Air Europa is an interesting airline. It’s neither premium nor budget, their route network largely mirrors that of Iberia (smaller of course and with a couple of niche routes), and for many years it was unclear exactly what the future was likely to hold for them. Recently, however, things have started to look a little more certain. After IAG’s attempt to buy Air Europa fell through, Turkish Airlines acquired a 26% stake in the airline in 2025.

In this review, we’ll be taking a look at the Air Europa business class on their 787. As far as airlines go, Air Europa seems to have a bit of an identity crisis. I’ve never quite understood what they’re trying to be or who they’re trying to attract. On the one hand they appear to have grand ambitions – including being part of the SkyTeam Alliance – while on the other hand they’ve stripped back their long-haul economy service to a minimum, gradually becoming more similar to the likes of budget carriers like Level.

This isn’t to say they’re doing much better in premium cabins. Despite it being their hub, Air Europa don’t have their own lounge in Madrid, instead relying on airport operator AENA’s overcrowded and ever more woeful options instead. Onboard, they can be inconsistent and the experience is largely unmemorable. While nothing is exceptionally bad, it’s hard to find that much positive to say either.

They do have one thing going for them though. Air Europa’s Suma frequent flyer scheme can be a great option. It’s an easyish way to earn SkyTeam status, and there are some good value redemption options. More on that though in another post.

For now, the important point to note is that for €25.87 + 64,000 Air Europa Suma miles, it was possible to fly from Madrid to Cordoba, Argentina in business class. I was urgently needing to find flights to Buenos Aires, but was finding points availability impossible with Iberia, BA, or indeed Air Europa and cash prices were being sky high. Fortunately, points availability did exist to Cordoba with Air Europa – from where it’s possible to fly domestically to Buenos Aires in little over an hour.

Air Europa Business Class 787 Check-in

I was starting my journey in Valencia. Air Europa don’t charge any additional miles for connecting flights originating in Spain if you’ve booked a long-haul redemption. It’s a nice perk of the programme. This meant my bags were checked through to Cordoba, and I was able to easily connect through Madrid.

If you are checking in at Madrid though, it’s normally an okay (albeit unexceptional) experience. Air Europa have their own check-in area, and if you have SkyTeam Elite Plus, or are travelling in business, fast-track security is offered and usually works well.

Unfortunately, Air Europa use Terminal 1 and 2 at Madrid. They couldn’t feel more different from the vastly superior Terminal 4 which is used primarily by Iberia and oneworld. In contrast, Terminal 1 and 2 are dated, dark, and poorly designed. They don’t offer the most appealing goodbye (or hello) to Madrid.

Lounge Access & Boarding

Air Europa don’t operate their own lounges, not even at their Madrid hub. Instead, they use the airport operated AENA lounge. For destinations outside of the Schengen area, this is the VIP Cibeles lounge. Despite having been recently renovated, it’s absolutely awful. It’s the same lounge used by Priority Pass and other lounge programmes. It falls far below the standard of an airline operated lounge, such as those of Iberia in Terminal 4 and T4S.

Primarily, this is because despite being a fairly large space, it is still lacks the capacity needed for the number of passengers eligible to access. This is particularly evident between 9pm and midnight. Upon arriving at around 10:00pm, there were at least 20 people waiting to access the lounge with queuing out the door.

After around ten minutes of waiting (and after advancing only very slightly ahead), a staff member who appeared to be working for Air Europa approached the line and asked if anyone was travelling with the airline in business. I was then invited to the front of the queue, where there is an automatic gate installed for the sole use of Air Europa passengers. After a quick scan of my boarding pass, entry was granted. Why this isn’t advertised anywhere I don’t know. There were no signs, or separate queue.

Unfortunately, it was to make little difference. The lounge was absolutely packed – and when I say there was nowhere to sit, I do really mean it. It fell far short of the experience you’d expect travelling in business class and I suspect I’d have found a seat more easily if I’d just stayed in the main terminal instead.

