Using AA FF miles we are booked on Iberia LAX-MAD, MAD-MXP in September. The connection time is 1:20, legal & doable they say, but I have concerns. Any thoughts or suggestions, or even what to expect, would be much appreciated.

You can do it, as long as your plane arrives on time, but you have to hustle. Prepare for a long walk and a shuttle.

There are a number of threads here that discuss this issue..including your own:


http://www.fodors.com/community/air-...n-179422-2.cfm

http://www.fodors.com/community/air-...r-5minutes.cfm

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...e-re-think.cfm




one person suggested that you could get on the EU line for passports if the non-EU queue is very long and you are running very late. It is a very good, well-signed airport.

When you need to go to the train between T4S (non Schengen/longhaul) and T4 (Schengen arrivals/departures) use the lifts rather than the escalators. It will save several minutes.

There was no separate lines for EU and non-EU passports early last month at Madrid-Barajas, which was strange. Also, there were no customs forms to fill out flying in from the States, really strange after all these years.

1hr 20mins, and flying on one ticket (with boarding pass in hand), is a little tight, even if flying into and out of the same terminal (T4S). You'll have to clear customs and passport control, which means you'll have to go back through security to reenter T4 and find your gate for your connecting flight.

{{blushing}}, forgot I had posted before, so thanks for the comments.

Sorry to bust your bubble, but it would take a miralce for you to make that in 80 minutes. Each to his own, though. I would want a LOT longer layover. I just woudlnt want that weighing on my mind.

Just to say that we did this yesterday and it worked out fine. It helped that our flight from the US arrived an hour earlier. We did not have to take a shuttle to another terminal, perhaps Iberia has consolidated more flights in 4S. After passport control we were directed to follow signs to M, a lot of walking, totally empty area mid-day which seemed weird, an elevator to M (overhead signs indicating minutes to connections, M was 12 from arrival gate), then another security pass through to M 28; our flight to Mlan was the only gate open. Anyway, Madrid airport went well.