{"id":159890,"date":"2026-10-07T11:01:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T05:31:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/?p=159890"},"modified":"2026-10-07T01:59:21","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T20:29:21","slug":"iberia-caught-lying-to-passenger-after-denying-boarding-on-oversold-flight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/07\/iberia-caught-lying-to-passenger-after-denying-boarding-on-oversold-flight\/","title":{"rendered":"Iberia Caught Lying to Passenger After Denying Boarding on Oversold Flight"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

MILAN-<\/strong> Iberia (IB)<\/a> denied an Australian passenger boarding on a Milan Malpensa (MXP) to Madrid (MAD) flight on September 7, 2026, initially claiming Expedia had not paid for his ticket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The airline later acknowledged that the flight was fully booked, refunded the passenger, and issued compensation under EC261 after Expedia confirmed that the ticket issue was actually linked to an oversold flight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Iberia
Photo: Tobias Gudat<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Iberia Denied Boarding After Blaming Expedia<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Australian YouTuber Kym Illman booked an Iberia ticket from Milan Malpensa (MXP)<\/a> to Madrid (MAD) through Expedia. He arrived at the airport around 2.5 hours before the scheduled departure on September 7, 2026, but could not check in for the flight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Illman, an Iberia check-in agent told him that Expedia needed to pay Iberia and that the payment had not been made. Based on that explanation, he was told that he could not board the flight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unable to travel as planned, Illman purchased a new itinerary to reach Madrid. The replacement journey involved ITA Airways from Milan Linate (LIN) to Brussels (BRU), followed by Brussels Airlines from Brussels (BRU) to Madrid (MAD).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The alternative itinerary cost hundreds of dollars and resulted in Illman arriving in Madrid approximately six hours later than originally scheduled, OMAAT<\/a> flagged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Iberia
Photo: Cl\u00e9ment Alloing<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Expedia Confirms Flight Was Oversold<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Because the original ticket had been purchased through Expedia, Illman initially found himself caught between the online travel agency and Iberia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iberia reportedly told him that Expedia was responsible for the ticket because it had been booked through the third-party platform. However, Expedia later contacted Iberia to investigate the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expedia subsequently informed Illman that the problem was not related to payment. According to the agency, Iberia had confirmed that the flight was oversold and could not accommodate him on the scheduled service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That response directly contradicted the explanation provided at the airport, where the passenger had been told that Expedia had not paid Iberia for the ticket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Photo: By Javier Rodr\u00edguez from Palma de Mallorca, Espa\u00f1a – La nueva Iberia & La patrulla \u00c1guila II, CC BY-SA 2.0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=82812101<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Iberia Admits the Flight Was Fully Booked<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Illman then contacted Iberia directly to seek clarification about the denied boarding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several weeks later, Iberia acknowledged that the passenger had been denied boarding because the flight was fully booked. The airline also issued a full refund and provided compensation under EC261.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The response effectively confirmed that the initial payment-related explanation was incorrect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iberia also declined to reimburse a taxi expense between Milan Malpensa (MXP) and Milan Linate (LIN), reportedly because the taxi invoice carried a date that preceded the denied boarding incident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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