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I’m unsure if this is the right place for this.
We’ve got reward flights booked on Iberia (via BA) from Barcelona to Buenos Aires, connecting in Madrid.
We only have 89 minutes for the connection. When we booked it, both flights were in terminal 4, but the long-haul flight has since moved to 4S.
We’ll have checked baggage and three children in tow, so I’m now getting a little antsy about how long it will take to make that connection. Especially as it’s at the end of the day.
I’m trying to work out what to do, if there is anything I can do. I’ve got a few questions:
1) I assume we won’t have to collect our baggage, as it will be checked through from BCN to EZE?
2) Will we have to go through passport control to get between the terminals?
3) If we will, do you think there’s any chance I can persuade Iberia to switch us to an earlier BCN to MAD flight, on the basis that the terminals have changed since booking and it now feels very tight?Any advice or reassurance gratefully received.
Your long haul flight to Buenos Aires hasn’t changed terminal; it was always from T4S so that wouldn’t be a basis for asking Iberia to bring forward your domestic flight. It’s possible there was some confusion because check-in (if you were starting in Madrid) takes place at the main T4 building but the gate is at S.
You are well above the minimum connecting time, but you equally can’t dawdle. If you are on one ticket so your bags are checked through you just have to get yourselves onto the train to T4S where you will have to go through exit immigration. If you are on the midnight flight, the non-EU immigration queues shouldn’t be too bad. I’m assured by a fleet of foot son that it can be done in 12 minutes!
Thank you JDB. My original e-ticket receipts from BA show the EZE flight departing from Terminal 4, not 4S.
It’s only now that I look on ‘Manage my booking’ that it’s showing as 4S.
Perhaps it’s worth me putting in a call to Iberia to ask if we could move to an earlier flight. I’m reassured by your message that we should make the connection, but it’d be nice to have a bit more breathing room (and time to enjoy the Iberia lounge that I hear is pretty decent).
Unless the connection time has changed to below the minimum connection time any change of flights to an earlier one would count as voluntary and you’d have to pay any change / cancellation fees and as this is an avios flight there would need to be avios availability on the early flight.
As you booked this via BA and it’s an avios ticket then you’d need to call BA even though the flights are on IB metal.
Personal experience it’s fine especially on one ticket with through checked luggage. If you’re efficient I can’t see any problems.
Sometimes worrying is the worst thing we can do
If at the time you feel really short of time just ask someone and they either reassure you or expedite things.
I don’t see an issue here. Iberia have sold you a connecting flight and 90 minutes is adequate time to disembark and follow signs to T4S. If your flight is late it’s on Iberia, they have to rebook you and accommodate and feed you in the meantime, it’s no different to any other connecting flight and 90 minutes is a standard connection time around Europe.
I may be wrong, but I think you misunderstand, you’re not flying from a different terminal. You arrive in Terminal 4 and depart from the same terminal, T4S is just a satellite building accessible with an underground shuttle, the two buildings are fully integrated into one another and comprise one terminal. It’s not like having to transfer between Terminals 3 and 5 at Heathrow, it’s like arriving in LHR T5 main building and departing from T5B. As you’ve already cleared airport security in Barcelona I don’t believe you’ll have to do that again in Madrid but I’ve not done a domestic connection at Barajas. My experience of transit security at T4S was positive and it was a quick process in any case.
It doesn’t help with your issue but just a little tip for BCN; ignore the main terminal entrance and use the Barcelona-Madrid puente aero (air shuttle) entrance. Your flight will depart from that part of the terminal and the lounge is right there too. You don’t need to arrive very early either.
The taxi drivers will know where it is.
https://www.iberia.com/es/fly-with-iberia/barcelone-airport/services/If you are still panicking about the connection time in Madrid you can ask at check in to be moved to an earlier flight (it operates as a shuttle). I don’t know how successful you will be, and you might be put on Vueling (no business class but more legroom upfront).
Ignore this if you want to visit the shops, in that case use the main entrance and have the long walk round!
I’ve always found the transit process at Terminal 4/4s to be quite quick and smooth. It has a nice lounge in 4S too.
I would be happy with that connection time, apart from missing out on the lounge.
In the “old days”, the EZE night flight used to wait for the incoming BCN-MAD.
On the down side, many many BCN suitcases would not make it! The EZE “fill in the form”
queue was always insane.These days, Iberia is very good at bag transfer – it’s all pre-sorted at origin so the incoming aircraft baggage handlers know exactly what’s arriving, where it is and where it needs to go. They can prioritise as necessary. The departing flight loaders know what bags to expect and where they are so the short connections allowed generally work pretty well. As @MichaelC says, even today they sometimes hold the midnight flights as there is leeway in the schedule and no ATC issues so they can usually set off as soon as they are ready without losing any slot.
