American Airlines operated by Iberia

[Singingheart]

I've tried to find a thread that answers my question but without success. I have a flight home from Santiago, on American Airlines operated by Iberia. The ticket takes me from Santiago to Madrid, where I transfer from terminal 4 to 4S, not changing airlines. I plan to check my backpack going home. I'm wondering if I'll go through security in Santiago and then in Madrid can go straight to my connecting fight, without worrying about my backpack or an additional security line. I don't have a lot of connecting time, and I'm getting very anxious about it. Because I have one ticket taking me through to the US, I'm hoping that once I've checked my baggage in Santiago, I can forget about it until I reach Chicago. Is that the case?

 

[C clearly]

I expect that it is the case, if you have a single ticket.

 

[Singingheart]

I expect that it is the case, if you have a single ticket.

Thanks.

 

[C clearly]

You might need to go through security again in Madrid, but probably your bag will be taken directly to its flight, so you wouldn't need to wait for it.

 

[Jersey]

I flew home from Madrid earlier this month. ( terminal 1 )
Went through two security checkpoints. First was the usual take your shoes off, metal detector etc. second I believe was just showing passport and boarding pass. My guess is you will just pass through the second checkpoint where you show your passport and boarding pass.
Interesting enough last year flying home from Madrid terminal 4 I went through 3 checkpoints. ( the last two just showing passport and boarding pass )
I’ve never had a connecting flight where I had to collect my checked baggage before our final destination

 

[Singingheart]

I flew home from Madrid earlier this month. ( terminal 1 )
Went through two security checkpoints. First was the usual take your shoes off, metal detector etc. second I believe was just showing passport and boarding pass. My guess is you will just pass through the second checkpoint where you show your passport and boarding pass.
Interesting enough last year flying home from Madrid terminal 4 I went through 3 checkpoints. ( the last two just showing passport and boarding pass )
I’ve never had a connecting flight where I had to collect my checked baggage before our final destination

Was yours a connecting flight through Madrid, or did it originate in Madrid? Mine begins in Santiago and connects through Madrid. That might make a difference, or at least I hope it does.

 

[Alan Pearce]

Earlier this tear I flew Iberia [which is owned by British Airways] from Santiago to Madrid, then BA to London, Singapore and finally Sydney. The check-in counter in Santiago booked my luggage all the way through to Sydney, and I got all my boarding passes there as well. So I carried a small daypack containing my prescriptions and my boarding passes through security with no dramas at all. I had an agency do my travel arrangements for me - if you have done the same, maybe you could enquire from them? My personal opinion is that you will be fine, as Iberia will be doing all the flights on your way home, the same as Iberia/BA did for me.

Buen camino.

Alan

Be brave. Life is joyous.

 

[hooloovoo]

Typically the only time you have to collect your checked bag and go through security again between connecting flights is if you go through customs. For example, if you fly Madrid-New York-Chicago, you'd get your bag, go through customs, and go back through security in New York, because that's where you enter the United States. Since your connecting flight is in the same country you're starting in, it would be very unusual if you had to claim and re-check your bag.

But if you're really worried about it, you could call American Airlines and ask them. You might have to talk to a few people, but someone will know. Also, when you check your bag in Santiago, confirm with the ticket agent that it's checked through to your final destination. They'll definitely know.

 

[Saint Mike II]

You should be ok. The reason for extra security checks in Terminal 4s is that you have to officially leave the EU, which involves passport & security for body & carry-on gear. Safe flight home!

 

[peter78072]

I've tried to find a thread that answers my question but without success. I have a flight home from Santiago, on American Airlines operated by Iberia. The ticket takes me from Santiago to Madrid, where I transfer from terminal 4 to 4S, not changing airlines. I plan to check my backpack going home. I'm wondering if I'll go through security in Santiago and then in Madrid can go straight to my connecting fight, without worrying about my backpack or an additional security line. I don't have a lot of connecting time, and I'm getting very anxious about it. Because I have one ticket taking me through to the US, I'm hoping that once I've checked my baggage in Santiago, I can forget about it until I reach Chicago. Is that the case?

Hi ya , your bag will be checked to your final destination so no need to worry about it in Madrid. On arrival follow signs for connections and take the metro train to 4S which is a satellite terminal of T4 and only takes a few minutes. You will present your passport and boarding pass on the way and that's all.

