Help please navigating Barajas (Madrid) airport
 

I may have made a big mistake in booking plane connections for our upcoming trip to Spain.

We fly into Madrid on a Delta flight arriving at Terminal 1 at 9:15. I have booked us on an Iberia flight to Oviedo leaving from Terminal 4 at 11:40 so if we arrive on time we will have 2 hours and 25 minutes to make this conncetion. How difficult is it to connect from Terminal 1 to Terminal 4? Is it even possible with checked luggage? I can suck it up and do carry on if necessary but is even that likely to be a problem?

Any help in navigating the connections as quickly as possible will be most appreciated.

you have to take a free bus.. they come very frequently. If I recall it takes about 10 minutes to get over there. Depending on where in T4 your plane leaves from.. it can take 25 minutes to get to that section of T4 as there can be a train as well as numerous elevators ( always faster than the escalators.)

However, you will have to check in at the Oviedo counter.. so.. hopefully if that happens in a timely fashion you will be in the system and can make it. If all goes well i think you will make it but it is very close IMO.

Thanks so much for replying and happy to have at least some hope of making the connection.

As Lin said, it is tight because you have to pick up your luggage and check it in at T 4 ( beautiful , but huge terminal) . Good luck.

lincasanova, has your experience at Barajas going through customs and security been generally good or might we expect major delays?

here is the infomation from the offical airport website
http://www.aena.es/csee/Satellite/Ae...erminales.html

I strongly suggest you do carry on luggage.Your flight will arrive at about the same time as other flights from the States.Passport control can be backed up-hopefully they will open up more counters.
As mentioned, you need time to get to T4,check in-there is self check- and get to your gate.The gates are really quite far,long escalators to get to them.
You need to study the layout of the airport and hustle.
The good news is if you miss the flight there are loads of flights for Oviedo-ask when you check in at the Iberia desk.

Thanks ribeirasacra for the website. It looks like I will have plenty to study.

and Chapla, I agree, we've got to do carry on this time and I will be certain to ask Oviedo about other flights, I think the next one is about 4 hours from the one we're scheduled on. Thanks for the info.

You will not be able to use the kiosk to check in for your flight to Ovieto. We've often had to wait in line 40 minutes to get our boarding passes. And there is always seems to be a lot of confusion when checking in. Hopefully your Spanish is sufficient to get by. Very few of those working the check in counter speak English.

Also, Iberia normally closes the gate 20 minutes before departure. If you're a minute late, you'll miss the flight.

Why can't you use the kiosk for Oviedo? I always use it to fly to Santiago de Compostela, Barcelona, Bilbao etc

Because they are not from the EU.

always take an elevator when you see it instead of those loooong escalators.

Nothing new to add. it all depends. I went through there this morning and two flights had come in together and it was jammed at security but not passport control.

They DO have an express connection line now.. hopefully the guy who makes that decision will let you use it. Be sure to have that flight info out so he can see it and maybe you can use that lane. Good luck.

Yes, they have an express security line, but you have to be flying first class, or be a premium frequent flyer; Emerald on OneWorld, in order to use it.

Thanks Robert.. did not know who that was for since those are so common in the states now but for "express connections".

I'm from the States and I use the kiosks so....?

"I'm from the States and I use the kiosks so....?' Are you sure? nI guess you've been lucky, or already had your boarding pass. Traveling Iberia is not always that easy.

Don't get me started about Iberia-I really am not a fan-especially their policy about not being able to choose your seat from the States until 24 hrs before the flight or you can pay extra!British Airways has the same ridiculous policy!
In Madrid at the airport I remember being reprimanded at the Iberia checkin as to why I didn't use the kiosk so I have done so since then!

I have to assume you are flying on a member of OneWorld, which means you have your boarding pass in hand before arriving in Madrid for the connecting flight, or you can get it at a kiosk, and your luggage is checked through to your final destination.

The OP is flying on Delta, and will have to check in at the ticket counter in order to get the boarding pass if the'be made the flight arrangements themselves.

Robert-we're spinning here about the kiosks! Once I'm in Spain and continue to fly to other destinations I can still use the kiosks during the length of my stay even when I book the flights during my stay in Madrid.

This thread has made me look at my June tickets. The terminals mentioned on them are 4S and 4REF. What the devil is 4REF ?? Thanks.