Madrid Airport
 

Hi!

I am currently in Madrid and we head home in a couple of days. Our flight leaves at 9:30 in the morning for the United States. I've never been to the airport in Madrid and was wondering how far in advance you recommend getting to the airport. I am traveling with my two young children as well. I noticed when we left Barcelona they pulled us out of the line and let us go in a family line which was nice and quick. Not sure if it is the same in Madrid. Thank you!

We went through Madrid yesterday,(for a 12:30 flight to the US from Terminal 1)
Two and a half hours are sufficient. There is is a security interview by airline personnel at the check-in kiosks, followed by security check, with immigration being last.

The A gates are about a 12 minute walk from immigration, if your children are slow walkers you might consider adding some time.

In our case everything went smoothly and efficiently.

There is a possibility of a random additional security search in the gate area.


Mark

Great thank you Mark!

You have to show your passport to check in. There are no check-in kiosks. US based airlines require you to be at the airport at lest 2-1/2 hours before your scheduled departure. Unless you're a premium frequent flyer, you should be at the airport by 7:00 am.

Ok perfect. Thank you! Looks like an early morning for us :)

Be sure you know which terminal you are leaving from. T4 takes a few more minutes to get to than the others.

The international terminal is vast and you cannot be there too early. It should be repeated that US-based airlines in particular want you inside the departure lounge (not at airport security) at least 45 minutes before the stated departure time and close the doors well before that time.

T4 is the only VAST one. There are other international terminals at Barajas.. be sure to know which one. Not all int'l flights leave from T4.

Just another thing to know. We flew AA last week to DFW. We had a connection from Malaga that got us to MAD at 10:30 but our bags had been checked through so that hassle was out of the way. After you go through MAD security and get to T4 you go through AA security. After AA security you then go through another AA security. If you've ever flown AA you know the drill. About 6 questions, two of which is did you pack the bags yourself and did anyone give you anything to take aboard. On those two alone I'd like to know how many terrorists ever answer no to the first and yes to the second. But I understand why. You may as well hold your passport in your hand as you'll show it three times to AA personnel, even as you board.

On when to arrive. Unless you carry on everything you'll need to check baggage. We arrive at baggage at least 2 1/2 hours early. You do not want to be person 50 waiting for the guys in front of you checking in 4 or more bags per family. Yes, you may have a lot of free time if things go fast, but your objective is to have a relaxed wait. The subsequent waits at security, all of them, are much easier when you are the only person, or have only 5 people in front of you.

Thanks everyone! We ended up getting to the airport 2 hrs 45 min early and I'm glad we did. We flew US Airways on the first day their computers were merging with American Airlines and they were in a new terminal, terminal 4. There wasn't a kiosk but there was two people that asked us security questions before we could check in. So that took a little time. We were able to go through a family security line since we were traveling with our two young kids so that also saved us time. It was the perfect amount of time and we didn't feel rushed.

what terminal does delta normally depart ? thanks.

T1