Transfer in Madrid
I step off the shuttle train that connects the satellite Terminal 4S to the main concourse. From there I head up to ground level and customs.
Madrid’s T4 really is quite impressive.
They just have so much space!
There is a complimentary landside shuttle bus between Terminal 4 and Terminals 1, 2, and 3.
The journey from Terminal 4 to Terminal 2 takes about 15 minutes.
Check-in
Air Europa’s European flights check in at Terminal 2. There is a dedicated Business Class area, and fast track security is right next to it.
At 10:30 on a Saturday morning, the place is very quiet.
I’m the only person at security.
From there I make the long schlepp to the Air Europa lounge on the E concourse.
The views on the way are excellent!
The Air Europa Plaza del Sol Lounge
The Plaza del Sol lounge has the best views. I park myself by the window and get some bread, cheese and crushed tomatoes from the extensive cold buffet.
And then I watch the planes come and go until it’s time for my flight to start boarding.
Breakfast of champions: tomato pulp with olive oil and cheese.
And an excellent view to keep me from nodding off.
Not sure what they were doing to the APU on that 737.
Three aircraft in one shot. Not too shabby.
Changing of the guard.
At 13:05 my ride to Amsterdam pulls onto its stand right in front of my nose, having just arrived from Milan.
There are still nearly two hours to go before my departure to Amsterdam.
Boarding
Boarding starts at 14:20 and it’s a very orderly process.
Of course, before I can join the queue I need to take a photo.
There is a separate queue for passengers in Groups 1 and 2.
Air Europa operates an interesting mix of destinations out of Madrid.
The Cabin & Seat
The cabin is in the usual 3 + 3 configuration, with the middle seat left empty. It’s an attractive looking cabin. However, there are no USB or electricity plugs. On today’s flight there are four rows of Business Class, with 16 out of 16 seats occupied.
This aircraft features the new Boeing interiors with larger overhead bins.
There are inflight monitors displaying the safety on board instructions.
The cabin looks very new and well maintained.
And the leg room is good.
The Crew & Service
Once boarding is completed, the crew pass through the cabin offering still water and orange juice.
Okay, not the classiest presentation, but still.
Our taxi to the active runway takes us about ten minutes.
The weather on the initial climb is dreadful, but eventually we emerge into a clear blue sky.
Once we’re airborne, they come through the cabin with packaged towels and vouchers for complimentary wifi access, which works rather well.
The Meal
The meal is served with a small menu card explains the detail of the dishes.
In my experience, the not so healthy stuff is usually far more enjoyable.
I like the presentation of the meal.
The dessert in the top left corner is good, but rather sweet. The tapenade is lovely, though.
The fish is quite unusual as far as airplane food is concerned, but also good.
My only complaint is that there is no butter or olive oil to go with the bread rolls.
The quality of the food is good, the dressing goes well with the fish and the dessert is very good.
Arrival in Amsterdam
The flight time is two hours. Just after 16:44 the aircraft’s nose dips and we start our descent.
The weather here seems slightly better than it was in Madrid.
And we even manage to over take the Korean Air on our way to the ramp.
Eventually coming to a stand still next to a pair of Transavia jets.
It then takes an hour for the luggage to arrive, even though the airport is quiet.
Conclusion
I rather enjoyed this trip with Air Europa. My last flight with them from Madrid to Athens had been a bit of a let down, so it’s nice to see them back to their old form.
The trip to Bogotà has been tiring and very interesting. Lufthansa was a bit of a let down, to be honest. However, as the Maltese saying goes, the rose grows from thorns. The rose, in this case, being Iberia, which was very enjoyable.
Nice to see them sticking to their unique plating for the meals.
Yes, this is much nicer than what they served on the MAD-ATH flights.
Could be a wide-body vs narrow-body thing?
Nah, I think it was probably more that their mid-haul product is badly defined.
Ah, thanks. Not sure I’ll keep it up.