The best thing to do is not worry as it takes away from the Camino experience ! Airlines don't sell tickets for connections that are not possible and it's their responsibility to get you home as long as you have checked in on time in Santiago!

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi Kathy,

The best advice in this thread is that you really shouldn't worry at all. If you have booked this ticket with American as a flight to Chicago with from Santiago with a connection in Madrid, you will be fine. If you miss the flight, it's up to them to get you on another one, so since you will have no control over that there's no point in worrying.

When you fly from Europe to the US, your bags are checked only to the first international port of entry. You then have to pick them up at the carousel, take them through customs, and recheck. But since it sounds like Chicago is both your first point of entry and your final destination, you don't have anything to worry about.

Hi ya , your bag will be checked to your final destination so no need to worry about it in Madrid.

Actually, that is only half right. Sorry to be persnickety, but I want to clarify for those who may have a connecting flight once they arrive in the United States. You're absolutely right that you don't have to worry about the bag in Madrid. But when you fly into the United States, you must always pick up your bags at your first international airport. So if you land in New York and are going to continue on to Chicago, you need to go pick up your bags in New York and recheck them. This frequently causes confusion and sometimes a big hassle for travelers with connecting US flights.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Airlines don't sell tickets for connections that are not possible

Yes they do! I have spent time in Zurich and Rome in the last couple of years because the airlines could not make connections. One was on a single airline!

"You're absolutely right that you don't have to worry about the bag in Madrid. But when you fly into the United States, you must always pick up your bags at your first international airport. So if you land in New York and are going to continue on to Chicago, you need to go pick up your bags in New York and recheck them. This frequently causes confusion and sometimes a big hassle for travelers with connecting US flights."

On my second to last Camino, instructions from Iberia were very unclear, so I did not reclaim my bag in New York. It had baggage tags to BWI, which did not keep it from being off-loaded at JFK. After a day on the carousal there, it was forwarded to BWI, where I had to claim it and go through customs.

As Peregina2000 says, you must clear U.S. Customs at your first port of entry regardless of the number of screenings you will have in Spain, the EU, and the UK! Screenings are NOT baggage clearance. It is hard to imagine it ever getting easier!

 

[peter78072]

Hi ya,

I was just stating the procedure for exiting Spain, local customs procedures varies in each
country. I believe the issue was the connection in Madrid and hope that helps the
thread starter with her connection.

Buen Camino y Buen Connection in MAD.

 

[grumerz]

Hola,

Used Iberia and AAL last year. From SDC to USA via Madrid and Charlotte, to NOLA. Checked backpack in SDC and retrieved it for US Customs in Charlotte. Easily done, as they had a special section for this procedure. Only challenge was lugging all my "stuff;" although had some recent experience at lugging. Later, found it all (intact!) on carousel in NOLA. In Madrid, they sectioned off the last section of the terminal, checking boarding passes and passports for the international flight. Not a big deal.

Buen Camino!

 

[TaijiPilgrim]

I've tried to find a thread that answers my question but without success. I have a flight home from Santiago, on American Airlines operated by Iberia. The ticket takes me from Santiago to Madrid, where I transfer from terminal 4 to 4S, not changing airlines. I plan to check my backpack going home. I'm wondering if I'll go through security in Santiago and then in Madrid can go straight to my connecting fight, without worrying about my backpack or an additional security line. I don't have a lot of connecting time, and I'm getting very anxious about it. Because I have one ticket taking me through to the US, I'm hoping that once I've checked my baggage in Santiago, I can forget about it until I reach Chicago. Is that the case?

