Flying on a 787 from Barcelona to Madrid, my experience aboard Air Europa

A small premise. This review, in part, may also be useful to those flying AirEuropa to overseas destinations since the plane and seat are the same. What is missing, however, is all the rest of the service, which was minimal on this flight.

Specifications

Aircraft:

787/8

Class:

Business

Treat:

BCN - MAD

Price:

120€

Book

This segment is part of the My first miles run of 2022. For those seeking very competitive fares in both economy and premium classes, Barcelona is a starting point where you can often find tickets that from all other European airports cost as much as twice as much. It is not a certainty, but it happens very often. The motivation is perhaps the competition between Iberia and AirEuropa. The former is OneWorld while the latter is SkyTeam, and this generates some Price wars to benefit travelers, across all alliances.

From Italy to Europe, who offers a real business class seat.

Of course, you have to add a flight to Spain, but from low-cost to ITA Airways it is easy to find round-trip tickets for less than 100€ including luggage.

Reservation

As mentioned, this flight is part of a larger itinerary that from Barcelona took me to São Paulo via Madrid first and from Mexico City later.

This segment was initially not even supposed to be a flight to Madrid but to Amsterdam, but then KLM canceled the flight and among the possible options for re-routing I chose this one. The reason is simple: the plane. We are used to flying EU routes with single-aisle planes such as Ryanair's Boeing 737s, Easyjet's Airbus A320s, or the smaller, more modern A220s.

This route, on the other hand, is operated with a Dreamliner, namely a Boeing 787. Some days even with the /9 variant, the even larger one. These are wide-body aircraft normally used for intercontinental routes. This route, on the other hand, is operated only with this type of aircraft year-round, so with only two daily flights it is able to carry the same passengers as 5 flights with 737s.

Check-in

I arrived in Barcelona from Rome with ITA Airways in the late morning. I could have taken an even cheaper flight but, thanks to this booking, ITA Airways and American Express will give me two tickets to fly to the U.S. this summer. Not bad.

My flight was leaving at 8:30 p.m. I went to the AirEuropa ticket counter to ask if they would let me check in right away or would I have to wait the canonical 3 hours before my flight. Of course, I could easily have popped over to the Rambla or some other place in the city, but I didn't feel much like walking.

I was granted the opportunity, so I checked in immediately. The operations were very fast, thanks to the fact that there were very few documents to check: vaccine and swab. The hope that we go to a gradual return to the old travel rules and less and less paper and stamps to collect will largely reduce stress at the check-in counters.

At the airport

Having gone through security, I headed to the lounge. There are as many as four Priority Pass lounges at this airport, But my choice fell on the Pau Casals, the one by the way reported to me by the company.

This is one of the most beautiful independent lounges I have ever visited, is polished. Clean and neat. Granted, Barcelona is Spain's second-largest port of call, but the size is really generous, as is the buffet, which is absolutely top-notch.

I then worked quietly all afternoon and then went down to have a look at AirEuropa's 787/8 before dark came.

I also walked around the airport terrace and took off my mask for a little while to breathe fresh air.

As the gate opening approached, I understood why a 400-passenger aircraft is used instead of the classic 180: this plane travels with a fill rate close to 100%. The flight, as explained to me by a cabin attendant, is always full because all AirEuropa connections to the United States but especially all South American destinations depart in the evening from Madrid.

The line for boarding stretched all the way through the terminal, and I was no longer used to seeing so many people waiting in line to board a plane. This is when being able to take advantage of a status in a loyalty program makes travel much less stressful, especially if you travel in economy.

On board

I admit that I had not prepared much for this flight, and although Air Europa is a SkyTeam member, it has never been on my travel radar.

The layout of this 787/8 is two cabins: business and economy. The business class cabin is small and configured with 6 seats per row.

That is, 2-2-2, which means that window-side passengers do not have direct aisle access, which is the case in the larger version of AirEuropa's 787/9s, which are also often used on this route.

The economy cabin is configured to carry the maximum number of passengers with the classic 3-3-3.

No premium economy, only seats that, for configuration reasons enjoy more legroom, are labeled XL.

The real difference, however, between a flight on a 737 and this plane is that in business you have a spacious seat, which if you wish also becomes a bed.

This is not the first time I have flown short-haul in a long-haul aircraft, but it is absolutely the first time I have done so on a domestic flight.

Space for personal items is not much. There is a recess under the screen, but it has no door so it is of little use. There is a space between the seat and the fuselage but only for the window side seats. And nothing else, hat box aside.

The seating is comfortable, the seat configuration is fairly standard, what concerns me on a long-haul flight on a cabin set up like this is the lack of privacy.

In fact dividing the two chair neighbors are only the center console and a small bulkhead that can be raised, but it is nothing special.

The coffee table is generously sized, comes out of the console center and adjusts in various positions, but not in height.

If you are sitting aisle-side it allows you to get up even if it is open, which is still appreciable.

On a long-haul flight I would probably opt for a seat in the middle seats. True, you are not near the window and lose a tiny bit of personal space, but you gain direct access to the aisle without having to worry about being passed over by anyone.

Unfortunately, AirEuropa limits on this flight the use of all the extra services that this plane is able to offer, e.g., IFE.

The screen is on all the seats, in biz as well as echo, but the system is in demo mode. So you can't watch a movie or series, or just listen to music.

I believe, but I don't have certainty, that even the pillow and blanket are not the same as those given on long-haul, in fact I could bet they are the products given to economy passengers for intercontinental routes.

The same goes for in-flight service, in fact a welcome juice is served as soon as you board the plane.

During the flight, however, drinks and snacks are provided. The flight lasts almost 80 minutes, so it could have included at least a light dinner.

Again, I think the company's calculation is related to the fact that probably 8 out of 10 passengers on board this flight will board a long-haul flight shortly thereafter, and therefore dinner will be served on that route.

Obviously no courtesy kit, but that was obvious.

In conclusion

It would be nice if business class on European routes were set up as it is in the U.S., even on board the smaller planes. Certainly the routes where the use of twin-aisle aircraft in EU are very few, but-since the ticket cost is the same-it is better to take advantage of them when possible as in this case.

Finally, one last piece of advice. If you book aboard this plane in business, I do not recommend the last row of the cabin, for two reasons: the first is the proximity to the area where passengers get up to go stretch their legs, have a chat and have something to eat in flight.

The second is because two windows are missing from all the other rows of seats.

This is just one of many reviews you can read on our site, covid and restrictions permitting. Every Wednesday we publish a review of a lounge airport, while every Friday you can read the review of one of our flights or a hotel where we stayed.

• miles run skyteam

The verdict

This may sound like a negative assessment, but it is not. The flight is in a double-aisle plane where everyone else flies classic single-aisle planes. The seat is a real business seat and that makes all the difference in the world. Sure they could have served a light dinner, but it is still a domestic flight. Only note the IFE could have been on and usable, carrying no extra cost why leave it on pause?

6.5

Service

5

IFE

3

F&B

4

Cabin and Armchair

10

Pro

• The plane
• The booth

Against

• IFE disabled
• Served only to drink