Complaint on a Missed Connection

On May 20, 2006 we flew with Iberia Airline from Tel Aviv to Malaga with a stopover in Madrid.

We landed in Madrid at 11:00 as scheduled (flight IB3751) and were supposed to continue to Malaga at 12:20 by means of a connecting flight, IB 214. Upon arrival at the Madrid terminal we had realized to our surprise and dismay that the flight previously scheduled to take off at 12:30 has already left at 11:15.

Not only that we have not been notified of this change of schedule, but in the Iberia counter at the airport we have not been given any explanation of this unexpected change nor were we offered any kind of apology. Furthermore, we were informed that the next flight to Malaga on 14:30 there is no vacancy and the only next available flight that day would be leaving at 18:00, and we should therefore have to wait at the airport until then. To appease us, we were granted one free dinner each at one of the restaurants in the airport.

The flight to Malaga, scheduled to take off at 18:00 had finally left at 18:40 – an additional 40 minutes delay. As a result of all the above, we were forced to wait at the Madrid airport over 7.5 hours, a fact that had caused us much distress at what should have been the beginning of a wonderful vacation in Spain.

Uzi Mandel.