Jordi14

Hoping for some advise please.
First time connecting in Madrid later this week.

Any tips and tricks ?
Arriving on BA metal 18:20 at Terminal 4S and departing terminal 4 on Iberia metal to Bilbao at 19:45.

I'm travelling hand luggage only, and have UK and EU Passport (in case it helps) :-)

VSLover

landing at 4S you will make a walk to the border control in 4S to enter the country. it is all uni-directional so everyone is fed the same route. queues are variable as usual. after border control entry you will be funneled downstairs to the train which will take you to 4. once in 4 you just have to really pay attention to the signs, i find the signage at that airport incredibly confusing after all these years, and generally takes me a try or two to find the entrance to the lounge. there is nothing intuitive to me about that terminal except for the gate layout of 4.

tinkicker

I went through last week about 5 pm, the queue at eu E-gate was zero. For non-eu it was an hour. Add to that the shuffle across to T4 by train you�d be tight on that connection. If you can travel on the eu passport

zanderblue

That was also my experience last week at 4S arriving around 6:00pm. Immigration for non eu passports was rammed and line moved very slowly with multiple rejections and folks being turned back to get paperwork issues resolved. I believe there was at least one flight from South America had landed just before us.
EU passport gates was pretty much empty., though, so that�s where I�d be headed.
Just another Brexit bonus����!

mrhocA

Can I add one question: Do you have to clear security again when arriving in MAD from a safe non-schengen airport like LHR?

S_W_S

Yes I believe you do.

shefgab

I connected few a few weeks ago. It was a nightmare. We landed from London over an hour late, leaving about 40 minutes to connect to Bilbao.

Thankfully I was off very quickly. Big line for non-EU passport, and managed to sweet talk my way to the front of the line.

Ran to the train and just squeezed onboard. Long train journey when you're in a rush!

Transit security was a mess. No fast track or short connection line was open, despite signs to the contrary. Again pleased and thank youed to the front of the line.

Then had to run to the gate where boarding was nearly complete.

AWFUL.

Will absolutely never plan a MAD connection again if at all possible. Zero chance I would've made it if I hadn't of pushed to the front of every queue, and no attempt for any staff to help people with short connections.

Confus

On a related note, does anyone know if there�s a BA desk at T4S connections? I know there�s an IB one, but that won�t have FLY access. I�ll be on connecting next week and will need a desk (no I can�t use the app), so not having to trek landside would be a huge bonus.

Jordi14

Thanks for your feedback.
Any tips when arriving in T4 ? Is departures easy to find ?
Just follow departures and gates (for Bilbao flight) I guess ?

Jordi14

Luckily I have also an EU passport, so hope that helps.
Is it easy to find departures / gates when arriving in T4 with shuttle ?

wyddfa

Is it the same if arriving from Schengen at T4 then connecting to non at T4s?

BA6501

Yes, once you clear security (sort of located in baggage claim in T4 main), you head upstairs and are in the departure area where all the T4 gates are. If you're more of a visual learner,
may help.

A bit the opposite, and a bit easier. Disembark, follow signs to S gates which will take you towards the middle of T4. Take the lifts down to the transit, take the transit (comes every few minutes, takes ~2 minutes), go upstairs to passport control - which can take a few seconds to a good 30 minutes depending on day and passport - wrap around, up another set of escalators / lifts, into the duty free store (where the IB lounge is), then into the S gate area. No security in that direction.

Jordi14

So connected the other week in Madrid.
Delay on the outbound, so only had 55 minutes to catch my other flight.
passport queue was long for non-EU, but luckily not for EU passports, so was thru in 2 minutes.
Shuttle was at station so jumped in and it left. Only one person in front of me at transfer security, so also smooth.
Even stopped for 5 minutes in lounge for a well deserved cerveza and when arrived at gate, boarding was just about to start.

Inbound similar story, also huge delay and only had 45 minutes from arriving at gate T4.
Walked / ran to shuttle, no security for connecting to T4S so that helped.
And again had 5 minutes in lounge before arriving at gate where boarding didn't start yet.

Overall I was very lucky, but its not very relaxed travelling like this.

Would recommend to make sure you have at least 3 to 4 hours connecting time, its much better for your stress levels.

Thanks all for the feedback.

1Aturnleft

When I connected LON-MAD-ALC last month on a GB passport, I also noticed long lines at 4S Immigration for non EU passport holders however there was a designated line for transit passengers guarded by a AENA minder. A quick flash of the connecting boarding pass ensured I avoided a very long line compared to those ending their journey at MAD. Like others have said follow signs carefully when you get off the train at T4 and don't necessarily follow the crowd. There's a dedicated transit security before taking escalators up to airside departures. If you're not careful you're on your way to baggage reclaim.

I'd entertain another MAD transit but knowing just how big the airport is, the absolute minimum connection I'd entertain would be 90 minutes. Anything less is courting trouble.

flygod

Coming back from Panama on Iberia, I have the choice of connecting (not on a through ticket, and with a checked bag) to LHR and then to Edinburgh arriving at 6pm - with a 90 min connection at Madrid. Perhaps can go hand-luggage only, would that mean we'd avoid Spanish immigration, since there would be no luggage to collect and re-check?

Or I should I have a long wait in Madrid and take Easyjet at 6pm direct to Edinburgh and get home 2 hours later.

I am UK and partner is Spanish, as far as passports are concerned, and all Madrid flights (other than Easyjet at T1) are meant to be from T4S.

So do I go BA, or go for a long lunch? And where would be the best place near the airport for a good lunch?

(Last time we transited at MAD, on a through ticket, there was fog at Heathow and so the BA flights were very delayed and we got back to Scotland after the late Easyjet flight! This trip will be in January, so fog again is highly possible.)