-
Hi folks – new to the points game so not booked a RFS flight before, nor travelled business before, but with some help the other month from some kind forumites I am on my way. I’ve booked the outbound leg of my trip to South America next year going MAD-LIM early May 25 on Iberia but booked via BA as I didn’t activate my IB in time to transfer the Avios. Almost time to book the LIM-MAD-LHR inbound for end of May 25, will probably do via BA again.
It seems that the ticket available when booking a RFS is the Business Optima which only gives seat selection 24h before? Is this correct? I don’t have any status so can’t use that to help. With a cash booking the difference between Optima and Comfort where you can select seats is about £180 and I’d pay this if I could, but it seems with a RFS you get Optima and that’s that?
Looking at the seat map for the A350-900 which flies this route, there’s the singles down the side and then in the middle there’s two, but some of those two are closer together than others? As I’m travelling solo I’d rather be in a single seat by the window, or at least in one of the couple seats with more space between each seat. Which is most ‘popular’ on these flights? If I can’t select until 24h before am I likely to be in on the those seats where I’d be cosier with the person next to me than I would prefer?
Hi @tootsci – I tried the 24 Hours in Paris cocktail on your recommendation, it was delicious!
IB doesn’t have RFS (they are a BA thing), I think you just mean regular award seats? Have you had a look through the site for Iberia threads? There are a few people here who have been doing MAD-Latin America, especially since the changes to the 241. I think @meta is quite good on this stuff.
A quick google threw this up:
https://www.headforpoints.com/forums/topic/iberia-seat-selection/I’m not clear on Óptima vs Confort – from what I can see on iberia.com these refer to different tickets types within Economy and Premium Economy classes, not Business?
Have you tried selecting your seat on the Iberia site, or only on BA?
For a BA Business flight booked on BA, you can only select seat 24 hrs before. An Iberia Business flight booked on BA allows seat selection at any time (though you may have to do this via iberia.com, not sure)
It should be noted that there can be a delay of a few weeks between booking and when Iberia permits seat selection, various reports of this and I’ve experienced it myself.
I booked Iberia (using an Amex 2-4-1) via the BA website. The flight was booked at the earliest date it became available (there was no mention of Optima or Comfort). BUT what I remember was the seating option on the Iberia app didn’t become available for some days (weeks?) after the booking – so it’s worth checking-back periodically as, agw, it will eventually appear
@NorthernLass Ooh glad you liked. I’m back in Manchester again next week and planning a return visit either for another of those or will perhaps try another!
Thanks, yes still getting used to the lingo. I just meant an award flight rather than a part-pay Avios flight. I had a look at recent threads before I booked, but I’ll have another look at some older ones. The thread you highlighted (thanks) would seem to suggest my understanding is correct as I am lowly Blue
So I may have to hope that the flight is popular with couples who will all go for the cuddle up seats and leave the single seats for me to enjoy in splendid isolation!
@Scott @Reeferman Thanks, have tried both and no joy on either. I have read somewhere that I might need to wait until at least 11 months out for aircraft type to be ‘confirmed’ so I’ll try again in a while
Hi
This is correct in that flying Iberia allows seat selection for free so you won’t have to wait 24h before.
You’ll need to do this on the Iberia site usually and you may need an Iberia reference number, rather than a BA one but a BA one may work. BA can supply this or I believe you can log on to Manage my Booking on Finnair using your BA reference and that then also shows the Iberia one.
As many people are saying on here, whilst you can book a ticket in advance, you often can’t book seats til approx 9-10 months before so this is why you can’t see it. Check in a month or so and you’ll be able to. I had this exact issue on a MAD-MIA.
I wouldn’t worry about the equivalent Optima / Comfort etc, the reward ticket is it’s own thing. You’ll have lounge access and free seat selection as soon as it opens. Enjoy, I loved the lounge in Madrid and frankly the Iberia flight and food too.
Seats can be booked for free either via app or online. I find they are available very shortly after booking if you can find out Iberia PNR which is different to BA one.
@ekposh @meta Ah super thanks. Sounds like I’m just being a bit too keen then. I’ll get hold of the Iberia PNR and try every now and then. I just wanted to make sure there wasn’t something fundamental I was missing before I book the inbound this weekend.
