Guide: Madrid-Barajas Intl. Airport (MAD) - Arrival, Depart, Connect, etc.
 

Minimum connect times for T-4 <—-> T-4S and requiring interterminal connections from Iberia.

I personally recommend interterminal separate ticket connections where you’ll be required to collect and recheck baggage, such as arriving on AA or IB at T-4S and, say, UX / Air Europa - Schengen at T-2 180 minutes.

AA and MAD / Madrid Connection, Arrival, Departure, etc.
 

I am not sure if this is the proper Forum but hopefully it will be redirected if I am in the wrong place.

Flying on an AA award ticket (on AA) to MAD (from JFK) and will connect to IB for a flight to BCN. Is 2 1/2 hours sufficient time to make a connection? We land at 8:30 am and there is an 11:00 flight. It seems like a reasonable amount of time (according to the MAD airport map they are in the same terminal). But, I assume we have to clear customs and was wondering about others' experiences before booking that flight.

Thanks for any insight!

Plenty of time.

You will have to clear immigration in T4S, take the train over to T4, clear Security and you are back in the T4 departure lounge. Your flight to BCN will depart from a J gate.

Thanks for that info. :D

You will also have lounge access in MAD - this is in T4, after you have cleared immigration and security. You'll have to go upstairs one level from the departure gates/duty free and go to Sala Dalí. Not that easy to find!

Usually plenty of time. What time of year is the flight?

Enough Time?
 

I keep getting presented a 55 minute connection in MAD (ORD-MAD-ZRH) by AA VAC and was wondering if this is as risky as I expect. There is a later flight MAD-ZRH as the one I'm looking at is around 9 AM, but I was just wondering about the connection particulars. And getting out of ORD on time in early March is also a gamble.

Thoughts? (Never transited MAD before.)

I've made a 50 minute connection in MAD (TLV - MAD - ORD). It was IB to IB, all in 4S, and fortunately TLV-MAD landed early, albeit at a stand with a bus to terminal. It's doable, but there is no margin for any delays. It depends on your situation, but I'd try the 55 min connection as long as there is a later flight as a fall-back if you miss it.

My experience is that immigration/security at MAD is really efficient and quick, but 55 mins is awfully short, with no margin of error.

It can be done, but IMO, 55 minutes can be tight if Non-EU Citizen immigration queues are long. If so, stay right because if the EU Citizen queue empties they will move non-EUC people there. Ivevtransited MAD many times, and I'd be up tight about a 55 minute connection. (I've seen long security queues on occasion, and long immigration queues in T4-S on occasion.)

OTOH if you're on a single PNR, they'll put you on the next flight with availability.

Thanks everyone. It would be a single PNR, AA codeshares both on IB, and there is a later flight. So I may chance it hoping if I misconnect there will still be biz seats open on the next flight. Since the first flight is 8:45 AM and the next isn't until 3:45 PM, I really rather make the first. ;)

We went through MAD last weekend on the way to SVQ, so the dynamic is the same. 55 minutes would have been easy, even if not spacious on time. The train from T4S->T4 (including escalators/elevators and such) will likely be the longest part of the journey. Immigration was very quick.

With the longer connection, you'll have access to Sala Dali, as mentioned. Medium-level lounge in terms of offerings.

On the way back, go straight to T4S and the Sala Velazquez. Much better.

Cheers.

I swear its been 3+ years since ive seen a post from brp.

I generally agree with the posts in this thread, however my last trip through was a disaster. I flew OPO-MAD-DFW and in OPO they couldnt print my MAD-DFW boarding pass. What ensued was a mess trying to get a BP in MAD (which was a 3 hour ordeal owing to ...... staff and one canceled flight).

Wear comfortable clothing and running shoes, as there's no margin for error. The last time I took the ORD-MAD flight, it was 20 minutes late and a mad dash from T4S to the end of T4 to get our (similar) connection. We made it just as the door was closing. As brp mentioned, almost no line for immigration at that hour, but even if the flight had been on time, we would've been hard-pressed to get to our high K gate at a normal walking pace.

The contract OPO ground staff really seem to struggle. They couldn't check my bag through all the way through on separate tickets (both IB), which forced me to schlep needlessly from T4S to baggage claim at T4 so I could recheck it. (Naturally, the bags took their time in arriving, so I had to abandon mine and hustle back to T4S.) Two agents and a supervisor spent at least 15 minutes trying to sort it out before throwing in the towel.

How are the lines at 2:40pm T4-T4S?