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Transfer Time in Madrid...

tammi

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Camino Frances: St. Jean Pied de Port - Santiago - Muxia- Fisterra (May/June 2015)
Camino Frances: Unfinished Business Estella - Astorga (May/June 2016)
We are set to go, May 2015!!!
Question: Our flight home (Madrid to Chicago) departs at 11:40am. There is a flight from Santiago to Madrid that arrives in Madrid at 10:30am. Can anyone that is familiar with the Madrid airport tell me if this would be enough time to make the connection? We do not have any baggage to check, only our backpacks which meet the carry on requirements.
Thanks, and may I just say, I LOVE this forum! Buen Camino!
 
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I think it's too tight a timeline, even with carry on. Which terminal do you arrive at? Which terminal do you depart from? It can be a long line going through airport security etc. etc.
I would get to Madrid the day before and stay the night.
 
Hi, Tammi,
This is the very flight I take every summer. I fly from Santiago to Madrid on the Iberia flight leaving around 9:15 am and connect to the Iberia flight from Madrid to Chicago. I am assuming this would all be booked on the same ticket, if so, go for it. If the flight from Santiago to Madrid is late and you miss your connection, they will rebook you on a later flight, either through London or some other less convenient connection, but you'll get there. But if you are buying separate tickets, I wouldn't risk it. If they are separate tickets, and you miss your connection, it's your problem not theirs.

If you're flying into Madrid on Iberia, you will arrive in the new fancy flashy T4. But the international flights leave from the satellite building of T4 (gates R S and U), which requires several elevators (do not take the escalators, they will slow you down), a train ride, and then more elevators. You won't have to go through security again, though. I have made this connection many times. But I know that someday I won't, and I'll just let them rebook me.
 
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The flights are separate. Our RT Chicago/Madrid ticket (which is already booked) is Iberia, however the flight from Santiago to Madrid is with Ryan Air. It would be amazingly convenient if it's enough time to work! Do you know how far the terminal for the Ryan Air flight would be from the international Iberia terminal? (Sorry, I'm not a world traveler!)
 

Madrid Airport (MAD)
http://www.aena-aeropuertos.es/csee/Satellite/Aeropuerto-Madrid-Barajas/en/

1030 - Santiago to Madrid is domestic flight which arrives at 1030 ... (in my experience planes almost never arrive on time and some consider touch down on the runway to be arrival time)
1100 - allow 1/2 hour to deplane and collect luggage.
1130 - allow 1/2 hour to Shuttle from Terminal of arrival to Terminal of departure. (Madrid has two terminal buildings T1-T2-T3 and T4-T4S) (See the airport link for airport information)
1200 - If you're lucky you can check in under 1/2 hour
1210 - 10 minutes Customs exit procedure. You might get lucky and there will not be a line ...
1240 - 30 minutes security. Double this if your flight is US bound.
1310 - Most airlines want you in the departure lounge at least 30 minutes before departure ...

So ... based on this time appreciation you don't stand a chance of making your 1140 flight. Not even if you are able to trim off a few minutes here or there. Its just way too tight a schedule.

I would recommend taking a train from Santiago to Madrid the day before. One option is the Trenhotel train that arrives at Madrid Chamartin at 0800.

If your US bound flight leaves at 1140 I would recommend that you are at the airport in line for check-in no later than 0940.
 
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Hi, Tammi,
There's no way I think you would make it. Ryan Air arrives in T1, 2, or 3, don't know which. But it really doesn't matter because it's a long way from T4. You have to take a bus to T4, then you would have to check in again, go through security again, and get all the way out to the satelitte of T4, which requires a train ride of about 5 minutes.

I know it's too late for you to do anything about it, but for others who want to fly out of Madrid to the US (which will almost always be a late morning/early afternoon flight), the thing to do is to try to book the flights as one ticket. Check to see how much more it would cost to add on the flight from Santiago to your round trip ticket. You may be pleasantly surprised. I have been able to add on a domestic flight from Madrid to my starting point -- Valencia, Bilbao, for instance, and then another domestic flight from Santiago to Madrid for no more than a couple hundred dollars. This is way less than what it would cost me to book separate transportation on both segments, plus pay for cost of a night in Madrid. Not that there's anything wrong with spending an extra night in Madrid, of course.

Buen camino, Laurie
 
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Tammi:

I solved this same dilemma by taking the sleeper train from Santiago to Madrid. It leaves Santiago at night and arrives Chamartin station at 8:00am. There is a Cercanias train on the :28 and :58 minute of every hour to the airport. This is the way I return every year now. It alleviates all the stress of worrying about flight delays or short connection times from Santiago.

Flight wise, even if everything clicks it will be a very tight connection. Especially if in different terminals.

I recommend the overnight train.

