Air Nostrum

Air Nostrum is the principal regional airline in Spain and operates on behalf of the national carrier Iberia. 80% of the airlines routes are domestic but each year new international European routes are launched to secondary cities so you may well find yourself travelling Air Nostrum to Spain instead of Iberia.

From a humble beginning in Valencia just 20 years ago the airline has grown from a small turboprop operator to a regular airline and customer service award winner operating a fleet of the latest regional jets and turboprops from Canadian and European manufacturers.

All flights are sold via the Iberia website or through your normal travel agent.

Inflight

Flying within Spain and if recent inflight catering and service awards are anything to go by Air Nostrum can be considered the "best in class". The authors trips certainly bear this out as the breakfasts and meals prepared with fresh regional ingredients were certainly well above those offered on most larger national carriers. At a time when most airlines are adopting a no extras policy in order to combat low cost carriers the opposite stratergy of increasing service levels has certainly paid dividends for this Spanish regional airline.

Tips and pointers

A quick and easy guide to flying Air Nostrum:

• On most routes they are the only airline so prices can be higher than normal. Booking your domestic leg of the journey as part of an international connection will save you money.
• Check the number of stops in your journey as most flights between small cities will involve a change of aircraft in either Madrid or Barcelona.
• Total trip times can be considerably reduced by considering the day of travel as a whole and not just a morning or afternoon. ie: Sometimes the morning connection will be in Madrid with just an hour between flights whilst the same route via Barcelona in the evening could involve a long wait.
• As the aircraft operated are smaller than their mainline counterparts there is sometimes a strict baggage policy for popular rush hour flights.
• Flying on a Saturday will normally attract the cheap Air Nostrum tickets.
• Although your flight is operated by a Spanish regional airline you still have the same terms and conditions as well as support infrastructure of the mainline Iberia.

Rewards program

As an affiliate of Iberia Air Nostrum passengers accrue and can spend any type of oneworld airline member reward points. For passengers from the USA this is the American Airlines program, from the UK its British Airways program and for Australians the Qantas frequent flyer scheme.

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