In the upcoming winter season, Iberia will mark its commitment to its Air Shuttle service between Madrid and Barcelona by resuming all the flights it operated between the two cities before the outbreak of the pandemic.
The aim is to incentivize and drive the corporate segment on the domestic route with the highest business traffic and, at the same time, improve the airline’s product for all customers who travel between the two cities to connect, mostly, with its long-haul flight network.
In the winter season, which runs from 30 October to 26 March, Iberia will operate up to 86 weekly flights between Madrid and Barcelona. Iberia customers will therefore be able to choose from up to 15 daily flights in each direction, with Wednesdays having the most flights. This represents close to 700,000 seats, slightly more than in 2019, due, above all, to the fact that the route will be operated by Airbus A320neo aircraft, which provide greater capacity.
The Air Shuttle schedules cover all time slots, with departures every 30 minutes. The first flight takes off from Madrid at 07:00 and the last one leaves at 21:15. In Barcelona, the first available flight is at 07:00 a.m. and the last one at 09:05 p.m.; these schedules allow for one-day round trips, an incentive for business travel.
Even in 2020 and 2021, which were defined by travel restrictions caused by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Iberia opted to maintain domestic and international connectivity in Spain and offered a stable flight programme, including connections between Madrid and Barcelona. The airline gradually increased the number of frequencies and, last winter season, it offered up to 68 weekly frequencies.
Air Shuttle: “Arrive and Fly”
With this new boost to its Air Shuttle service, Iberia resumes the "arrive and fly" philosophy for which this service is known.
In November 2021, Aena reopened the counters, security control, and VIP lounge next to the boarding gates that Iberia uses for the Air Shuttle at the El Prat airport. In Madrid, the check-in counters, security control, and the Dalí Premium Lounge are close to the boarding gates for the Air Shuttle flights, on the North side of Terminal 4. All of this allows customers to arrive up to 20 minutes before departure, and benefit from the “arrive and fly” feature of the shuttle service.
Iberia Air Shuttle customers enjoy total flexibility to change their flight using the Iberia App, with no limits on the number of changes and at no cost. In addition, they can make a seat reservation to ensure they take the flight of their choice, or, if they prefer, fly with an open ticket.
95 Years Flying Between Barcelona and Madrid
Iberia celebrates its 95th anniversary this year. The Spanish airline operated its first flight on 14 December 1927, flying from Barcelona to Madrid on a Rohrbach-Roland aircraft with a capacity for 10 passengers.
During these almost one hundred years connecting Madrid and Barcelona, Iberia has taken part in historic moments, such as carrying the Olympic Torch for the 1992 Olympic Games, held in Barcelona.