I have flown home (to Boston) on American/Iberia from Santiago twice. Do not worry. In Santiago, you check through your luggage to your final destination on your ticket. I think Iberia flies direct from Madrid to Chicago, so Chicago will be where you claim your bag and go through customs. Confirm this when you check in just for peace of mind. Be aware that you must check in your trekking poles, so I would secure your pack etc. and check in everything. Carry on a day pack or bag with all your valuables including items you don't want to lose (ie. compostela!). In the Madrid airport, you transfer to the 4S terminal by a shuttle train link. There are large signs in English and Spanish to guide you, and most other passengers are doing the same thing. You DO NOT have to reclaim your luggage and check it in again. You go through a security check to enter terminal 4S. Sometimes it is a long line, sometimes short. Once through look for the signs for your gate. They are signified by letter, and again the signage is overhead and pretty obvious. You might have to go through a perfunctory security check to enter your gate -- you do for the flight to Boston. I don't know the flight pattern for Chicago, but the plane to Boston flies over Santiago and Finisterre. I get a window seat so I can say good-bye and thank you as I fly over.

 

[Juspassinthru]

I've tried to find a thread that answers my question but without success. I have a flight home from Santiago, on American Airlines operated by Iberia. The ticket takes me from Santiago to Madrid, where I transfer from terminal 4 to 4S, not changing airlines. I plan to check my backpack going home. I'm wondering if I'll go through security in Santiago and then in Madrid can go straight to my connecting fight, without worrying about my backpack or an additional security line. I don't have a lot of connecting time, and I'm getting very anxious about it. Because I have one ticket taking me through to the US, I'm hoping that once I've checked my baggage in Santiago, I can forget about it until I reach Chicago. Is that the case?

If you're checking all the way through from Santiago to Chicago you should only have to clear security one time in Santiago. However, you will probably have to go through EU Passport Control in Madrid but this is inside security. And, keep in mind, this is American Airlines so anything is possible when it comes to checked bags. Safe travels and relax.

 

[peregrina2000]

If you're checking all the way through from Santiago to Chicago you should only have to clear security one time in Santiago. However, you will probably have to go through EU Passport Control in Madrid but this is inside security. And, keep in mind, this is American Airlines so anything is possible when it comes to checked bags. Safe travels and relax.

Yes, I have wondered why I don't have to go through security in Madrid when I go Santiago-Madrid-US, but I do have to go through security in Madrid when I go US-Madrid-Valencia or wherever I fly to. It must be that the Spanish security system on some level "doesn't trust" incoming passengers who haven't been through a Spanish security checkpoint.

 

[CdnDreamer]

All countries want to know who has landed in their country, and what they have brought with them. So it is the first time you step on their soil that you must present yourself to customs and immigration (which includes your luggage). Even if you are just landing to catch another plane to a different country. You don't have a "right" to be in someone else's country. You have to ask permission.

 

[C clearly]

Yes, I have wondered why I don't have to go through security...

I think it has something to do with how the terminals are set up at a particular airport, and what other access points there are for the secure zones. If you have to leave the secured area from an arrival flight, to get to a different terminal (for example for a short flight from Madrid to Valencia) and you pass through a non-secured area, then you will have to go through a security check again to get to your flight.

 

[C clearly]

All countries want to know who has landed in their country, and what they have brought with them. So it is the first time you step on their soil that you must present yourself to customs and immigration (which includes your luggage). Even if you are just landing to catch another plane to a different country. You don't have a "right" to be in someone else's country. You have to ask permission.

Many (or most or all?) international airports have transit zones so you do not need to go through an immigration check when you are simply changing to another flight to a different country.

You usually go through an immigration check before you pick up your checked luggage, and you may be asked also about what you are bringing into the country. You then go through a final customs check (sometimes very minimal) after you have been through immigration and actually picked up your bags.

 

[Singingheart]

Hi Kathy,

The best advice in this thread is that you really shouldn't worry at all. If you have booked this ticket with American as a flight to Chicago with from Santiago with a connection in Madrid, you will be fine. If you miss the flight, it's up to them to get you on another one, so since you will have no control over that there's no point in worrying.

When you fly from Europe to the US, your bags are checked only to the first international port of entry. You then have to pick them up at the carousel, take them through customs, and recheck. But since it sounds like Chicago is both your first point of entry and your final destination, you don't have anything to worry about.



Actually, that is only half right. Sorry to be persnickety, but I want to clarify for those who may have a connecting flight once they arrive in the United States. You're absolutely right that you don't have to worry about the bag in Madrid. But when you fly into the United States, you must always pick up your bags at your first international airport. So if you land in New York and are going to continue on to Chicago, you need to go pick up your bags in New York and recheck them. This frequently causes confusion and sometimes a big hassle for travelers with connecting US flights.

