Complaint Rating:

April 19, 2007To whomever this may concern I boarded flight LY8392 from Madrid to Tel Aviv at 10:10 PM Sunday night. I had understood the flight was going directly to Tel Aviv. The security checks at the Madrid-Barajas airport went flawlessly. As the flight took off, the pilot informed the passengers that we were to land in Barcelona. That was not something I had expected. I understood this flight as a direct flight. All announcements were made in Spanish and Hebrew. I understood very little of it. The languages I had expected were English and Hebrew. I booked my flight with Elal, which is an airline I am more familiar with. The flight however was operated by Iberia.

This was the beginning of the miscommunication that was to follow. I should mention that I did not leave my seat once during the flight from Madrid to Barcelona. Once in Barcelona, the plane landed and some passengers left the plane while most remained on board. I suspect at this point, an announcement was made to the passengers in Spanish as to the length of the wait and what passengers were allowed to or not allowed to do. I understood very little of what was said.As time went on, the plane become hotter and hotter and the air began smelling of body odor. The engine was off and there was no ventilation or air conditioning. I began feeling unwell. I then arose and went to the back of the plane to stand in the doorway for fresh air. I was quickly told that it was impossible for me to stand there. I returned to my seat. After several minutes of discomfort, I went to the front of the plane and without asking questions just stood in the corridor for some fresh air. Without explanation, a stewardess came and pushed me back on the plane. I was treated with none of the decency or deference that a client typically receives. I was not impressed with the treatment. I sat down for a few minutes and then went to the front and asked for a newspaper. Simultaneously, the pilot opened the door to his cockpit and told me that if I didn't sit down, he would call the police. I told him that I was speaking to him calmly and I was merely trying to interact with him in a civil manner. He then repeated that if I didn't sit down, he was calling the police. I took a few steps back and asked if I could remain where I was: away from the cockpit but near the draft. He then called the police. It all happened very quickly. I then sat down. A few minutes later the police came and with very little explanation (apart from the pilot is in charge of the aircraft and it was his decision), I was hardly spoken to. I requested to speak to the pilot for one minute to explain what I had done but he refused. I was then escorted of the plane by police who mocked me and claimed to speak no English even after I had heard them speaking English. My luggage was thrown of the plane, this I deducted after opening my luggage and finding a broken plate, and the luggage was returned to me. The police then told me there job was done and I should now deal with the airline. I was shoved outside.

I had to spend the night in the airport and spend my own money on the little food I could purchase. Nothing was open and I could not speak to anybody from the airline. I also made one phone call on the pay phone in the airport that cost me $100. It was miserable. The following morning at 6:00, I spoke to the manager of Iberia and explained my story. He looked at my situation and decided there was nothing he needed to do because I had purchased the ticket from Elal. However, a pilot working for his airline, Iberia was responsible for my situation. I had very little energy and did not argue. At 8:30, the check in counter for Elal opened and I went and spoke to the manager of El AL. He was more sympathetic and made an effort to help me. He phoned the El AL headquarters in Israel but to no avail. I was left with no options but to purchase a new ticket from the Iberia counter for the exorbitant price of 400 Euro. I could not stay in Barcelona any longer with no cash. I then boarded the 11:40 flight to Tel Aviv, flight 7864 and arrived there later that day. I am a very patient and calm individual. I do not provoke or make an effort to disturb or inconvenience others. I made a few reasonable requests and was met with aggression, impatience and finally forceful removal from the aircraft. Because of this particular and unreasonable pilot, I was not only inconvenienced but also humiliated and charged an exorbitant amount for a trip I had already purchased. I went through huge trouble and was badly mistreated by every representative I spoke to from Iberia including the flight attendant, the pilot and the apathetic manager.