Iberia Airlines Group Booking

Iberia Airlines Groups Booking Guide, Group Quotes and Reservations

Traveling in groups has its own charm. Be it a vacation, an event or a seminar, group travels bring with them meaningful association, bonding and lifelong memories. People may undertake group travels for various reasons, but whatever may be the purpose, there is no denying the fact that group travels with family, friends, teammates or colleagues are double the fun, more secure and full of added advantages and benefits. And group travels become all the way more exciting if they involve domestic or international air travel. A whole family or an entire sports team checking in together through priority counters at the airports and being greeted by the airline officials certainly make group travels privileged and special.

If it is a bulk business for aviation companies, it means a plethora of advantages and benefits for group travelers too. It’s a beneficial give-and-take for both. No wonder, airlines like Iberia leave no stone unturned in wooing group travelers with special rates and added benefits. The Iberia Airlines Group Booking policy is a well-drafted strategy that lays down the terms and conditions of group bookings, fixes the group travel rates and defines the cancellation norms in a way that group travel with Iberia becomes an attractive proposition for group travelers and a profitable venture for the airline. Find every detail regarding the Iberia Airlines Group Booking policy below.

The Iberia Airlines Group Reservations policy

Group booking is a complex procedure. It involves benefit designing, price calculations and provision of various on-the-ground and in-flight services. In other words, group bookings are a lot different from regular flight ticket bookings. And to manage such a complex process, a well-defined strategy is needed. The Iberia Airlines Group Reservations policy is a strategy in the right direction. It includes the general terms and conditions, benefits provided, cancellation policy and the preparation of group rates. The policy also guides passengers on how to book group travel tickets. All of these are mentioned below one after the other.

The Terms & Conditions for Iberia Airlines Group Reservations

1. i. The minimum number of passengers required to be eligible for group booking benefits under theIberia Airlines Group Reservations policy is 10 members or more for Economy class, 7 members or more for Business Club or Business Class and 4 members or more for Business Plus class.
2. ii. If at any point of time during the group booking process and before the final ticketing is done, the group member count falls below the minimum required number of passengers specified in the Iberia Airlines Group Booking policy, passengers no more remain eligible for group booking benefits.
3. iii. It is mandatory for groups as per the Iberia Airlines Group Reservations norms tofirst fill up and submit a group quote request form and then wait for a group fare estimate to be prepared by a team of dedicated Iberia Airlines group travel executives.Usually, Iberia Airlines prepares group fare estimates instantly for ordinary group quote requests. However, for more complex group quote requests, where specific passenger requirements are needed to be considered, Iberia normally takes up to 2 business days to respond with group estimates.
4. iv. All group estimates prepared by Iberia Airlines in response to group quote requests submitted by passengers are subject to the availability of seats at the time of booking. Any delay in completing the booking process could result in the revision of the price estimate and in certain casesa complete withdrawal of the quoted offers.
5. v. The Iberia Airlines Group Reservations guidelines allow group passengers to carry one or more check bags and cabin bags apart from small carry-on bags with them depending on fare class. But such generous baggage allowance norms do not violate the regulations of the Iberia Airlines General Baggage policy and the IATA baggage weight recommendations. For example, the 23 kg checked bag weight limit must be followed for each passenger irrespective of the class they travel in.
6. vi. Ancillary costs such astravel insurance are not included in the group ticket price estimate provided to group passengers by Iberia. Such costs are subject to additional charges as applicable over and above the quoted group ticket prices.
7. vii. As per Iberia Airlines Group Booking policy, the ticketing date is 30 days prior to the date of departure or the commencement of travel.
8. viii. Iberia Airlines allows deferred payment on group ticket bookings, but ticketing is not done until the complete booking amount is received. So, all dues must be cleared on or before the ticketing date to be eligible for promised group booking benefits.
9. ix. If the entire booking is canceled by the group, 100% of the payment deposit made till that stage to Iberia is forfeited.In other words, Iberia imposes a 100% penalty on total cancelations of group bookings within 90 days from the date of departure.
10. x. As per the Iberia Airlines Group Reservations policy, it is not mandatory to present the full passenger list along with required passenger details to Iberia at the time of confirmation of booking or on the date of deposit. Iberia has a separate naming date mentioned in the contract, and groups are required to submit all passenger information by that date.
11. xi. Iberia Airlines sends reminder emails to passengers or travel agents if group tickets are booked through them to remind them of the following deadlines,

