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Connection time in Madrid


sambamama
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I am flying business class from JFK to Madrid on Iberia and landing at 6:30am. I then have to board a Tap flight in Terminal 4 where the last boarding call is 9:10, and I have 1 bag to claim. Am I screwed, or will I be able to make my Tap flight? I tried to change my Iberia flight, but it is an award flight and there is no availability for the preceding three days.

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Are you sure your TAP flight is at T4? I think they fly out of T2 in Madrid. If so, you will deplane, retrieve luggage, clear customs and immigration, take the shuttle to T2 and re-check your bag. If everything is on time, you probably will be ok but it will be very tight.

 

Assuming your final destination is Lisbon, there are lots of non stops from Madrid, including on Iberia, which would be much easier. If you miss your 9:10 you should be able to find a flight later in the day. Easyjet flies the route so it might not be too expensive if there is space.

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The problem is I am flying on Tap to Lisbon and then on to Faro, and there are zilch for flights to Faro. In fact, the seats on the remaining flights to Faro are all business class at 380 Euros. I was an idiot for not asking for advice before booking this. I think my best option is to rebook an earlier flight as Faro is so impossible to get to.

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Are you sure your TAP flight is at T4? I think they fly out of T2 in Madrid. If so, you will deplane, retrieve luggage, clear customs and immigration, take the shuttle to T2 and re-check your bag. If everything is on time, you probably will be ok but it will be very tight.

 

 

Customs in Europe is usually a non-event; go through the door marked "nothing to declare" and that's it. No lines, no waiting. If the OP can travel carry on, there is no baggage to collect. They should, however, be prepared to go through security again if changing terminals for the TAP flight. I'm not familiar with the Madrid airport, but the OP has over 2.5 hours; personally I would not be in a panic over that.

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Customs in Europe is usually a non-event; go through the door marked "nothing to declare" and that's it. No lines, no waiting. If the OP can travel carry on, there is no baggage to collect. They should, however, be prepared to go through security again if changing terminals for the TAP flight. I'm not familiar with the Madrid airport, but the OP has over 2.5 hours; personally I would not be in a panic over that.

 

Immigration in T4 can be backed up when all the international flights are arriving on Iberia in the morning. I've done it a few times and have waited 30-40 minutes. It also can be a very long walk (plus train) if you arrive in T4S before you even get to customs and bag claim. OP has a bag to claim and re-check according to the OP, so I would think planning on about 1 hour to get landside at T4 is right.

 

Getting from T4 to T2 is a grind. They are 6 km apart. It's not fun. The shuttle is pretty efficient, but, you know, a Spanish efficiency is a bit different from, say, Swiss efficiency. And T2 is a bit of a mess. It's not like the new terminal. I'd check TAP's bag check policy at Barajas. If it's an hour before, and carrying on is not an option, this is going to be tight. If they allow check in 45 minutes or 30 minutes before, it should be fine. I would expect the best case scenario for a T4 to T2 transfer on split tickets with bags at Barajas is in the neighborhood of 1:15 gate to gate and that's if everything goes perfect. If inbound is an NYC departure, subject to normal ground holds and congestion, I personally would not be comfortable with this transfer if I had to be on that 9:10. If it's an ORD, LAX or BOS departure on IB, so long as it pushes back on time, it should be fine. If I could grab a later easyjet flight if everything goes screwey, I'd probably take the risk.

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I'm on Iberia flights BOS TO LIS with a MAD connection. Will they both be in T4 in MAD? and since they are the same airline am I correct in assuming a simple bag transfer? Will customs be in MAD or LIS? I'VE never connected in Europe.

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I'm on Iberia flights BOS TO LIS with a MAD connection. Will they both be in T4 in MAD? and since they are the same airline am I correct in assuming a simple bag transfer? Will customs be in MAD or LIS? I'VE never connected in Europe.

Your flight from Boston will use T4S, the satellite. After clearing immigration you'll go down to the automatic train to take you to the main T4, where your Lisbon flight will depart. Your bags will be checked through; you'll go through the "green" customs line at LIS. No problem.

 

I recommend using the elevators rather than the escalators in T4S as you head down to the train. For some reason the escalators (which involve at least one switchback - can't recall) are slow as Moses. Note too that T4 is vast, so make your way to the departing gate as soon as it's posted on the reader boards.

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Supposedly business class gets you you your luggage priority. Tap is is T2. Business class is also supposed to expidite going through security and customs, too. I don't know if I can try to switch to another earlier flight on Iberia in a different class or just get my miles back and book a new award flight on AA and spend a couple of nights in Madrid (and that is available--I checked.) Thoughts?

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Cutoff time to drop baggage is 9:10am, and my flight arrives at 6:30am and leaves JFK at 5:15pm.

 

If 9:10 is bag drop time not departure time, that's better. If your plane from JFK is on time, you'll make it no problem. If it's delayed up to 45 minutes or so, you should be fine barring something very unusual, though it might be a bit stressful. If it's delayed more than that, you're at a substantial risk of a misconnect.

 

But as misconnect might not be a big deal because there are lots of flights from MAD to LIS. I'm not sure I'd worry about it -- the worst case is you need to pay for a later flight. Probably not worth juggling too much around. If, however, you are sailing out of Lisbon same day, then, yes, I'd be pretty concerned with an itinerary like this.

 

Why would you rebook the transatlantic instead of just getting rid of that TAP ticket and buying a ticket on Iberia from MAD to LIS. There's a flight that leaves around 11 and it's a short flight and you'd have an all T4 connection.

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Oh, very sorry, I missed the part about Faro. Yeah, that's rough. It's the two terminal connection. If it's not that expensive to redeposit and and rebook to MAD a day earlier or so, it's a really nice city. You can take the train into town. You could do a lot worse than spend a pleasant day at the Prado and not have to worry about your connection.

