Air Travel
Flying time from New York to Madrid is about seven hours; from London, it's just over two hours.
Regular nonstop flights serve Spain from many major cities in the eastern United States; flying from other North American cities usually involves a stop. If you're coming from North America and want to land in a city other than Madrid or Barcelona, consider flying a European carrier.
The Visit Europe Pass from Oneworld (which includes American Airlines, Iberia, and British Airways among others) is the most useful aviation pass for Spain. It is available only to residents of countries outside Europe and must be booked before departure with a Oneworld member airline. The pass gives you access to 220 destinations in 53 countries in Europe and North Africa. It’s available as an add-on to an international flight to Europe booked with any of the airlines in the Oneworld alliance, and is accepted for as long as the international ticket is valid. You must buy a minimum of two coupons for flights within Europe, but there’s no maximum.
A number of low-cost carriers operate from the United Kingdom to Spain such as Vueling (www.vueling.com), Jet2 (www.jet2.com), and flybe (www.flybe.com). They provide competition to the market's main players, easyJet (www.easyjet.com) and Ryanair (www.ryanair.com). All these carriers offer frequent flights, cover small cities as well as large ones, and have very competitive fares.
Airports
Most flights from North America land in, or pass through, Madrid's Barajas Airport (MAD). The other major gateway is Barcelona's Prat de Llobregat (BCN). From the United Kingdom and elsewhere in Europe, regular flights also touch down in Málaga (AGP), Alicante (ALC), Palma de Mallorca (PMI), and many other smaller cities.
Flights
From North America, Air Europa flies to Madrid; American Airlines, part of the Oneworld Alliance, and Iberia fly to Madrid and Barcelona; Delta flies direct to Barcelona, Madrid, and Málaga (June–September). Note that some of these airlines use shared facilities and do not operate their own flights. Within Spain, Iberia is the main domestic airline and also operates low-cost flights through its budget airlines Iberia Express and Vueling. Air Europa and Ryanair both offer inexpensive flights on most domestic routes. The earlier before your travel date you purchase the ticket, the more bargains you're likely to find. Air Europa, Iberia Express, Vueling, and Ryanair also have flights from Spain to other destinations in Europe.
Iberia runs a shuttle, the Puente Áereo, offering flights just over an hour long between Madrid and Barcelona, every 30 minutes (more often during peak travel times) 6:45 am–9:45 pm. You don't need to reserve; you can buy your tickets at the airport ticket counter upon arriving or book online at www.iberia.com. Passengers can also use the self-service check-in counters to avoid the line. Puente Áereo departs from Terminal T1 in Barcelona; in Madrid, the shuttle departs from Terminal 4.
