Heads up re: Spain (MAD, BCN etc.) - Long passport / security queues Jun 2017 onward

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Jul 5, 2017, 4:29 am

#16

GUWonder

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Quote:

Originally Posted by mvoight

HEL is really good. FINNAIR has a Moscow (SVO) - HEL - JFK connection that is 40 minutes....... The normal area was very fast the last time I was there, and there is an express lane for short connections. I think MAD is a good place to avoid for connections

HEL works out much better than many Schengen ports of exit if viewed from just a passport control perspective. But for most US trips with an EU destination/origin, HEL is more commonly substantially out of the way than other Schengen ports of entry/exit at EU carrier hubs.

Even as HEL became worse for me as a Schengen port of exit after it put in place automated passport control to exit the Schengen area, it's still better than most other EU hub airports when it comes to passport control.

Jul 5, 2017, 5:20 am

#17

PUCCI GALORE

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Quote:

Originally Posted by bd24133

Any news whether this only affects MAD? We are leaving from BCN on Thursday and would like to be prepared if need be.

Thanks

This seems to be getting the norm in all of Spain - MAD is the worst because of the number of flights and BCN can be really bad as well. Last night at ALC, the queues were all over to get into Spain as they seem to have problems with the biometric passport reading equipment. Others were going through police manned controls - which we were told were only for families with children and Spanish passport and identity card holders. This said - this was the first weekend on July with a lot of people traveling on holiday.

Getting out however had been no problem as there were no checks whatsoever as the police were nowhere to be seen - presumably they were too busy dealing with arrivals!

I would allow longer than usual if possible. In Spain the police are a law until themselves.

Jul 5, 2017, 7:32 am

#18

SamOF

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Quote:

Originally Posted by mvoight

You wouldn't go through passport control at all connecting between two non-schengen countries---right?

Jul 5, 2017, 7:56 am

#19

BobbySteel

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Quote:

Originally Posted by boerne

Any word if this is true in Lisbon?

Lisbon is fine. Not spain and no problems in particular like these.

Jul 5, 2017, 8:37 am

#20

george 3

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Quote:

Originally Posted by JDiver

The Confidencial article illustrates the situation:

OMG !

The OP noted his/her travel was EU-MAD-US, but this would also affect US-MAD-EU et al obviously. With summer storms in the afternoon possibly affecting departures this could be an issue i.e. DFW, MIA, JFK, et al.

Jul 5, 2017, 9:13 am

#21

CMK10

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I was also there yesterday and it was unlike anything I've ever seen. I got to passport control at 11 am and didn't get through until 12:35 barely making the 12:45 to BOS. The only way to describe it is a complete breakdown of command and control. There was no one on hand to guide people or direct them. Near riots broke out when people cut and the police had to respond with whistles and pushing. People were crying and yelling. It was absolute chaos

Jul 5, 2017, 11:37 am

#22

PUCCI GALORE

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Quote:

Originally Posted by SamOF

You wouldn't go through passport control at all connecting between two non-schengen countries---right?

Technically, you are correct but some countries such as France appear to have abandoned this. Arriving at Nice last month from Madrid, we went through passport control.

Jul 5, 2017, 3:55 pm

#23

GUWonder

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Quote:

Originally Posted by SamOF

You wouldn't go through passport control at all connecting between two non-schengen countries---right?

Indeed that is the case at HEL. But even when not having to clear passport control on my HEL transits, I can still see what HEL passport control is like. HEL's not as bad as a pit that is passport control at BA and IB home hubs.

Jul 5, 2017, 5:31 pm

#24

cova

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Flew BCN-JFK in May. Took over an hour to get through passport control.

I suggest arriving at the airport 5 hours before flight time for BCN and MAD.

Jul 5, 2017, 5:51 pm

#25

onesocalkid

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Quote:

Originally Posted by cova

Flew BCN-JFK in May. Took over an hour to get through passport control.

I suggest arriving at the airport 5 hours before flight time for BCN and MAD (intentional positioning for the 789 and PE to DFW)

All of a sudden I am quite thankful to have a 3.5 hour layover on our BUC-MAD-DFW-SAT at the end of this month

Jul 6, 2017, 12:30 am

#26

stephem

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We just spent a couple of weeks in spain and parts of our party did some regional air travel to visit a few friends and got caught in this chaos for what ahould have been very easy short hop flights. In general, Saturday and Sunday seem to be exponentially worse. It's not just the passport queues, pretty much everywhere in the airports in Spain seems overwhelmed!

Jul 6, 2017, 10:17 am

#27

anabolism

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Quote:

Originally Posted by BobbySteel

Bcn is often bad too. Check out the ba forum. With a non eu passport it's a crap shoot and could add an extra hour onto your timing

Is it bad for both arriving and departing?

Quote:

Originally Posted by stephem

In general, Saturday and Sunday seem to be exponentially worse. It's not just the passport queues, pretty much everywhere in the airports in Spain seems overwhelmed!

Are Saturdays and Sundays significantly worse for both arriving and departing?

Jul 6, 2017, 10:25 am

#28

anabolism

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Quote:

Originally Posted by BobbySteel

Bcn is often bad too. Check out the ba forum.

Is there a thread that's discussing it? I scanned the first 5-6 pages of the BA forum and didn't see anything.

Jul 6, 2017, 12:25 pm

#29

bd24133

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Just FYI, we left BCN (to JFK) this AM. No issues at all. They had passport control at the gate. I don't remember that happening before, maybe it's new?