Feb 15, 2016, 2:13 pm
Last edit by: JDiver
Connecting at MAD / Madrid Barajas International Airport
FEEL FREE TO EDIT OR ADD TO THIS WIKIPOST
FEEL FREE TO EDIT OR ADD TO THIS WIKIPOST
Madrid airport layout
Terminals include
Terminal 1: International. Star Alliance primarily (also the only non-Schengen area outside of T4)
Terminal 2: Domestic mostly. SkyTeam primarily
Terminal 3: Schengen and some Domestic mostly. Air France/KLM/Lufthansa usually leave from here, but really it's just a slight extension on T2
Terminals 1-2-3 are adjacent and host Star and SkyTeam alliances and are all connected airside.
Terminal 4: one world including Iberia
Domestic and Schengen mostly from Terminal 4
International from Terminal 4-S (satellite) (Except IB or I2 operated flights to UK and Ireland as well as BA CityFlyer flights to LCY that operate out of T4 Main, though note that usually one IB flight to LHR daily is operated by an A330 or A340, these flights go from T4-S).
Both connected by an underground train, though going from T4-S to T4 requires going landside and re-clearing security in order to access T4.
Terminals are connected by a landside shuttle bus service.
Connecting from non-Schengen to Schengen (or departing the airport) one must process immigration in T-4S. Queues can be lengthy at times; if you are an EU citizen, you wil lfind the kiosk to your right in the queues. If you are not, keep to the right of the general queues anyway, as the EU queues can empty and they begin waving non-EU passengers into the EU lines.
The train connecting the T4-S satellite to T4 must be accessed via lifts or stairs; the lifts are faster. A non-Schengen to Schengen connection can take an hour or longer - A 1.5 hours is recommended as minimum connect times, and possibly more for Schengen to non-Schengen if during busy hours due to security procedures, particularly for US flights. Status passengers on Iberia flights to the US have access to a separate priority queue to clear the extra US screening.
Connections to other terminals are by a landside shuttle bus located, and can take rather longer than one might think as T4 is quite far away from T1/2/3. There is a metro link between the two, however you will have to pay full fare and even for a single rider a taxi is pretty competitive on price when the airport supplement is included.
Resources:
Link to Madrid Barajas Airport (World Airport Guides)
Link to AENA official MAD Madrid Barajas website by airport operator AENA
Wikipedia decent article on Madrid Barajas (with listings of airline gates and terminals - BUT caveat - it fails to differentiate between Terminal 4 and Terminal 4-S!)
Schengen Agreements nations information (with maps, etc.)
Connections through Madrid Airport
May 1, 2014, 2:06 am
#91
Join Date: Oct 2004
Programs: Delta, GM; HHonors, Gold
Posts: 258
Can someone help with another connection question please??? I'm getting ready to book a return, Lisbon to Chicago. IB3107, LIS-MAD, landing at T4 at 10:45 a.m. and then IB6275, MAD-ORD takes off at 11:40 a.m., T4S, ONLY 55 MINUTES LATER. Both flights on IB, I assume luggage checked thru, but the flight from Madrid to Chicago is the only one that day and if we don't make the connection we will be stuck. Can we possibly make this?
May 1, 2014, 4:14 am
#92
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Barcelona, Catalunya
Posts: 2,108
Of course, otherwise IB would not sell you the ticket. But your margin for late arrival in MAD is almost 0. OTOH, there is not much risk for delays on such an early morning flight - and I believe that they could possibly find you an alterative through LHR if necesarry.
Also, being "stuck" in Madrid for a night, courtesy of IB, is not such a bad thing.
Also, being "stuck" in Madrid for a night, courtesy of IB, is not such a bad thing.
May 16, 2014, 4:49 pm
#94
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: BRU
Programs: IHG Spire, Club Carlson & Hilton HHonors Gold, Sixt Platinum
Posts: 160
I have an Iberia flight into MAD that arrives 14:30 and I have to catch my next flight (also Iberia) at 16:25. In those 115 minutes, I will have to get my checked luggage and check in again for the 16:25 flight. Will I have enough time? (BRU - MAD - MIA is my routing, but BRU - MAD and MAD - MIA are on different ticket)
May 17, 2014, 7:21 am
#95
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 63
I have an Iberia flight from NYC-MAD that lands at 10:15am. Do I have enough time to catch an Airfrance flight (MAD-CDG on a different ticket) at 12:35pm? I have to check luggage and go through immigration, so I am not sure if this will work. Any help would be appreciated.
May 17, 2014, 4:37 pm
#96
Join Date: May 2013
Location: MAD
Programs: IB+, BAEC
Posts: 3,105
I have an Iberia flight into MAD that arrives 14:30 and I have to catch my next flight (also Iberia) at 16:25. In those 115 minutes, I will have to get my checked luggage and check in again for the 16:25 flight. Will I have enough time? (BRU - MAD - MIA is my routing, but BRU - MAD and MAD - MIA are on different ticket)
I have an Iberia flight from NYC-MAD that lands at 10:15am. Do I have enough time to catch an Airfrance flight (MAD-CDG on a different ticket) at 12:35pm? I have to check luggage and go through immigration, so I am not sure if this will work. Any help would be appreciated.
May 18, 2014, 1:25 pm
#97
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 63
This should be plenty of time if everything is on time. Keep in mind that there is a 60 minute limit for the US flights.