@ekposh Thanks, good to hear it’ll be worth the wait – I’m already looking forward to it and it’s still nearly a year away!@tootsci. We’re flying Iberia MAD-LIM in September in business, booked via BA with 2-4-1. Would never have thought about it without HfP. Already had Finnair and Iberia accounts. Went to Finnair and got IB ticket number then via IB to book seats. We’ve chosen 2 window seats one behind the other. Decided as we’ll have nearly 3 months together travelling, didn’t need to sit next to each other! Looked recently and there are still quite a lot of seats available to choose. We’re silver so assumed it was because lower status couldn’t select. The PNR is the same in both our IB and BA accounts.
Have visited lounge in Madrid many times. It’s large, light and airy and usually has a good selection of food and drink.
Thanks @LD27. It seems there’s a few of us who have been or going to Peru. 3 months wow. And I chuckled at the sitting apart! I’m managing a month (the longest I wanted to be away from wife/kid) with some other bits added on, perhaps a bit of Colombia? TBC. Are you seeing more than just Peru? Would love to read a trip report when you’re back.
Thanks @LD27. It seems there’s a few of us who have been or going to Peru. 3 months wow. And I chuckled at the sitting apart! I’m managing a month (the longest I wanted to be away from wife/kid) with some other bits added on, perhaps a bit of Colombia? TBC. Are you seeing more than just Peru? Would love to read a trip report when you’re back.
We’re travelling through Peru with daughter, who will have to return to UK after a couple of weeks to work! Son has visited South America many times and has trekked the Salkantay Route, so doesn’t want to join us. A pity as he’s the only one of us who speaks Spanish. At present doing a crash course in teach yourself Spanish! OH decided to retire during Covid so now we have time on our hands and can start ticking off bucket list.
After Peru we plan to travel to Chile, Argentina and Brazil before returning home. Have spent 3 months away over each of the last few years and always mean to write a trip report, but life (further travel) seems to get in the way! I’ll do my best this time.
@LD27 Sounds wonderful! I think I already have a number of big retirement trips planned despite it being further away than I’d like 😆
When the second pandemic winter rolled around I had a Scarlett O’Hara moment: “As God is my witness I am never going to endure a British winter again.” However, OH retired then got another (albeit part-time) job so I’m trying to convert him to the idea of spending the colder months as a digital nomad now the A levels are nearly out of the way!
I’m not quite brave enough to venture to South America by myself but I’m planning to send him home after a fortnight in Spain next year and spend a couple more weeks visiting various Iberian cities (and family) courtesy of IB redemptions.
@NorthernLass Love the GWTW imagery! Yes, I did a mad weekend dash to Malaga (courtesy of very cheap and well-timed Vueling flights) four times over the winter (OH did similar to Madrid) as we have got increasingly fed up of winter and just needed to see the sun for a couple of days. Definitely work on your OH! We want to spend winters in Spain but have a while to go until the little one is grown up.
I’m a little nervous about S. America by myself despite having done a lot of solo travel in Europe including off the beaten track places e.g. Albania in 2010 i.e. before it got more well known, but have gone a bit YOLO (as the youth say) since the pandemic.
@tootsci. Definitely YOLO at the moment. OH still does consultancy work so had to make a dash back to UK from SE Asia last year. I decided to stay and continue to travel alone. The only issue I encountered was arriving in Indonesia when I thought I was going to be deported. Was taken to a small room, where I had to wait whilst everyone else who had arrived with me had been allowed to enter. Eventually was allowed to stay after being taken to a cash machine to buy “another” visa. I then had to pay to retrieve my luggage from another official.
At the moment I’m travelling through Romania with a friend. Enjoy your travels.
I booked Iberia business for Feb 2025 in March 2024 (through BA, with a 241). Downloaded the Iberia app – but couldn’t select my seats on the app.
I then called Iberia. No wait. Spoke to an agent who booked the seats that I wanted – at no cost.
Some can select using the app – but I could not (and the phone call was very easy).@LD27 I’m sure it wasn’t much fun at the time, but it’s the memories of ‘sticky situations’ like that that, perhaps oddly, I find are some of my best travel memories! Romania is fab I’ve been a couple of times and the people are super friendly, still a few parts I’ve not seen so would love to go back.
@1958 That’s good to know, thanks. I’m booking the inbound next week so I might ring up and try and get both seats sorted after that
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Popular articles this week:
