Early last month, I again booked a flight with Iberia to Morocco.  The price was so great that I could not pass the chance to visit my country.  What happened later was a quiet an ordeal . . . .
On the eve of my flight, I heard on Midi 1 radio that Madrid was covered with snow and that Iberia Airlines pilots were considering going on strike because of problems with the company’s management.  I called Iberia to inquire about any possible delays or cancellations, and was told that everything was going smoothly.  When I got to the airport, there were about 20 to 30 people ahead of me, and it took me about an hour to get to the checking counter.  At the counter, the Iberia attendant informed me that due the snow storm, the flight from Madrid departed 5 hours late, and that my flight would not take off until 1:30 AM the next day (instead of 8:30 PM).  I then asked him about my connection to Casablanca, and he told me that he informed Madrid that there are about 30 people who have a connection to Morocco, and was assured that a plane to Casablanca will wait for us at Barajas airport  I was a little apprehensive, but decided to have faith.  

The flight took off at 1:30 AM, and we arrived safely at Barajas airport at 2 PM local time.  I was pleasantly surprised to read that our flight to Casablanca was delayed until 3:30 PM and assumed that it was waiting for us.  So far so good, I told my self, and then rushed to the gate with the rest of the people who had a connection to Casablanca.  I also called my brother in Morocco who was going to pick me up, to tell him that my flight was delayed.  At the gate, we found a lot of people waiting for boarding.  A few minutes before boarding, the time for take-off was changed to 45 minutes later.  At that point, some people started protesting the delay at the counter, and I was expecting to see an Iberia official come explain to the travelers the reasons for the delay.  Instead, I was surprised to see riot police wearing anti-riot gear and lining up around the gate.  This just made the crowd louder and angrier.  

I learned that some of the passengers had been stranded at the gate waiting for this same flight for 3 days.  Some of them had babies and small children.  When I told a passenger holding his preschool-age daughter that it is was no big deal if the flight was a little late, so long as we flew sometime today, he looked at me as if I was very naive and said, “Mr., I have been here for 2 days now, and Iberia keeps on pushing the time for take off and by 5 PM., they cancel the flight, and tell people to come back tomorrow.  I was horrified, especially for the people with small children who had to deal with milk and diapers and clothes to change their kids.  I thanked God that I had decided to come by myself without my kids.  

After that, the flight time kept changing every 15 minutes, and by 5 P.M., the flight was canceled.  No Iberia official was at the gate to tell the passengers what to do.  So, I decided to go to the customer service desk to inquire about other possible flights to Casa.  On the way, I walked by other gates and realized that a lot of Iberia flights were leaving on time.  All of the European and American destinations were leaving.  I passed by the gate for the flight to Tel Aviv, Israel (this was in the middle of Israel’s bombing of Gaza), and it was departing on time.  However, the African and South American destinations were the only flights affected by the snow and pilots’ strike, and were generally delayed or canceled.  

At the customer service booth, there were about 50 or 60 people (all Africans or South Americans) ahead of me, and it took me about 4 hours of waiting to get to the counter.   I was booked on the next morning flight to Casa, and got a voucher for a hotel room and dinner.  We were told to be at the airport by 8 AM.  When I got to my hotel room, it was almost midnight.

The next day, we got to the airport at 8 AM.  At the gate, some people told us that they had spent the night at the airport, because they needed a visa to get out of the airport.  After two gate changes, our flight finally took off around noon.  It was the first time I have ever seen people applauding the pilot for taking off; usually it happens after landing.  People were very happy to leave Madrid.  But it was not over yet:  when we arrived in Casablanca, a lots of the passengers (like my self) did not receive their luggage.  At that point, I did not care, I was just glad to be home.  It took two days for my suitcase to make it to Morocco.  

The trip back to Washington was almost uneventful in comparison (I said almost).  At the airport in Casablanca, we learned that our flight was delayed by 50 minutes because of the late arrival of the Iberia plane from Madrid.  Nonetheless, we managed to arrive in Madrid 30 minutes before the scheduled time of our connection to Washington.  I and about a dozen unlucky passengers ran at top speed to other side of the airport and through security again, to get to the gate in time for the flight to Washington.  We got there 15 minutes before the scheduled take off, but were shocked to be told (in Spanish) that we were late and that our plane had left the gate.  Since we were all able to see that the plane was still there waiting at the end of the jet-way, we protested loudly.  The attendant would not hear any of it, however.  He was adamant, that the plane has already left (tarat maaza, nazlat maaza), and he recommended that we go to customer service to be re-booked on another flight.  

At that point, I was just mad:  “Please, not another night in Madrid!!”  I then walked with the other passengers to the so-called customer service, and waited for my turn.  I could not comprehend what was going on.  Instead of apologizing for delaying our flight out of Casablanca (or, God forbid, offering us free drinks or some other token in compensation)…, or even maybe having a representative waiting for us at the gate to rush us to our connecting flight, through the unnecessary security (since we were in transit), Iberia was punishing us, and for what?  We got to the gate on time before takeoff, after all.  Surprisingly, people’s mood at the customer service counter was subdued – I guess by that time everyone realized that we were doomed, and nothing could be expected of Iberia.  Then I was suddenly awakened from my daze by an Iberia representative shouting something that I did not understand because as you can guess, it was Spanish.  Then, someone said: “We have to rush back to the gate – the plane came back for us.”  “But, the plane never left,” I said to myself.  In any event it didn’t matter –we were finally going to Washington.  We landed there safely in Dulles airport, but again the luggage stayed in Madrid for 3 more days.  I got it on the fourth day after my arrival, when it was brought to my house at 5:30 a.m. after a sleepless night of waiting for it to be delivered.

It is hardly necessary to describe how I feel about Iberia after this experience.  Although strikes and snow are bound to happen, the company’s customer service in the face of these problems was one of the worst I have ever seen.  We have all experienced flight delays or cancellation, luggage loss, etc with many airlines.  However, when you call to inquire about the situation, there is always someone who answers questions and give you alternatives.  Not with Iberia.  At the airport in Madrid, Iberia sent riot police to deliver hash words and intimidation to its customers.  For my lost luggage, I called numerous times, but the Iberia representatives told me for days that they did not even know where my bags were, much less when I would receive them.  When I asked about compensation for the delay, I was told that first I had to write a letter and attach all my receipts in order to get reparation for up to 50 Euros per each day that my bags were delayed.  This again shows how Iberia treats its customers.  I am just happy that riot police were not sent to my house.

Driss Benmhend

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