Iberia Airlines
Flight 8727
Porto – Madrid
Depart 12:15 PM, Arrive 2:25 PM

After finishing our stay in Porto, we had decided to go to Madrid for a couple of days before heading home.

The prices for the short 273 mile, 1 ½ hour flight came at a staggering price. Tickets were going for over $500 for any direct flight. As we traveled during the summer, direct flights on Ryan Air or TAP Portugal was unavailable. Flights on Iberia were available for an astronomical price.

Fortunately, I was able to book award flights using British Airways Avios for a mere 4,500 and $14 per person. I’d gladly spend 9,000 Avios and $28 for tickets retailing for over $1,000 any time.

The Porto metro has a stop at the Porto airport, so it is very convenient when traveling from the city.

The Porto airport is a regional airport, but was somewhat busy when we arrived. Despite that, we were through security and in the gate area in under 30 minutes.

The Porto airport is very impressive. Although small, it has a big open fell with a glass roof.

The airport offers free wifi and the use of computers for all passengers.

There are also water dispensers near the gate areas that serve ice cold water. This was great during the hot summer months.

We were shuttled to the plane via bus.

Seating on Iberia was normal economy seats, but almost anything is passable on such a short flight. Surprisingly the flight was fairly empty, so I am not sure how Iberia justifies the prices for this flight.

Using Avios, whether British Airways or through Iberia’s program directly, can be a great way to travel cheaply especially on intra-Europe or intra-Asia flights. With the plethora of low cost carriers in these regions however, picking and choosing your spots is a definite must. If you do have luggage, using miles or flying the bigger airlines may save you on baggage fees.