a. Payment dates mentioned in the contract

b. Ticketing dates

c. Naming dates

12. xii. Iberia Airlines accepts payments towards group bookings only in the form of electronic fund transfers and cheques.
13. xiii. As per the Iberia Airlines Group booking policy, passengers are allowed to make certain amendments to group bookings such as the upgradation of fares, addition of more flights for segregation of groups, increase or decrease in the group sizes, etc. before the date of deposit.
14. xiv. Iberia Airlines allows name changes or corrections free of charge before ticketing. After ticketing, name changes or corrections are chargeable and additional fees are collected against re-issuance of tickets.

Iberia Airlines Group Travel Benefits

Iberia Airlines offers various kinds of benefits to passengers who have booked tickets under the Iberia Airlines group travel scheme. The benefits are as follows,

a. Special Baggage Norms: All group passengers enjoy special baggage concessions under the Iberia Airlines Group Reservations policy which are otherwise not permitted as per the Iberia Airlines general baggage norms. Passengers are allowed to carry more bags with them both as checked as well as carry-on baggage. The special privileges as per the ticketing class are mentioned below,

1. (i) Group passengers in the Economy class are allowed to carry 1 checked bag, 1 cabin bag and 1 small personal carry-on bag
2. (ii) Group passengers in the Business and Business Club class are allowed to carry 2 checked bags, 1 cabin bag and 1 small personal bag
3. (iii) Group passengers in the Business Plus class are allowed to carry up to 3 checked bags, 2 cabin bags and 1 small personal bag free of cost

b. Prolonged non-commitment period: Passengers booking group tickets with Iberia are rewarded with a generous dose of a long non-commitment period before ticketing. Passengers are allowed to submit group quote requests without commitment. And they are permitted to make certain amendments to the bookings and even pay in parts during this period of non-commitment.

c. Self-service Check-in Kiosks: All group passengers are permitted by Iberia Airlines to use automated self-service check-in kiosks at select airports where such infrastructure is available. This allows passengers to check in fast and hassle-free by first scanning their boarding passes to identify themselves and then completing the rest of the check-in formalities like baggage checking and seat selection all by themselves.

d. Priority Check-in Desks: Group passengers across fare classes are allotted priority check-in desks at select airports for fast track check-in process and quick boarding through fast lanes.

e. VIP Lounges: Group passengers with Business Plus, Business Club and Business class bookings enjoy the special privilege of getting access to VIP Lounges at airports where they can relax and savor the finest of global delicacies prepared by top-quality Michelin Star chefs before boarding their flights.

f. OnboardMeals: Group passengers across ticketing classes are provided free hot meals onboard if the group travel includes international itineraries or journeys involving more than 3.55 hours of on-air travel time. Decisions to serve lunch or dinner are made depending on the flights’ departure timings. Group passengers are provided with complimentary refreshments in the Business Class, whereas their Business Club and Business Plus counterparts are served some of the finest quality wines from the award-winning Iberia Business Plus wine cellar. However, group passengers in the Economy class have to pay for onboard hot and cold refreshments.

g. In-flight Entertainment: Group passengers traveling with Iberia get a chance to go through an immersive in-flight entertainment experience through its specially-curated collection of the latest film releases and hit TV series. Passengers are given access to premium audio channels and wide touch-screen backseat LCD TVs. Group passengers in the Business Plus and Business Club classes can also enjoy playing games on Portable PlayStations.

h. Flexible Name Change: Iberia Airlines provides group passengers the flexibility to change or correct names without any fee before ticketing.

i. Flexible Payments: With Iberia Airlines, group passengers enjoy the flexibility of paying the entire booking amount in installments. This part payment facility not only helps passengers manage their group funds better, but also allows them to add or remove group members easily if required.

