Under EU 261/2004 (EC 261) delays of flights covering less than 1,500 km should be reimbursed with €250. For flights between 1,500km and 3,500 km, you are entitled to a compensation of €400. €600 for flight covering more than 3,500km.

Iberia Flight Delay

To be eligible to compensation, your actual time of arrival should be 3 hours more than the scheduled one. It is important to understand that in the presence of extraordinary circumstances, the airline is not obliged to pay compensation. Extraordinary circumstances are: 

• Bad weather
• Bird strikes
• Security risks
• Control tower traffic restrictions
• Medical emergencies

The amount of compensation for the delayed flight depends on the distance of your flight.

Claim Delay Compensation

Right to Care

As with other airlines, you have the right to assistance. This includes free meals and refreshments during the waiting time, two telephone calls, emails or fax messages. If you have to stay overnight, the company should arrange accommodation and transport from/to the airport.

The assistance is required in the following cases:

• Delays of two hours or more on flights of up to 1,500 km.

• Delays of three hours or more on intra-Community flights longer than 1,500 km and all other flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km.

• Delays of four hours or more in the case of all other flights.

Iberia Flight Cancellation

As with flight delays, flight cancellations are subject to EU Regulation 261/2004. The most important factor surrounding your cancelled flight is the notification time and your arrival time.

You could be entitled to cancelled flight compensation if:

• Iberia informed you less than 2 weeks before your scheduled departure

• You were informed 7 to 13 days before the departure date and you reached your final destination with a delay of over 4 hours
• Iberia notified you less than 7 days before the cancelled flight and this caused more than 2 hours delay upon arrival 

The same rules apply for both flight delay and cancellation compensation - the amount depends on the distance of the flight. Iberia flight compensation could be paid in cash, by electronic bank transfer, bank orders or bank cheques.

Denied Boarding

Passengers are entitled to compensation in the situation of denied boarding. Denied boarding occurs when there are more passengers with confirmed bookings than seats available. If Iberia fails to find volunteers willing/ready to give up their seats in exchange for travel vouchers, for example, you could be denied boarding. To be eligible for compensation, you should also meet the following requirements:

• You presented yourself to the gate on time.

• You did not present any security or safety risk.

• You had all the necessary travel documents.

The same compensation amounts apply for flight delay or cancellation. In addition, Iberia should provide you with one of the following:

• A full refund of your ticket price or

• an alternate flight to your final destination (at your convenience).

Claim Denied Compensation

Iberia flights - other compensation policies

As a major airline, Iberia also offers electronic vouchers and/or other services to compensate its clients for flight delays or cancellations. The vouchers may be exchanged for cash or a travel voucher (MCO) of a higher value and may be used to buy tickets from Iberia.

If your flight was cancelled, delayed, or you were denied boarding, Iberia should offer you free meals, phone calls or text messages, help with accommodation and/or transport. If you want to learn all the details, visit our section Your Rights.

About Iberia

Since 1927, Iberia has been the flag air carrier of Spain. The airline operates from Madrid-Barajas Airport and includes Iberia Regional and Iberia Express. In 2010 it was announced that British Airways and Iberia have signed a merger agreement thus becoming the third largest commercial airline in the world by revenue. The deal was signed in November, the same year. Despite being part of The International Airlines Group, British Airways and Iberia operate by their names.

The fleet size of Iberia includes 90 aircraft and travels to a total of 89 destinations, including South America, India, Africa, and the Middle East.

The company offers different business classes depending on the destination (The Business Club, for example, is available only for select destinations in Equatorial Guinea, Israel and Russia).

The Economy class is more of an American, “à la carte” type, offering a buy onboard service.

Iberia Rankings

Iberia has a 5 out of 10 rating on Skytrax, which is a leading website for airline and airport customer reviews. More than 600 people have evaluated the onboard products, the staff service, the inflight entertainment and the value that you are getting for your money.