Some passenger experience highlights from Iberia, who are on-track to restart their onboard meal service, as well as reopen its premium Dali lounge at Madrid.
Long haul catering aboard Iberia, with DO&CO helping out – Image, Iberia
It seems that Iberia is catching up, with the airline turning to DO&CO for the provisioning of meal services onboard their services. The new food options look locally, at Mediterranean ingredients as part of the makeup of the onboard service.
What can you expect?
Short and Medium Haul
- Business Class Breakfast -Hot breakfasts are offered – including an omelette served with salted spinach, or a Spanish-style omelette accompanied by fresh tomato concassé and roasted green peppers, or an omelette with avocado and red onion accompanied by oven-baked tomatoes. In addition, butter croissants are also served alongside fresh seasonal fruit, a superfood bowl of craft yoghurt with seeds and berries plus coffee, tea and fruit juices. On longer flights, a plate of Spanish cheese and cold cuts is included.
- Business Class customers on flights within Spain or to/from Portugal will be served a cold snack and a main dish (such as a smoked salmon tartlet with Japanese rice served on a light cream of wasabi, or a dressed cherry tomato salad with authentic buffalo mozzarella and mint, or roast beef with hummus, baked courgettes and black olives) plus fresh fruit.
- On longer flights, Business Class customers can enjoy hot lunch or dinner, which includes a fresh salad starter, and a choice of main dishes that will always include a vegetarian option.
- In Economy Class on flights longer than four and a half hours, Iberia will also introduce a new product for them including a selection of healthy wraps and a sweet treat (for example spinach wrap with chicken and green peppers or a beetroot wrap filled with egg, couscous and mushrooms served alongside a lemon or orange muffin) served with cold or hot drinks, including freshly made tea and coffee.
Long Haul
- Business Class customers on long-haul flights will be offered a main meal which includes a cold starter, for example, roast beef carpaccio served with grilled vegetables and Cipriani sauce followed by a choice of three hot dishes. Offerings include roast lamb with smoked roast peppers on a bed of pea and edamame mousseline or Langostines with homemade tomato and Parmesan sauce served with grilled broccolini and rice. The vegetarian option in November is a spinach quiche with Manchegan cheese and a mild Romescu sauce. November desserts include a passion fruit pannacotta and a Spanish cheese plate (Mahon, Manchegan with paprika and goats cheese).
- Depending on the time of day and destination, the second service of either breakfast or afternoon snack and on the longest flights (dependant on time or day), there is an additional service between meals including salads, fresh fruit and sweet or salty snacks.
- Economy Class customers will have the choice of two hot main dishes, such as baked chicken and seasonal vegetables with home-made tomato sauce served with rice or rigatoni with home-made tomato sauce, topped with roasted aubergines. The new Economy class desserts for long-haul flights include a chocolate mousse. As the flight approaches its destination, a second service of a breakfast or afternoon snack is served in Economy with a selection of juices and hot drinks. On longer flights the service between-meals in Economy, depending on the destination, features tapas boxes, sandwiches, sweet or salty snacks, water and juices.
Reopening the Premium Lounge Dalí at Madrid T4
For premium passengers, there’s good news as the Dalí lounge at its T4 in the Madrid airport has reopened, – with new protocols to ensure the health and safety of customers and staff.
The Dahi Lounge, Madrid Airport – Image, Iberia
This includes using barriers, separating traffic flows, enhancing cleaning and disinfection, deploying hand sanitiser dispensers, reducing seating capacity, and offering special zones for family “bubbles” travelling together.
The lounge will be open from 06:30 to 23:00 daily, offering two large food islands, four tea/coffee areas, showers, children’s play areas, Wi-Fi, Power and USB outlets
Resembling Normality
As airlines adjust to “the new normal”, the requirement to return to a service standard is going to be pressing on airlines. That means bringing back the services that were cut back and modifying them to an appropriate standard.
For Iberia passengers, things will slowly return back to some sense of normality in the air, with changes on the ground to aid distancing and spacing.
And for those who have to travel – that will be a welcome thing.
Editor’s Note: Yes. I’m playing catchup still.
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