 

Murphy's Law, right -- if you change your outbound, everything will be fine, and if you don't, everything would go haywire!

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The problem is I am flying on Tap to Lisbon and then on to Faro, and there are zilch for flights to Faro. In fact, the seats on the remaining flights to Faro are all business class at 380 Euros. I was an idiot for not asking for advice before booking this. I think my best option is to rebook an earlier flight as Faro is so impossible to get to.

 

Depending on when you are travelling there may be a direct flight from Madrid to Faro. It only operates in the summer months (roughly May to mid-October) and not on Tuesdays. It departs from Madrid at 11.25 am and is operated by Air Nostrum, which is a subsidiary of Iberia. Website: www.airnostrum.es.

 

Alternatively if you do have to go to Lisbon, consider ditching the connecting flight to Faro and getting a train or a bus instead. Both will cost under 50 euros (a LOT under depending on how far in advance of your travels you are), and take around 3 hours.

 

Hope this helps and you have a great time here in the sunny Algarve.

Fiona.

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Supposedly business class gets you you your luggage priority.....also supposed to expidite going through security and customs, too.

 

I'm on Iberia flights BOS TO LIS with a MAD connection. Will they both be in T4 in MAD? and since they are the same airline am I correct in assuming a simple bag transfer? Will customs be in MAD or LIS? I'VE never connected in Europe.

 

Generally speaking, and for your particular itinerary, in Europe you clear immigration at your first arrival point (LIS) and customs at your final destination (MAD). As I posted earlier in the thread, or as Gardyloo did....customs in Europe is generally a non-event. Unlike the US, where everyone must wait in line to clear, usually in Europe you simply go through the door marked "nothing to declare," often indicated with a green light or sign. That's it. No standing in line, no interaction with anyone. You're on the honor system to go through the other (red) door and see an agent if you have anything to declare. That being the case, any special "expedited" treatment for customs by virtue of being in business class isn't really a special feature, LOL.

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That being the case, any special "expedited" treatment for customs by virtue of being in business class isn't really a special feature, LOL.

 

However, expedited passage through immigration can be quite useful and a time-saver.

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However, expedited passage through immigration can be quite useful and a time-saver.

 

Yeah, in MAD it’s up to the attendant manning at the head of the line who directs traffic. Iberia will (well should) give you a card that you present to get a special line. But, you know, it’s Spain. So, a touch of the shoulder shrug and a little indifference is sometimes par for the course. Since T4 knows where it’s bread is buttered, though, they do try to accommodate IB premium passengers if they can.

 

It’s pretty efficient there. The biggest issue is how many windows for non EU passports and how many planes. Morning is busy there. I’ve waited 30-40 minutes with a non-EU passport in business. But with a checked bag it doesn’t matter much. That’s how long it takes anyway for bag delivery. The difference between waiting in the immigration line and waiting at the baggage carousel is irrelevant.

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Based on advice here and in Flyertalk, I booked an AA award flight in business class on the 15th, and will spend 2 nights in Madrid (making lemonade from lemons.) Found a reasonable airport hotel near the subway, and now I will have no issue making my TAP flights. I am trying to get ahold of Iberia to surrender my Avios, but there is some sort of glitch in their phone system. At least AA had an award flight, and I had points to get it!

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Based on advice here and in Flyertalk, I booked an AA award flight in business class on the 15th, and will spend 2 nights in Madrid (making lemonade from lemons.) Found a reasonable airport hotel near the subway, and now I will have no issue making my TAP flights. I am trying to get ahold of Iberia to surrender my Avios, but there is some sort of glitch in their phone system. At least AA had an award flight, and I had points to get it!

 

Fantastic. It's a great city.

 

You should be able to pay to redposit your avios (and you'll also get your taxes refunded). As I recall, the cost to redeposit avios with Iberia on a business class ticket is pretty reasonable.

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Based on advice here and in Flyertalk, I booked an AA award flight in business class on the 15th, and will spend 2 nights in Madrid (making lemonade from lemons.) Found a reasonable airport hotel near the subway, and now I will have no issue making my TAP flights. I am trying to get ahold of Iberia to surrender my Avios, but there is some sort of glitch in their phone system. At least AA had an award flight, and I had points to get it!

Terrific outcome.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Immigration in T4 can be backed up when all the international flights are arriving on Iberia in the morning. I've done it a few times and have waited 30-40 minutes. It also can be a very long walk (plus train) if you arrive in T4S before you even get to customs and bag claim. OP has a bag to claim and re-check according to the OP, so I would think planning on about 1 hour to get landside at T4 is right.

 

Getting from T4 to T2 is a grind. They are 6 km apart. It's not fun. The shuttle is pretty efficient, but, you know, a Spanish efficiency is a bit different from, say, Swiss efficiency. And T2 is a bit of a mess. It's not like the new terminal. I'd check TAP's bag check policy at Barajas. If it's an hour before, and carrying on is not an option, this is going to be tight. If they allow check in 45 minutes or 30 minutes before, it should be fine. I would expect the best case scenario for a T4 to T2 transfer on split tickets with bags at Barajas is in the neighborhood of 1:15 gate to gate and that's if everything goes perfect. If inbound is an NYC departure, subject to normal ground holds and congestion, I personally would not be comfortable with this transfer if I had to be on that 9:10. If it's an ORD, LAX or BOS departure on IB, so long as it pushes back on time, it should be fine. If I could grab a later easyjet flight if everything goes screwey, I'd probably take the risk.

Spanish efficiency?. Efficiency is efficiency wherever it comes from.

 

Enviado desde mi SM-T813 mediante Tapatalk

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