Originally Posted by
CarolynAnn
Not sure if this is the appropriate place to post, but:
I have an American flight from the US to Madrid (arriving 9:10 am), then connecting to an Iberia flight to Rome (departing 11:50 am). There are some terrible (but old) reviews of this airport, and now I'm nervous that I won't make my connection. Has anybody had a similar itinerary? What were your experiences getting through Customs, Security, etc.? Will I have to change terminals? TIA
You don't say if you are on one ticket or two?
If this is booked as a single trip, then it doesn't matter if you misconnect, the airlines will look after you. If you are on separate tickets and are delayed, etc, causing you to fail to make the connection then strictly speaking IB have no responcibility to get you to your desitnation as you were late. They probably would be willing in practice - especially if your luggage is through checked and they can see where you are coming from inadvance, etc.
Luggage: Your luggage should be through checked all the way to Rome, even if on separate tickets, AA should be able to do this. Additionally they will probably be able to give you your boarding pass for the flight to rome, again even if on separate tickets.
Your AA flight will arrive into Terminal 4S (the sattelite part of Terminal 4 - which is the home of Iberia and where all the OneWorld airlines operate out of at MAD).
You yourself will go through a security search and imigration at Madrid, don't expect this to take too long at all. Should be quite quick.
Then head over (underground train) to Termianl 4(main) where your iberia flight to Rome will most likely depart. [Tiny chance it could be downstairs at T4(S), but rare.] Check the screens when you arrive which will tell you where to go, gates at T4 are numbered consecutivly but with a letter infront, e.g. H<number>, etc, you will see and follow signs to the letter areas initially rather than numbers.
Arriving in Rome, you will not be subject to imigration as you entered the Schengen area in Madrid. However your luggage originated outside the customs area.
I can't remember how they do it at Rome, at SOME airports, baggage that originated outside the customs area is sent to a different reclaim belt from the other stuff on the same flight, at others it is not.
Either way, when exiting in Rome you will have a choice of customs channels, unlike other people on your flight from MAD, you (if you had hold luggage) would not be entitled to exit using the Blue customs channel - again becuase the bags originated outside the customs area. [People who can use the blue channel will have 'green edges' on their bag tags.]
Blue channels are not always available, but if it is, don't use it if your bags don't have green edges on the tags.
So you have either green or red channels. Don't expect customs to be onerous procedure, you just keep walking. They will stop anyone they want to talk to, occasionally randomly but mostly customs it is based upon either suspicious behaviour - but it is also VERY intelligence led! [Sometimes you won't see a customs officers, but they can be watching, and somtimes you see them and you know they are waiting for someone/thing.]
Obviously use the red channel if you actually do have something to declare!