Viajero

I'm planning to do MAD-CAI on a separate ticket (Iberia) and flying straight back to MAD (Iberia again), starting an ex-CAI OWE (let's say ticket already in hand) .

The thing is that there is only 1 hour between arrival/departure in CAI. I'm not concerned about delays on the flight from MAD, as I assume it's the same aircraft going back, and the gate I further assume is also the same. No bags either, just carryon.

So, I will have the ticket but not the BP. Do I still have to clear arrival formalities, check-in and clear departure formalities again (seems too tight for comfort), or can I just remain airside and get the BP at the gate (in which case 1 hour seems more than enough)?

MAN Pax

There are rumours of a transfer route, where you surrender you tix and wait for a BP in a lounge. Though I do suspect you'll be too late for check-in at CAI. If it takes 15 mins to get off the plane and into the lounge, you'll be looking at T-45 and your seat may have gone to another!

I wouldn't try it - though, perish the thought, you could always try IB and tell them what you're doing and see what they suggest.

Viajero

I did, and it was like a rerun of Fawlty Towers, with Basil trying to ask something of Manuel, and getting the same result: "¿qué?".

Tks.

SLF

Won't IB give you your BP for CAI-MAD before you set off from MAD? BA do, for the equivalent LHR-CAI-LHR, although that doesn't have the issues you are concerned about, owing to the 8 hour turnaround.

Viajero

I don't know the answer to that yet, so far some IB agents says yes, others no (typical IB runaround). But, as you say, that still leaves open the question whether 1 hour is enough to go through the loops at CAI, even with a BP in hand. Probably not. Perhaps a more sensible (albeit more expensive) solution would be to fly MAD-LHR-CAI with BA, which gives me an extra hour in CAI to connect with the IB flight CAI-MAD.

Unterwegs

It should work. When you deplane you go downstairs to the arrival level. Dont go thru passport control. Go to Transfer/Transit (it is 10 m to the right). Hand your ticket and passport to the person there. The airport is very small - only around 8 gates in a curcular building. So this should not take your more than 2 min total.

Then they take your passport and the ticket upstairs to checkin and come back with your boarding pass and lounge invitation. Dont get too scared in the meantime. They will bring your passport and ticket back. And bring something to drink - nothing there.

With the boarding pass you then can walk upstairs to the departure area (if you miss the lounge you did not miss much) and to the gate - again less than 2 min. It seems it all depends how fast they do the checkin procedure at the counter of the airline.

I did this process three or four times already. It does not look very efficient, but it works.

JohnAx

We came off the end of an ONE, LHR-CAI on BA, onto another ONE (ticket in hand) starting CAI-MAD (via BCN) supposedly 90 minutes later. BA was (as usual imho) 45 minutes late inbound. I told the crew my situation, and they had a guy meet us at the door. He trotted us to the famous door where you hand over your passport and ticket and wait for a runner todo his thing. It was a very happy ending - we got to the IB departure area before they'd even started the board.

In this case BA helped because it was their problem, but it's likely that you'll get the same treatment IB-IB - they seem pretty anxious to please. If not, the job will be done in any case - I just don't know how long it will take. Smile at everyone if you're on your own.

BTW the CAI-BCN-MAD flight followed shortly after a nonstop; perhaps for that reason it was quite light in the front cabin - everyone got a row to stretch out in.

Zorro

I did this few times on a *A RTW, incoming on LH and leaving on OS 90 minutes later. The best description of the process is as Unterwegs has given.

The last time however, the guy in the Transit lounge could not get the phone to work, nothing much happened until I heard the announcement for last boarding call for OS to Vienna. It is indeed a very short walk from there to the gate, and I asked him to let me go, but had no success.

After the flight had left, eventually soemone from LH showed up ( I suppose they are handling OS), and managed to get me on the FRA flight. He apologised for the Transit lounge agent, and said that they are unreliable at best of times.

I was lucky to get out that day, as the LH flight was overbooked, and I only got on at the last minute. I noticed a Spanair flight later to MAD, but suppose that it was a charter.

If you want to do it like that, have a Plan B available!