Iberia To Increase Its US Capacity And Move To JFK Terminal 8

The Spanish carrier Iberia is looking to increase its presence in the United States this IATA winter season (which will last until the end of March 2023). Iberia, a member of the International Airlines Group (IAG), is already looking to add connectivity to this country and move its operations to Terminal 8 at New York JFK Airport in line with its partners British Airways and American Airlines.

Iberia’s winter plans

From its hub at Madrid Barajas International Airport (MAD) and Barcelona El Prat International Airport (BCN), Iberia currently operates 53 weekly flights to seven destinations in the United States (including San Juan, Puerto Rico). Iberia flies to Boston (BOS), Dallas Fort Worth (DFW), New York (JFK), Los Angeles (LAX), Miami (MIA), Chicago (ORD), and San Juan (SJU), and has over 16,000 seats available each week.

In the last quarter of this year, Iberia will have a recovery of 95% of its total capacity, but by the beginning of 2023, it will exceed its pre-pandemic levels, reaching 105% of its 2019 capacity. With this idea in mind, Iberia has made a firm commitment to the US market, said the airline in a statement, adding that this country continues to be a priority market, with an increase of 15% in seats available and 21% in flights, compared to 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying.

Which routes does Iberia offer to the United States?

Using data from Cirium, Iberia currently offers ten routes between Spain and the United States, three from Barcelona and seven from Madrid. Iberia flies to Boston, New York, and Los Angeles from the city in Catalonia. Meanwhile, from Madrid, Iberia serves the seven destinations previously stated. The routes to New York and Miami from Madrid are Iberia’s busiest, with 13 flights per week as of November 2022.

Iberia expects to add an additional frequency to Miami shortly, therefore operating two daily flights to this destination. It will do the same to New York in March 2023.

The flights to Dallas were initially launched to operate only in the summer. Nonetheless, Iberia decided to maintain this route during the winter season with three weekly frequencies, which will gradually increase until the airline operates daily flights by June next year. These services will be performed with Iberia’s Airbus A330 fleet. In Dallas, Iberia’s customers can connect with American Airlines, a partner for the Spanish carrier.

Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying.

Moving to the New Terminal 8 at JFK

Finally, Iberia announced it will move from Terminal 7 at New York’s JFK Airport to the recently remodeled and expanded Terminal 8 on December 1. Iberia will share operations from this terminal with American Airlines and British Airways.

“This new terminal will bring it closer to its partners in the Atlantic Joint Business agreement and will provide its customers with an improved experience in their connections. T8 will offer five new boarding gates and four new parking positions for high-capacity aircraft, an improved baggage handling system, and 130,000sqm of additional terminal space,” said Iberia.

Additionally, the Terminal offers other amenities such as two new VIP Lounges (the Greenwich Lounge and the Soho Lounge, which are available for IB Gold and Business customers, and IB Platinum, IB Infinita, and IB Infinita Prime customers, respectively).

Have you traveled onboard Iberia’s fleet? How was the experience? Let us know in the comments below.