As a data point we missed our MAD connection on a AMS-MAD-SJU. It was 1 hour, flight was delayed by 10-15mins and from then on lead to us missing it. IB were great to sort out hotel and flight for next day.
Just out of interest, IB offers MAN-MAD-VGO with either a 1 hour or 7 hour connection. Would it be worth booking the 1 hour connection in the event this somehow comes off and knowing that (presumably) they’d put me on the later flight if I missed it?
Just out of interest, IB offers MAN-MAD-VGO with either a 1 hour or 7 hour connection. Would it be worth booking the 1 hour connection in the event this somehow comes off and knowing that (presumably) they’d put me on the later flight if I missed it?
Yes, Iberia would normally do this automatically. Although it is easily allowed within the minimum connecting time, you will need to move quite fast as some gates are very distant. Immigration is the biggest single pinch point, but may not affect you so much if are using an EU passport. The trains do run very regularly.
Thanks, @JDB. And 7 hours at MAD currently feels like a decent alternative to 6 hours on the M6 to be able to fly on OW airlines!
Thanks, @JDB. And 7 hours at MAD currently feels like a decent alternative to 6 hours on the M6 to be able to fly on OW airlines!
I was going to suggest LGW to Santiago DC, Anna, but after your trip today, I think you’d arrive quicker via MAD!
Yes, as a teenager I did that route many times, with the cheap overnight coach to LGW 😱. But VGO is so much more convenient and cuts out a lot of the boring driving time. Ryanair flies direct to VGO from STN at the moment, however that’s still 3+ hours from us and these niche routes can be pulled at any time!
90 min is more than enough to switch terminals.
You would be always doing 4 to 4S as BCN to MAD is Schengen and then you would have needed to pass passport control.
1) your bags will go all the way to EZE if you booked BCN-EZE with a connection in MAD
2) you will have to take the train from T4 to T4S. That’s 15min. Then pass passport control. 90 min are more than enough. Even with the toddlers.
3) It may be hard to switch flights.
Thanks, @JDB. And 7 hours at MAD currently feels like a decent alternative to 6 hours on the M6 to be able to fly on OW airlines!
I was going to suggest LGW to Santiago DC, Anna, but after your trip today, I think you’d arrive quicker via MAD!
@MichaelC isn’t it rather cheating going to Santiago de Compostela by air? Aren’t you supposed to go on foot or at least on a horse? A friend did that Mont St Michel to SdC by horse, now he and his sisters are doing the Tro Breiz pilgrimage around Brittany on foot – over a period of years.
Just a quick note to say thank you all for sharing your advice.
Some helpful pointers in here, and I’m suitably reassured.
We did EZE-MAD-LHR last week with a 1h40 connection in Madrid with Iberia.
Bags (including our pram) was checked in all the way to London from Buenos Aires.
By the time we reached the terminal building (taxi/getting off place, bus to building etc.), we had 1h27. Immigration was straight forward with hardly any queues at around midday. Had to do security again which again, was fairly quiet. Ended up getting a good 20 mins in the lounge to have a quick bite, freshen up and stretch my legs.
We did EZE-MAD-LHR last week with a 1h40 connection in Madrid with Iberia.
Bags (including our pram) was checked in all the way to London from Buenos Aires.
By the time we reached the terminal building (taxi/getting off place, bus to building etc.), we had 1h27. Immigration was straight forward with hardly any queues at around midday. Had to do security again which again, was fairly quiet. Ended up getting a good 20 mins in the lounge to have a quick bite, freshen up and stretch my legs.
That’s good to know. The return flight of our upcoming trip EZE-MAD-LHR has a 65 minute connection time. Have been in the lounge many times and as good and as spacious as it is, we were happy to forego a visit (and longer connection) to get back home earlier – we will have been away for nearly 3 months.
I was going to suggest LGW to Santiago DC, Anna, but after your trip today, I think you’d arrive quicker via MAD!
@MichaelC isn’t it rather cheating going to Santiago de Compostela by air? Aren’t you supposed to go on foot or at least on a horse? A friend did that Mont St Michel to SdC by horse, now he and his sisters are doing the Tro Breiz pilgrimage around Brittany on foot – over a period of years.[/quote]
Well, if those pilgrimage hostels do insist on not accepting any reward points…!
Your friends sound amazing.
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