Iberia flight compensation: delayed or cancelled

Did you experience a disruption on your flight with Iberia? Select the relevant section below to learn about your rights in the event of a delay, cancellation, denied boarding, or missed connection.

Iberia counts as an EU/EEA airline, so these rules can apply both to flights departing the EU/EEA and to flights into the EU/EEA that Iberia operates. The route and the actual operating carrier always decide a specific case.

As a Community air carrier licensed in the EU/EEA, Iberia's flights are normally covered by Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 both when they depart from an airport in the EU/EEA and when they arrive in the EU/EEA from a third country, provided that Iberia (or another EU/EEA carrier) is the operating air carrier. The route and the actual operating carrier are always decisive in the individual case. Flights sold under the Iberia brand but operated by, for example, Air Nostrum are assessed against the operating carrier.

Flights sold under the Iberia brand may be operated by other carriers. Air Nostrum has operated as Iberia's franchisee ("Iberia Regional") since a franchise agreement concluded in May 1997, with the flights commercialised by Iberia, according to Air Nostrum's own website. Iberia Express is a separate licensed Spanish air carrier. In a claim under Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, it is the air carrier actually operating the flight that is responsible.

According to Iberia's passenger rights page, passengers facing longer delays receive meals and refreshments in reasonable relation to the waiting time, and for delays of more than five hours they can choose a refund within seven days. Iberia says compensation cases are handled through its Customer Service Centre, and that the person who bought the ticket should contact the point of sale where it was purchased to request a reimbursement. Iberia also states that, with the passenger's signed agreement, compensation can be paid in travel vouchers or other services. Iberia's Spanish page says that if there is no reply within one month you can turn to the Spanish aviation authority AESA for alternative dispute resolution (ADR), that AESA's decision there is, according to Iberia, binding on the airline, and that the procedure expressly excludes baggage claims.