Iberia Upgrades Madrid Airport Lounges

Fine Dining, and Relaxing Layovers in Spain’s Capital City

Aug 27, 2009

Madrid's Barajas airport is one of Europe's most convenient hubs for international airline passengers, and Iberia has made it even more attractive to business travelers.

Terminal 4 of Madrid-Barajas airport, just outside Spain’s capital, is one of Europe’s favorites among frequent flyers. The bright well-designed facility is easy to navigate and filled with dining and shopping options for passengers between flights.

The soaring, upbeat contemporary architecture of Terminal 4, hub for all Iberia’s international flights, is enhanced by vibrant colors that blend subtly to form a Crayola-bright rainbow stretching the length of the terminal. The colors also make it easier to find points within the airport and to follow directions: “take the elevator in the green section” or “restrooms are at the beginning of the blue area” staff will advise.

New Iberia Lounges

Iberia airlines has just made Barajas even more attractive for business travelers by completely renovating its Velázquez lounge and by redecorating and making improvements to the dining options in its Dalí and Goya, lounges, also in the airport’s T4 terminal.

All three lounges will now serve a complimentary all-hours buffet of breakfast, snack and lunch choices that include breakfast rolls, doughnuts, omelettes, a variety of sandwiches and salads, fresh fruit, ice cream and – in the summer – chilled Spanish gazpacho. In addition, the 24/7 Velázquez lounge, for passengers taking intercontinental or long-haul flights, will also offer full-portion main dishes in the new Velázquez Bistro, overlooking the runways.

Velázquez Bistro Menu

The full a la carte menu created for the restaurant by Michelin-starred Spanish chef Sergi Arola, will feature such entrees as sirloin steak with caramelized apple, cod with Spanish ratatouille, sea bass with grilled vegetables and sautéed quail. The option to have a full dinner before boarding is especially attractive to passengers departing on all-night flights, who can then spend their flight sleeping.

Food is not the only news at the Madrid lounges. All three have been completely refurnished and redecorated, based on the principles of Feng Shui, with all-new furnishings, draperies and flooring designed for an atmosphere of harmony and tranquility. Bamboo and other natural materials – as well as two soothing waterfalls in the Dalí Lounge – create spaces where passengers can relax and unwind. The Dalí lounge is used by passengers flying within Spain and to most countries in western Europe.

Iberia offers direct flights to Madrid from Washington, D.C. (Dulles Airport), New York (JFK Airport), Miami, Chicago and Boston. After a stop in Madrid, passengers can catch connecting flights to an additional 20 Spanish cities and 35 other airports all across Europe.

Slated for other Iberia VIP lounges around the world, these upgrades are part of the Iberia’s $210-million initiative aimed at improving customer service and attracting more business travelers to its transatlantic routes. Iberia has already completed renovations to its lounges in Valencia and Bilbao, both in Spain.

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