Airplane vs. high speed: Iberia's "corridor" for the Madrid Barcelona

We Italians have the Linate/Fiumicino, the French have Paris/Nice, in Germany there is Munich/Frankfurt and In Spain there is Madrid Barcelona: these are the busiest routes of the national skies within the old continent, or rather the ones that still resist the advent of high-speed rail. The route between the two Spanish cities is by far the busiest.

Train vs. Airplane

The route between the country's capital and the beating heart of Cataluña is a busy one: are not only from Iberia but also from Air Europa and all the low cost airlines. It is so important to preside over this route that to answer the demand Air Europa flies between the two cities with a Dreamliner, that is, a wide-body aircraft, the same one used for intercontinental routes.

There are 4 rail operators, iryo, AVLO, AVE, OUIGO, which travel the 500km distance between the two cities in less than 2 hours and 40 minutes resulting in a price war. Therefore, Iberia, the flag carrier, has implemented a similarly aggressive strategy with its "air bridge" between the sea and the center of the peninsula.

The Iberia Corridor

Iberia's strategy is to counteract train travel by making the airport and onboard experience as seamless as possible for passengers who choose the plane over the train.

Puente Aereo is not new in these years, it has been in existence since 1974, long before the competition of AV began on routes around 600 km. If Milan/Rome has always been a boon for ITA, this route has also always been a cash cow for Iberia. By the early 2000s it had grown to 45 pairs of flights a day between the two cities.

Today there are up to 25 pairs of flights, but beyond that Iberia has always had a dedicated infrastructure for these passengers.

Dedicated terminals and routes

In Madrid, there are ad hoc routes to move passengers quickly from screening to the lounge, and from the lounge to the gates where flights depart.

In Barcelona it goes even further. Here there are dedicated check-in and information desks for boarding luggage. All this to be able to show up at the airport even 15 minutes before the departure of the flight. A set of dedicated gates for security checks right in front of the gate that is used by the company to fly, period. Aircraft always take off and land from fingers connected directly to the terminal to minimize time loss.

The same is true when landing: air deck passengers have a dedicated exit with dedicated baggage reclaim, obviously only for the luggage of air deck passengers, everyone else will find their luggage together with the other passengers on normal flights.

Dedicated lounge

Those departing from Barcelona also have a dedicated lounge. Not exclusively, but being right in the area where these flights depart the guests are in 90% of cases passengers ready to embark for the airlift.

A better lounge than many Italian lounges, and we're not talking about the airport's main one.

Open rate

There is hardware and also software, passengers can opt for a traditional ticket or an open ticket. In this case you have the option of showing up at the gate and boarding the first available plane with a free seat, without any restrictions. The same applies if you change your mind at the last minute: you take the next plane without any stress or penalty.

The comparison with ITA

We at TFC recently did an AV vs. Airplane challenge. What is certain is that in Italy there is no such organization, quite the contrary. Often flights from Linate do not arrive at the air terminal, but in the remote parking lot further slowing the traveler's journey.

There used to be a short route at FCO for FCO/LIN passengers, but nothing comparable to what Iberia puts in place. Of course, then you get to the airport and have to go to the city center, but BCN like LIN, is close to the center and in a short time you are moving around the city, different in the two capitals, with Madrid, however, that Is definitely better connected than FCO.

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