Name: Ángel Valdemoros
Title: Head of Sales, North America
Company, city: Iberia, Madrid
Number of employees: 18,000
Recent project: Integration of the Iberia and British Airways sales forces in North America and the launch of Iberia’s refreshed brand and long-haul product
First job: Financial analyst
Little-known fact about you: I love skiing.
Your Business
Essential business philosophy: Keep the end goal in sight and avoid distractions that pull you off course.
Best way to keep a competitive edge: Consistent hard work and dedication.
Yardstick of success: I lead by example and learn from my team. Their achievements are how I measure success.
Ángel Valdemoros as a Traveler
Most important item when traveling: My laptop.
How you spend your time on board: I use flight time to catch up on tasks I couldn’t complete during the workday.
Favorite restaurant in the world: Surprisingly, a Spanish restaurant—Cambio de Tercio in London—where I lived for a time.
Favorite destination in the world: Large cities like London and New York. I enjoy walking, discovering neighborhoods and exploring on foot.
About Iberia
Tell our readers about the new business-class cabin.
Iberia’s revamped long-haul cabins have been well received by customers and enhance the experience in both business and Tourist cabins. Business-class seats convert to fully flat beds about six and a half feet long and provide direct aisle access. Entertainment features a 15.4-inch screen with roughly 50 films in multiple languages, 80 TV series and documentaries, 400 music options, video games and a children’s program. WiFi and GSM text capability are available on board. Dining is showcased through monthly-changing menus crafted by four renowned Spanish chefs, paired with a wine list that rotates quarterly. The onboard tableware and service presentation were also upgraded as part of the cabin refresh.
Will Iberia be expanding U.S. services? What amenities are available at current U.S. gateways?
Iberia currently serves Chicago, Miami and New York year-round, with seasonal service to Boston and Los Angeles from March through October. Through Madrid, U.S. customers can connect to more than 100 destinations in the U.S. via partnerships with American Airlines, British Airways and Finnair, and continue on to 31 cities in Spain, 34 destinations across Europe, and 10 cities in Africa and the Middle East.
Passengers can use an inspirational search engine and a social seating app, and benefit from online and mobile check-in on Iberia.com. Iberia offers 24/7 customer service on Facebook and Twitter in both English and Spanish. The refreshed Tourist class includes nine-inch individual touch screens with access to the same entertainment options found in business class. Seats are more ergonomic and wider, with power outlets for personal devices. WiFi and GSM text services are available in Tourist as well.
What’s next for Iberia in 2015?
Iberia will continue modernizing its fleet and services, retrofitting Airbus A340-600 aircraft with the new cabins and expanding convenient services such as MyBagTag, which enables passengers to print baggage tags at home.
U.S. travelers will see improved connectivity through Madrid as Iberia adds 12 new European destinations for the summer season. The airline is also beginning to receive Airbus A330-200 aircraft from last summer’s order, supporting further enhancements to the customer experience and strengthening Iberia’s position in the U.S. market.