I have traveled a lot my whole life and this was probably the worst airline experience I have ever had.

I booked a full-fare ticket almost three months in advance to attend one of my closest friend's wedding. I checked in online as soon as check-in opened the day before departure and believed everything had gone through successfully.

Later that evening I downloaded the Iberia app to have the booking more easily accessible, which unexpectedly asked me to check in again. Suddenly I found myself on a waiting list. The following morning, despite arriving at the airport almost two hours early, I was issued a standby boarding pass and denied boarding because the flight had been oversold. So my confirmed full-fare booking made three months in advance effectively became a standby ticket overnight.

And then it only got worse. I was told the first available flight was at 21:30, almost 12 hours later. However, Iberia couldn't even guarantee me a seat on that flight. When I asked whether I should buy another airline ticket if I wanted any realistic chance of making at least part of my friend's wedding, the Iberia agent told me that this would be a reasonable precaution - Imagine being told by the airline itself that you should buy another ticket because they cannot tell you whether they will transport you.

At the same time, Iberia's own website was still selling tickets for earlier departures than 21.30. When I questioned this, I was told those passengers would simply be placed on standby as well. Why continue selling tickets for flights on your website that staff already know are oversold?

I then had to wait for my checked baggage, leave the terminal, queue again at check-in and then return to customer service, all without any certainty that I would even reach my destination that day.

Every single interaction with the gate staff, baggage reclaim staff, check-in staff was consistently dismissive, unhelpful and completely lacking in empathy. The only response I repeatedly received was: "It's legal" and "All airlines do this."

Whether it's legal completely misses the point.
Customer service is about treating people with respect when things go wrong. Showing empathy costs nothing. Instead, I was made to feel like an inconvenience throughout the entire day. I eventually arrived almost 12 hours later than planned, missing my friend's wedding ceremony and most of the celebration - memories I will never get back.
During this entire delay Iberia provided meal vouchers worth just EUR 18 in total. Expecting passengers to spend almost an entire day waiting with vouchers of that value is unrealistic. And that was the total extent of their assistance.

I thought this had simply been an unfortunate one-off incident. However, only a few days later two of my friends experienced exactly the same situation on their return flight with Iberia which strongly suggests this is not an isolated occurrence but something Iberia relies on far more aggressively than any other airline I have personally experienced or ever heard of.

The process also made me wonder how elderly passengers or less experienced travellers are expected to cope. Many people still reasonably expect that, with a confirmed booking, they can simply arrive at the airport and check in at the desk. Instead, my confirmed booking effectively turned into a standby ticket overnight. Even as someone who flies frequently, I found the entire process confusing, stressful and poorly communicated.

The frustration didn't even end after the flight. Iberia's online claims form was broken, forcing me to spend part of my vacation on the phone with customer service just to find another way of submitting my claim.

Iberia may consider all of this to be legally acceptable, but legality alone is a very low bar. Companies that genuinely care about their customers and their reputation think beyond the legal minimum. They recognise that long-term trust is built through transparency, empathy and taking ownership.

After this experience I will never fly with Iberia again, and I will actively recommend that friends, family and colleagues choose another airline instead.