Anyone knows Madrid airport?

[stevensfo]

My wife's off to Mexico and will have to change in Madrid. Not the same airline.

She has 1hr 45mins between flights, assuming the first lands on time!! Let's say 1hr, 30mins.

She'd like to take a check-in case, but is now worried that she won't have time to collect baggage, walk to wherever the check-in is, check it in again, get through security and to gate etc in time.

Is the airport smallish? Enormous? If so, she'll just take hand luggage.


Steve

[Dod101]

A long time ago so no help to you but can she not just check the luggage through to destination? I know the risks with that but I do not think that luggage not going all the way through is very common. I always do that.

Otherwise just travel light with hand baggage only. I would never bother with the hassle of collecting luggage and then checking it in again at an intermediate stop.

Dod

[stevensfo]

A long time ago so no help to you but can she not just check the luggage through to destination? I know the risks with that but I do not think that luggage not going all the way through is very common. I always do that.

Otherwise just travel light with hand baggage only. I would never bother with the hassle of collecting luggage and then checking it in again at an intermediate stop.

Dod

That's what I thought, but she's already checked and they can't do it. Maybe something to do with two different airlines, security from Europe to Mexico?

If it were me, I'd stick with hand luggage, fewer clothes and make use of the laundry services there, but for some reason, she doesn't like that sort of thing. She'll be with a friend, but I believe her friend is flying direct.

We've always been like chalk and cheese in that respect. She'll pack enough clothes for weeks, whereas I prefer to travel as lightly as possible and wash my clothes there. When we used to go on holiday with our young kids, she'd take enough clothes for a whole bleedin' C&A store, and it was years before she accepted that half the clothes were never worn!

Steve

[mike]

My wife's off to Mexico and will have to change in Madrid. Not the same airline.

She has 1hr 45mins between flights, assuming the first lands on time!! Let's say 1hr, 30mins.

She'd like to take a check-in case, but is now worried that she won't have time to collect baggage, walk to wherever the check-in is, check it in again, get through security and to gate etc in time.

Is the airport smallish? Enormous? If so, she'll just take hand luggage.


Steve

I would say that is cutting it very very fine, certainly with Brexit and if there are any Covid formalities before boarding for Mexico. The airport is large, but modern. Think Munich rather than Frankfurt.

Unless the different airlines are the same group, you will not be able to check through the luggage. But if UK-Madrid is BA, and Madrid to Mexico is Iberia, you should be OK. Or any One World, Skyteam etc combination

Brexit means she will be subject to the non-EU arrivals queue at Madrid airport. I do not know if there is a special through lane for connections as there is at Munich, or if it is like Frankfurt where you have to go through full arrival control even if transferring to another Lufthansa flight. (Or even if the special Munich through lane still exists for UK citizens now)

To go through non-EU passport control on arrivals, wait and collect luggage, go to the new terminal, queue to drop off the luggage, queue for non-EU passport control to depart, queue for security, prove Covid status somewhere along the way is sorry to say almost out of the question. Even if the airlines are the same group you can check the luggage to Mexico in the UK, unless there is a through lane for connecting passengers, I think you are still cutting it close.

Sorry to be so negative. Fingers crossed it works out for your wife.

[monabri]

General

https://www.aeropuertomadrid-barajas.co ... t-info.htm

Map

https://www.aeropuertomadrid-barajas.co ... rt-map.htm

Connections between terminals

"Passengers who have to take another flight and/or continue with another airline company (passengers in transit), may need to change terminal due Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas airport has two large hubs, one at the terminal T4, and another at terminals T1, T2 and T3."

https://www.aeropuertomadrid-barajas.co ... minals.htm

https://www.aeropuertomadrid-barajas.co ... irport.htm

[Dod101]

A long time ago so no help to you but can she not just check the luggage through to destination? I know the risks with that but I do not think that luggage not going all the way through is very common. I always do that.

Otherwise just travel light with hand baggage only. I would never bother with the hassle of collecting luggage and then checking it in again at an intermediate stop.

Dod

That's what I thought, but she's already checked and they can't do it. Maybe something to do with two different airlines, security from Europe to Mexico?

If it were me, I'd stick with hand luggage, fewer clothes and make use of the laundry services there, but for some reason, she doesn't like that sort of thing. She'll be with a friend, but I believe her friend is flying direct.

We've always been like chalk and cheese in that respect. She'll pack enough clothes for weeks, whereas I prefer to travel as lightly as possible and wash my clothes there. When we used to go on holiday with our young kids, she'd take enough clothes for a whole bleedin' C&A store, and it was years before she accepted that half the clothes were never worn!

Steve

Pre Covid I took a three week trip to the Far East each winter and had only hand luggage with enough clothes to last 7/8 days even in a hot sticky climate. Always worked very well provided hotels had laundry facilities. I can never understand those people who cart around the most enormous suitcases. What are they bringing with them? I always have a very light weight jacket because that is handy for carrying stuff as well. That is not to be critical but simply to say that hand luggage only can easily be done once in that mind set.

Anyway you have some good advice re Madrid Airport which will no doubt help.

Dod

Dod

[bluedonkey]

Madrid airport is somewhat notorious for very long distances between gates, terminals etc compared to other major airports.

[swill453]

My wife and I have similar attitudes. We've taken multiple three-week walking holidays on hand luggage only. Just need to arrange access to a washing machine once or twice during the stay.

Scott.

[stevensfo]

Thanks guys! So much help in just a few hours!! I will pass on your messages and it will be hand luggage!

Re. size of luggage, I was given a lesson many years ago by two relatives, both retired teachers. They travel all over with the world with tiny suitcases.

Agree, I'm also amazed by the size of some suitcases. What on earth do these people have in them? Though I know my wife would gladly take the kitchen sink, Nissan Micra, washing machine etc if she could!

Once I know she's safely in Mexico, I will have time to continue my academic projects in peace: some more de-cluttering, pruning bloody enormous bushes, cutting branches of trees that normally I'm forbidden from touching, pruning a hedge that only scratches my car, a bit of educational whisky appreciation, some in-depth analyses of very trashy SciFi films and silly comedy shows, and falling asleep in front of the TV in the knowledge that I'm not going to get told-off when I go upstairs at 2am.


Steve

[Lootman]

I don't know Madrid airport, but one good thing is that she should not have to deal with the extra Schengen checks. Neither the UK nor Mexico are in the Schengen zone, thankfully, so she will only have to navigate the non-Schengen part of the airport.

Some European airports are a real PITA because you have to go through an extra layer of immigration, customs and security. I was sitting in the TAP lounge at Lisbon airport about 3 years ago, taking my time and sipping my wine, not realising that between the lounge and my gate was another checkpoint and queues of people. Nearly missed my flight.

I try and avoid changing planes at airports in the Schengen zone because it basically splits the airport into two.

[monabri]

I thought I'd see if there were any video guides on You Tube...there are!

This video is useful... It outlines the terminals [T1,T2,T3] and [T4S,T4]. The first teminals T1 to T3 are part of the old airport and are located a distance away from the newer T4S,T4.

for info on scale : The distance between [T1] and T4 and/or T4S is about 1.8 miles.

source You Tube (link below)




https://youtu.be/O-wOd_MS7Go

Walking tour of T4

https://youtu.be/3jSbIDOas-E

Can you find out the terminals that you land at and depart from?

[Lootman]

Can you find out the terminals that you land at and depart from?

One site to look at is the website Flightaware. Plug in the flight number and it will show daily history of aircraft type, departure and arrival times, terminals and gate numbers and so on. I use it whenever I am flying somewhere.