Ultreya,
Joe
 
Ryanair is T1. They announce they are on time or early when they land. The taxi to terminal T1 at Barajas is a very long one taking quite a few minutes (10 or so if I remember correctly).
 

I agree with Joe that the overnight train is an excellent option. I have done that on a number of occasions and you would be surprised at how cheap the tickets can be if you buy them ahead of time. I think once I got a sleeper for 27 euros! But for people who haven't yet bought their plane tickets and are flying back to the US, I would still suggest that you check out the cost of adding on the Santiago to Madrid flight, especally if you are flying on American or partner (Iberia is a partner). It's true that the connection is tight, but there is really no stress, because if you miss the connection they will have to reroute you and there are plenty of options through London or other European cities. Who wants to get home anyway?!
 
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Hi Tammi.
Your transfer time looks a bit tight but may well be manageable. However you may well end up travelling with the worry of the connection on your mind which can be a 'stress loader' when you should be still enjoying the experience of the Camino. I ended my section of the Camino this year (Logrono to Leon) by getting a train to Madrid and opted to stay for 2 nights there. It was a great decision as I found Madrid to be one of the best cities I have visited. I stayed in the hotel Ganivet on Calle Toledo which is close to the main attractions and to the centre. It was very reasonably priced. It is also just down the road from a stop on the open top bus tour which I took and was fantastic for seeing as much as possible in as short a time as possible. I visited the Prado which is one of the best art galleries I have seen. All in all if you have the time and for not a whole lot more expense and certainly a lot less hassle I would recommend a stay here.

Brian
 
I think it's very little time to do te transfer between the different terminals.
On the other side Ryan air many times is deleted !
So in my opinion you risk to much!
 
I've been through Barajas a few times and I think it's iffy. I wouldn't do it. Going from national to international can always be a hassle there. Barajas is a pretty good airport but the time seems just too short. I'd take the advice to take the overnight. I assume you've been to Madrid before. If not, stay a day or so and enjoy the Prado and other sites. It's really a great city.
 
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You don't mention your arrival flight plan, so not sure if you are planning some time in Madrid prior to setting off on your Camino. You would be remiss to be in Madrid (airport) and not actually see Madrid. It's a wonderful city. I do think your turnover time is too tight, so why not give yourself peace of mind and plan to arrive in Madrid a day or two prior to departure? You will not only eliminate your flight connection anxiety, but you will have a chance to experience one of the great cities of the world.
 
Thank you all for your very valued input! One hour had me very nervous, and your opinions verified that I wasn't just being paranoid. I was able to change our outgoing flight from Madrid to a later flight (without a service charge, whew!), giving us nearly three hours to make the connection from the Ryan Air flight. As wonderful as the train sounds, our total vacation time (including travel) is 42 days, and we want to dedicate our time to the Camino as much as possible. Hopefully life will allow us a return trip someday to see more of the sights. Thanks again!!!!
 
Tammi, Glad to read you have been able to give yourself a longer transfer time. Not mentioned in the many informative replies is that many international airports require you to check in two hours before departure time. There is usually a bit of flexibility in that but last year it took me one and a half hours to get through check-in, customs and immigration at London Heathrow and I boarded only 5 mins before scheduled departure, at a relatively quiet time of 10.30pm. Also arrival times are always the time the wheels touch down at the arrival airport, not gate times.
 
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Thanks for this post.
While your recommendation was of great interest to me, I could not follow it. I am looking at catching an AF flight leaving at 0710 from MAD, so I need to spend the night before at a hotel very near Madrid Barajas. I have been to Madrid before, so I am not interested in seeing the sites this time around.
Thus, my question. Does anyone know of a hotel near the airport they would recommend?
 
camino-david said:
it took me one and a half hours to get through check-in, customs and immigration at London Heathrow and I boarded only 5 mins before scheduled departure, at a relatively quiet time of 10.30pm
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For anyone who failed to wear a hair shirt for their camino, book a flight through Heathrow. You will make up all lost penance plus a bit.
 

The only time I have stayed overnight near the airport was at the Tryp. The hotel was fine and I do not remember the cost. It is difficult to answer a question like this without a price range or knowing a persons preferences.

The method I used to pick the hotel to go just outside the doors where the buses stop there is a pick up area for hotels etc. There is a list of Hotels and their phone numbers. They will pick you up and drop you off in the morning. All close by. You can use the method I did and just call a number or go to a site like booking.com, type in Madrid Barajas, and find a selection to choose from.

Hope this helps.

Ultreya.
Joe
 
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Try Expedia.com ... in a search for hotels near Madrid airport they show over 500 hotels. You can filter by distance.
http://www.expedia.com/
 
In 2011 I got in very late to Barajas and had booked into local Hostal Viky I remember having to phone from the airport and the woman who ran it came to pick me and someone else up.Basic but clean and next morning I wandered around the small Playa until time to get back to Barajas for my flight to Australia. Suited me .
 
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