Iberia Airlines Group Ticket Rates

Most airlines around the world offer special group travel rates for group passengers. And the most important criterion to be eligible for such special group rates is to have a minimum of 10 members in the group. However, merely booking group travel is not a guarantee of the lowest prices. Conceptually, there is a difference between special rates and lowest rates. While special group rates are calculated based on several price-determining factors like competitor pricing and expected ticket rates before the date of the journey, such rates are often higher than individual ticket prices. Likewise, Iberia Airlines Group Rates are often higher than the regular ticket prices. Also, Iberia doesn’t provide any special Iberia Airlines Group Discounts on ticket prices.

How to book group travel tickets with Iberia Airlines?

Group travel booking is not just about purchasing multiple tickets at once. Managing a large party requires additional support and expert guidance. And Iberia Airlines provides just that through its dedicated group travel helpdesk and its team of group ticket coordinators. Mentioned below are the prominent ways or processes following which passengers can book their group tickets with Iberia Airlines.

1. Online Method of group travel ticket booking

Iberia Airlines has a very user-friendly and easily navigable official website. Passengers can take advantage of its online group booking system and complete the entire group booking process in a few easy steps mentioned below.

1. i. First, type www.iberia.com on your browser and press enter. This would open the Iberia Airlines official website. Just below the Iberia logo on top of the page, you will find the ‘Travel’ menu on the Menubar.
2. ii. Hover the mouse over the travel menu, and it would open a dropdown submenu with a lot of travel-related options grouped under five columns. Take the cursor to the fourth column named ‘Exclusive.’ You will find the ‘Group Booking’ option under this column. Click on that.
3. iii. This would open the ‘Group Bookings’ page. There are two red-colored boxes. Come to the box on the right-hand sidewhich has the heading, “Ask for a group fare.” Here you would find the line “I want to ask for a group fare” written in yellow.
4. iv. There is a hyperlink attached to this line. Click on this line, and you will be redirected to a new page where you have to select the group ticket issuing and payment country and the preferred language from two dropdown menu boxes.
5. v. Once you select your preferred options from the dropdown option boxes, the “Request for quote for Groups” form would open. Fill up the entire group quote request form and submit it by clicking on the “Send” button at the end of the page.
6. vi. Now, wait for Iberia Airlines to respond to your group quote request with a carefully considered group fare estimate. The response time may vary between a few minutes and up to 2 business days depending on the complexity of the proposed group travel.
7. vii. After you get the group price estimate from Iberia, you may choose to make partial deposits or complete the booking by paying the entire booking amount.

2. Group booking by contacting Iberia through phone/email

You can also book group travel tickets with Iberia by directly contacting Iberia Groups Travel Hub through its dedicated toll-free phone number 1-844-209-1281 between 8a.m and 7p.m (EST) everyday. This phone number is applicable only to US and Canadian customers. Other region-specific contact numbers are available on the official website. You can also get group booking assistance from Iberia by sending emails to mybooking@iberia-groups.com .

3. Group booking through Iberia trade partners/travel agents

Iberia has a dedicated group travel helpdesk called Groups Travel Hub, which is a specialized platform for trade partners and authorized travel agents. This platform allows agents to provide various group travel-related services to their group customers. Under this platform, agents have round-the-clock access to the group booking system. If passengers book group tickets through them, they can benefit from Iberia’s specialist customer care support as well as various other group travel schemes.

Iberia Airlines group cancellation policy

Iberia Airlines has a well-defined group travel cancellations and refunds policy. The highlights of the policy are mentioned below,

1. i) As per the Iberia Airlines group cancellation policy, facilities such as refunds and changes are not provided on Basic Economy and other restricted fares. In case, any such refunds are allowed in specific cases, applicable penalty fees are deducted from the group ticket prices.
2. ii) Prior to paying the booking deposits, passengers are allowed to make n-number of amendments to the reservations including canceling the whole booking without being charged a single penny.
3. iii) Passengers are also permitted to reduce group size without restrictions or even cancel entire group bookings without penalty if such changes are made between the date of deposit and 90 days from the departure date.
4. iv) However, between 90 days before departure and the full commitment date, only a reduction of up to 20% in the team sizes is allowed. Beyond20%, the part deposit made against each canceled passenger is forfeited. Full cancellations during this period lead to forfeiture of the 100% deposit amounts.