NFT Take Off on Iberia's Inaugural Flight to Washington DC

•        To celebrate the launch of its route to Washington DC on 1 June, Iberia created a collection of 20 unique NFTs for its Business customers.

•        The retro designs evoke the first boarding passes in the company's history

•        Tomorrow, Iberia will debut its flights to Washington DC and Dallas and will also resume its San Francisco route.

•        Iberia’s staff will start to wear the new uniforms designed by Teresa Helbig tomorrow, and passengers will enjoy an updated in-flight experience.

 Tomorrow is a big day for Iberia: it debuts its flights to Washington DC and Dallas, resumes its San Francisco route, and presents its new uniforms and in-flight experience.

To celebrate, the airline has created a collection of 20 NFTs, available at a nominal price to its Business Class passengers. NFTs (non-fungible tokens) are a unique asset, a collector's item and, in this case, a memento of passengers’ experience aboard their flight, linked to the seat they are assigned.

Retro-Style Boarding Pass

These NFT from Iberia's inaugural flight to Washington DC evoke the airline’s first boarding passes and feature the four most emblematic monuments of the US capital - the White House, the Capitol, the Obelisk, and the Lincoln Memorial. They also show the flight number, Iberia’s logo, and each passenger’s seat number.

In this way, Iberia joins the emerging world of NFTs, and continues with its commitment to innovation as a way of improving its customer engagement.

More Than 50,000 Seats Between Madrid and Washington DC

Tomorrow Iberia launches its flights to Washington DC and Dallas, and also resumes the route to San Francisco, taking the airline from five to eight destinations in the US.

There will be four direct flights per week between Washington DC and Madrid until 29 October, on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

The aircraft operating this route is the Airbus A330-200, a twin-engine which is 15% more efficient, with capacity for 288 passengers, 19 in Business Class and 269 in Economy, which means that the airline will offer more than 50,000 seats between both capitals in the five months over which the route will be in operation.

Flights leave Madrid at 12:10p.m., allowing for connections with Washington DC from other airports in Spain and Europe.

*The arrival times vary slightly depending on the month of operation.

Promotion of the Madrid Destination in Washington DC

Outside of the EU, the US is the number one country of origin for tourists visiting Madrid, and its City Council wanted to take advantage of the launch of Iberia’s flights to Washington DC to promote the Madrid destination.

For this reason, the Airbus A330/200 with which Iberia is operating its first flight to Washington DC was decorated with images of the main tourist attractions of the Spanish capital and carries on its fuselage images of the Puerta de Alcalá, the Retiro Park, the Royal Palace and the statue of the Bear and the Strawberry Tree.

Madrid-Dallas, New Iberia Route

Starting tomorrow, Iberia will also fly to Dallas, the great North Texas metropolis. The flights have been scheduled until 29 October, with four weekly frequencies (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday), operated by an Airbus A330/200 aircraft with capacity for 288 passengers.

The flight schedule will allow for the best connections from Iberia’s more than one hundred destinations in Europe. In addition, Dallas is the main hub for American Airlines, which ensures great connectivity within the United States, thanks to the joint business agreement between Iberia, American Airlines, British Airways, and Finnair for the operation of routes between Europe and the North Atlantic.

*The arrival times vary slightly depending on the month of operation.

Return to San Francisco

This summer Iberia also returns to San Francisco, a route that had to be put on hold during the pandemic. Until 30 September, the airline will operate three weekly frequencies (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) with a 12:20 departure time, also to facilitate connections. The plane scheduled to operate the route is the Airbus A330/200, with capacity for 288 passengers.

The airlines in the IAG Group are the only to offer direct flights to San Francisco; Iberia from Madrid and LEVEL also from Barcelona, with four weekly frequencies (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday).

A Strong Commitment to the US by Iberia and LEVEL

With all this, Iberia is reinforcing its commitment to the US, the country that concentrates its greatest capacity, going from five to eight destinations in the summer season.

In addition to the launch of new destinations and the return of flights to San Francisco, Iberia will increase its capacity in New York, Boston, and Los Angeles, with up to 120 weekly flights between Spain and the United States.

Specifically, this summer Iberia will offer up to 14 weekly Madrid-New York flights, in addition to the daily LEVEL flight from Barcelona.

Iberia will offer another 14 flights to Miami; there will be up to seven weekly flights to Chicago; and Boston will also have a daily flight in July and August, an operation complemented by LEVEL's four weekly Barcelona-Boston flights.

Los Angeles will have up to five weekly Iberia flights from Madrid and another four LEVEL flights from Barcelona.

The schedule is completed with up to five weekly flights to San Juan, Puerto Rico, a destination that is also part of the joint business agreement for routes between Europe and the North Atlantic between Iberia and American Airlines, British Airways, and Finnair.

Europe-US Joint Venture

The joint business agreement for the operation of flights on North Atlantic routes began in 2010, between American Airlines, British Airways, and Iberia, Finnair joined in 2013, LEVEL in 2017, and Aer Lingus in 2021. Passengers can combine flights operated by any of the six carriers to get the best deals and enjoy more efficient connections thanks to coordinated schedules. The new routes for this summer are:

Aer Lingus has launched two new routes: from Manchester to New York, and from Manchester to Orlando.

American Airlines will operate Charlotte-Rome until 29 October 2022.

British Airways will operate Heathrow-Portland from 3 June, and, on the same day, it will also resume the Heathrow-Pittsburgh route.

Finnair launched a new route from Helsinki to Dallas and, from 1 June to 29 October, it will also operate the Helsinki–Seattle route.

And LEVEL launched the Barcelona-Los Angeles route on 28 March, with up to four weekly frequencies.

New Uniforms and In-Flight Experience

Tomorrow Iberia will also debut new uniforms and a new in-flight experience, which will be enjoyed for the first time by passengers on the inaugural Washington DC-Madrid flight.

Teresa Helbig is the first woman to design the airline’s uniform, which is made up of elegant and comfortable garments dominated by blue, red, yellow, and fawn, which embody Iberia's values: innovation, warmth, vitality, excellence, and a dedication to service.

The airline has also completely overhauled its in-flight meals, provided by the DO&CO catering company, emphasising high-quality produce, local seasonal products, and the richness of Spanish cuisine.

In addition, it has introduced a new digital concierge service which can be accessed on iberia.com with information on the meals that will be offered on each flight, so that, in a future phase, passengers will be able to choose their meals before flying.

The in-flight entertainment system has also been expanded, with more than 160 films, 480 series, documentaries, and master classes, and more than 230 music options.

Free messaging will also be offered throughout flights for Iberia Plus passengers and those travelling in Business Class, so that they can send messages using WhatsApp, Telegram, Messenger, and Facebook Messenger, as well as send emails (without attachments).