This is EXTREMELY tight and I would not recommend it as you have to do a change of terminals as well and luggage can take quite a bit more time coming from T4S (where the long haul flights arrive)
This is EXTREMELY tight and I would not recommend it as you have to do a change of terminals as well and luggage can take quite a bit more time coming from T4S (where the long haul flights arrive)
Jul 22, 2014, 6:14 pm
#98
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 9
Hi all,
so my friends and I booked our spain trip a few months ago, and it finally hit me today, "do we have enough time for our connection?"
we purchased the tickets seperately from their respective sites, so from british airways for the flight from lax to Madrid, then from vueling for madrid to ibiza.
Issue is, we land at madrid from LAX with british airways/iberia at 2:30 PM, and fly out of MADRID with vueling to ibiza at 3:55 PM, so 1 hr 25 in between flights.
fortunately, both flights are from T4, so that is a huge lifesaver for us.
Option 1: will we have enough time to make the Vueling flight to ibiza if we carry on our bags to MAD, and check them in for the ibiza vueling flight? We will have the boarding pass printed and would be checked in as well. To my understanding, passport check and customs shouldn't take too long from what i've read.
Reason i say this is because our Vueling flight only includes checked baggage, and even if we were to buy the tickets that allow carry on bags, we would exceed the weight limit.
Option 2: we will be able to have the bags transferred to our final destination? since both flights are from T4, will 1hr 25 be long enough for the crew to get the bag transferred in time? And most important, can i transfer bags between Iberia ---> Vueling? Is there a high risk of the bags getting lost or late? We are on a pretty tight schedule when we get to ibiza that evening, so won't have time for lost luggage. :-/
thanks so much
so my friends and I booked our spain trip a few months ago, and it finally hit me today, "do we have enough time for our connection?"
we purchased the tickets seperately from their respective sites, so from british airways for the flight from lax to Madrid, then from vueling for madrid to ibiza.
Issue is, we land at madrid from LAX with british airways/iberia at 2:30 PM, and fly out of MADRID with vueling to ibiza at 3:55 PM, so 1 hr 25 in between flights.
fortunately, both flights are from T4, so that is a huge lifesaver for us.
Option 1: will we have enough time to make the Vueling flight to ibiza if we carry on our bags to MAD, and check them in for the ibiza vueling flight? We will have the boarding pass printed and would be checked in as well. To my understanding, passport check and customs shouldn't take too long from what i've read.
Reason i say this is because our Vueling flight only includes checked baggage, and even if we were to buy the tickets that allow carry on bags, we would exceed the weight limit.
Option 2: we will be able to have the bags transferred to our final destination? since both flights are from T4, will 1hr 25 be long enough for the crew to get the bag transferred in time? And most important, can i transfer bags between Iberia ---> Vueling? Is there a high risk of the bags getting lost or late? We are on a pretty tight schedule when we get to ibiza that evening, so won't have time for lost luggage. :-/
thanks so much
Jul 22, 2014, 8:14 pm
#99
Moderator: Budget Travel forum & Credit Card Programs, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: YYJ/YVR and back on Van Isle ....... for now
Programs: UA lifetime MM / *A Gold
Posts: 14,428
I never check bags anymore (used to for work when I carried tools), but it's my impression that on a non interlined itinerary you will have to pick them up in non-secure area and then re-clear security.
With all that sound awfully tight to me
I suspect BA and Vueling interline, but doubt they would let you check luggage all the way through on separate tickets.
With all that sound awfully tight to me
I suspect BA and Vueling interline, but doubt they would let you check luggage all the way through on separate tickets.
Jul 23, 2014, 12:57 am
#102
Join Date: May 2013
Location: MAD
Programs: IB+, BAEC
Posts: 3,105
I misunderstood that you could carry on bags for the flight to MAD. Yes, you can carry on anyway. You basically have to go directly past the check in desks no matter what. You will have to re-clear security and get your passport checked as you are entering Schengen no matter what happens. MAD manages this if you are going from T4S to T4 by just dumping you landside anyway. So just on your way up to re-clear security stop at the check in desk on the top floor and you will be good to go. It may add maybe 5-10 minutes to the entire process.
Either way, I would not pick up checked luggage to have to re-check it. Either your plan or an interline since the bags can take awhile to show up at T4 from T4S.
Either way, I would not pick up checked luggage to have to re-check it. Either your plan or an interline since the bags can take awhile to show up at T4 from T4S.
Jul 24, 2014, 10:40 am
#103
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 9
so i called british airways to ask if they can interline the bags, they said i need to check with LAX, i could barely understand the rep so I called again and the next rep said i need to call iberia.
does anybody know when bags need to be checked in by at the gate for vueling?
does anybody know when bags need to be checked in by at the gate for vueling?
Jul 24, 2014, 12:58 pm
#104
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Barcelona, Catalunya
Posts: 2,108
If you already check in on-line for your Vueling flight before leaving the US you can drop off your bag at the special desk (for luggage drop only).
Jul 24, 2014, 4:27 pm
#105
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 9
Bag drop off is not at the gate, but at check-in. Cut off time for this is 40 minutes before departure. (Remember you'll still have to go through security after that.)
If you already check in on-line for your Vueling flight before leaving the US you can drop off your bag at the special desk (for luggage drop only).
If you already check in on-line for your Vueling flight before leaving the US you can drop off your bag at the special desk (for luggage drop only).
i will check in before we leave the US.