This did, in fact, cause me confusion in 2015, returning from the CF. In Chicago, I waited a very long for my backpack, then went through customs, then security, not realizing that I needed to recheck my backpack. My dear little red pocketknife was confiscated there. I let them take it and just carried my backpack to my connecting flight, because I was running so late.

 

[peregrina2000]

I think it has something to do with how the terminals are set up at a particular airport, and what other access points there are for the secure zones. If you have to leave the secured area from an arrival flight, to get to a different terminal (for example for a short flight from Madrid to Valencia) and you pass through a non-secured area, then you will have to go through a security check again to get to your flight.

Yes, that's what you would think, but when you make a connection between T4-S and the regular T-4, you have to go through security before you get into the main terminal, without having ever left the secure area. I used to think it was because the train wasn't considered a secure area, but that can't be because going from T4 to T4-S I don't have to go through security again. Anyway it's not a big deal, but travelers should know that they will have to go through security again when they make a connection going from the US to Madrid and then to transfer to another flight within Spain. If nothing else it means you may have to proceed more quickly if your connection time is short in that direction.

Next time you do it, @C clearly , pay attention for me and see if I understood it correctly. You are far more precise in your observational powers than I.

 

[Juspassinthru]

Yes, I have wondered why I don't have to go through security in Madrid when I go Santiago-Madrid-US, but I do have to go through security in Madrid when I go US-Madrid-Valencia or wherever I fly to. It must be that the Spanish security system on some level "doesn't trust" incoming passengers who haven't been through a Spanish security checkpoint.

When you enter the EU, you clear Customs/Immigration at the first Airport of entry and when you leave, the last Airport. When I flew back from my Camino in June, I left from A Coruna where I checked my pack to JFK. When I arrived in Lisbon, I had to go through Passport Control there (for Portugal and the EU), never saw my pack until JFK. You'll do this in Madrid. It's really not an issue, you'll do fine.

 

[New York Peregrina]

Hi there - you will need to go through Passport Control in Madrid, as you were on a domestic flight between Santiago and Madrid, and now are leaving the country. But you won’t collect your bag in Madrid. If your flight from Madrid is non-stop to Chicago, you will pick up your bag in Chicago and be processed through Customs/Immigration there. If you are connecting yet again in a US airport (such as New York), however, you will need to collect your bag there and go through Customs/Immigration there, before re-checking your bag for Chicago. If you are concerned that your connection is tight, usually best to bring your bag as carry-on. An alternative is to see if there’s an earlier Santiago-Madrid flight and if there is, go to the airport and stand by for that flight. Just go to the check-in desk in Santiago and tell them you want to stand by for the earlier flight. Santiago’s airport is quite nice and new, with coffee shops etc, so you will be ok even if you don’t get on the earlier flight. And if the wait is really long, take a short taxi ride to the Ruta Jacobea hotel a couple of km away, and have a nice lunch.

 

[Bam0822]

Arriving in Madrid airport with a connecting flight to Naples. Only have one hour layover in Madrid. Is that enough time to get thru immigration and catch Naples flight? Will have carryon luggage.

 

[Jim]

Earlier this tear I flew Iberia [which is owned by British Airways] from Santiago to Madrid, then BA to London, Singapore and finally Sydney. The check-in counter in Santiago booked my luggage all the way through to Sydney, and I got all my boarding passes there as well. So I carried a small daypack containing my prescriptions and my boarding passes through security with no dramas at all. I had an agency do my travel arrangements for me - if you have done the same, maybe you could enquire from them? My personal opinion is that you will be fine, as Iberia will be doing all the flights on your way home, the same as Iberia/BA did for me.

Buen camino.

Alan

Be brave. Life is joyous.

I agree that the passanger would be fine. Also, if one booked directly with the airline instead of going through a travel agency, I would call the customer service section if the airlines directly. Iberia has a service for its U.S. citizen customers and they are nice to deal with, and could give you a heads up as to policies at the various nairports. I use American Airlines/Iberia Airlines/British Airways for most of my overseas flights (departing from LAX) and can truthfully say that every effort is made for seamless passenger experience. I wouldn’t fret because you are unlikely to be anything but just fine!