Fortunately, boarding was a better experience. Priority boarding was well managed and everything was good to go for an on-time departure to Cordoba at 11:45pm.

Air Europa Business Class 787 Cabin

Air Europa have two 787 business class configurations. This flight was operated by a Boeing 787-900 (EC-NBM) which is configured in the more dated 2-2-2 layout, rather than the more modern feeling 1-2-1 which I’ve reviewed before. This inconsistency feels typical of Air Europa, and I don’t understand why the fleet isn’t standardised. In truth, if travelling as a couple, it doesn’t make a huge deal of difference – in fact, I quite like the window pair. If you’re travelling alone though, the 2-2-2 configuration present on this aircraft would clearly be inferior.

I was seated in 1A. Travelling as a couple this worked well since I prefer a window seat. There are 5 rows in business class, and to be honest, I don’t think it matters hugely what row you pick. Rows 3 and 4 are probably quietest, but in row 1 I didn’t notice any noise or disturbances.

In general, everything looks less sleek than Air Europa’s other 787 configuration, but comfort wise, there isn’t all that much in it. The seats are easy to control, and I managed to sleep for a good 7 hours without problem.

The biggest issue in general is the lack of privacy. The space feels a lot less private than Iberia’s a350 suite product, for example. Again though, this feels typical for Air Europa – nothing exceptional, but the minimums needs for a middle of the road experience are there.

IFE and Amenities

Upon boarding the seats were already set-up with toppers, which was a nice touch. Blankets and an amenity kit were also supplied. Again, everything feels very standard. There’s nothing wrong with it, but nothing stands out either.

Wifi was available on board and messaging apps were free. I’m not entirely sure if this is the case on all flights – at the time Air Europa were having a promotion to celebrate 10 years of their suma loyalty programme. It worked well, but to be honest, I prefer to disconnect on flights if possible, especially if they’re overnight.

The IFE system worked fine throughout the flight. The options weren’t hugely interesting though, but I typically only use the moving map feature anyway.

Air Europa Business Class Food & Drinks

Welcome drinks were served upon boarding, including a choice of cava, orange juice or water. A small carton of water was also waiting at each seat.

Air Europa’s menu is designed by Spanish chef Martín Berasategui. I’m never convinced these airline-chef collaborations result in anything particularly different or special, but overall the quality was more than acceptable. I decided to try out the veal, and while the presentation wasn’t anything special, the flavour combination was good.

The starters and dessert were more basic – but the japanese cucumber salad was good, and the toblerone cake was decent enough with a post-dinner coffee. Interestingly, Air Europa have nespresso onboard, with a few different pods to choose from. Getting a decent cup of coffee on a flight is always appreciated!

The wine list was small and fairly unremarkable. I tried out the rioja and it was fine enough. A selection of mid-range spirits were also available.

Breakfast was served roughly two hours prior to landing. It was fairly disappointing but the croissant was good! The main options were either scrambled eggs with mushrooms and carrots or a nougat coulant. The first option sounded distinctly unappetising (scrambled eggs never work well on planes, and neither do mushrooms in my experience) while the second sounded slighty unusual for breakfast. As it was, we were able to try both options. The coulant was better, although it definitely felt more like a dessert and was slightly sickly.

Both options were served with a fruit bowl and yoghurt.

Conclusions

Overall, Air Europa did the job. I got to my destination and enjoyed a fairly pleasant, if unremarkable, flight. Service was friendly throughout and I wouldn’t have a problem flying with Air Europa again. I’d only do so though if the price and schedule worked for me. I can’t imagine preferencing Air Europa over other options, and if it wasn’t for their loyalty programme, I probably wouldn’t feel that inclined to use them at all.

It’s certainly an inferior experience when compared to other European carriers such as Iberia or Air France. This said, if you’re able to get a decent deal using points they can be an interesting and very good value option – there are certainly worse ways to travel.