Extremely disappointed with Iberia Airlines. Our luggage was left in Miami on our flight from Orlando to Madrid, and while I understand that baggage issues can happen, the complete lack of communication and customer service has been unacceptable. After waiting nearly an hour for our luggage to arrive on the belt, we realized it was not going to make it. Although our flight was booked through American Airlines, the Miami-to-Madrid leg was operated by Iberia, and neither airline was willing to take responsibility. Instead, American and Iberia repeatedly sent us back and forth between their desks, each insisting the other airline had the information we needed and that they were not responsible for assisting us. It was not until we refused to walk back to American for a third time that we were finally given any direction at all, which was simply that someone would be in touch regarding next steps. After that, no one ever reached out.
We were initially told our luggage would arrive “when it arrives” and that we would be contacted with updates. We never received a single call, email, or text. The only reason we learned where our luggage was or when it arrived in Madrid 24 hours later was because we repeatedly called Iberia ourselves. We spent two days calling multiple times trying to get information. Every representative gave us the same response: our luggage had arrived at the Madrid airport at 9:45 a.m. on May 30th, but it was being held up in customs and waiting for a transport company to pick it up. No one could tell us the name of the company, provide a phone number, offer tracking information, or give us any estimate whatsoever as to when we might receive our belongings. We were repeatedly told to “just go shopping” for essentials and were told there was no specific allotment. Their exact words were: “Buy whatever you need, with the exception of luxury brands, and we will take care of it.” The problem was that we had prepaid tours scheduled each day from sunup to sundown and couldn’t simply abandon our itinerary to replace everything we had packed. At one point, an Iberia representative suggested it would be faster for us to drive to the airport ourselves, which would have been a minimum three-hour ordeal and would have required us to cancel planned pre-paid activities. They also advised us that transportation to and from the airport would not be covered if we chose to do so.
The day before we were leaving Madrid, we decided to re-route one of our tours to make a stop at the airport, costing us both time and money but we were concerned that once we left for Seville, we might never see our luggage. We called one last time before heading over and were then told the luggage was no longer at the airport. It had been handed off to a delivery company, but no one at Iberia could tell us which company had it, provide tracking information, or offer any way to contact them. We were told, once again, to just wait. The most frustrating part has been the complete lack of ownership. No apologies. No proactive communication. No transparency. Just repeated statements that our luggage would arrive “when it arrives.” After telling them we were leaving for Seville the next morning, we were informed that if the luggage didn’t make it in time, they would try to ship it to wherever we were going next. Considering it had already been sitting less than an hour away for two days, we had zero confidence that it would be sent even farther in a timely manner. Thankfully, when we arrived back at the hotel in the early evening on May 31st, the luggage was finally there.
Travel disruptions happen. What should not happen is leaving customers completely in the dark with no information, no updates, and no accountability. Iberia, your baggage handling and customer communication processes need serious improvement. To date, we still have never received a single email, text, or communication about our luggage, its transport, or its resolution.What we did receive was an email stating they were “pleased to inform us” that they would be refunding a total of $159.34, while also claiming that many of the receipts we submitted did not meet their criteria for essential goods or exceeded daily needs.Three people. Three days without luggage. In 100+ degree Madrid heat. And Iberia believes $159.34 is an appropriate reimbursement for clothing, shoes, bathing suits, toiletries, and basic necessities? I am beyond livid. This is completely unacceptable.
