Originally Posted by
liztexas
We will be taking the quick flight from Barcelona to Madrid on Iberia. The ticket was purchased separately through Iberia vs. AA and therefore do not share locator numbers. Then Madrid to Miami about 3 hours later. I found a thread that gave lots of info on how to navigate BUT there were a few stories of lost luggage (in some cases repeated with same person) and it was attributed to the fact the flights were separate and not connected as well as there was a several hour layover. Just wondering if anyone has had an recent experiences? Hoping it has gotten better.
Madrid is pretty good at baggage transfer as long as it is between OW airlines and stays within T4/T4S. Nothing like LHR where even a 4hr connection between T3/T5 is no guarantee your bags will follow.
This being said, when I have a long connection I always prefer to pick up my bags at the intermediate point and recheck them. I ALWAYS do this in London in spite of the need to clear immigration and use the HEX between T3/T5 and I would do it in Madrid where there is no need to transfer your luggage between terminals. I would however not do it if I did not have access to Priority check-in counters (due to atrocious lines). Another airport where I would do it systematically is CDG but I usually end there with no connection needed.