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I’m doing quite a few transfers at European Airports this year so, as I’m constantly advocating that travelers book cheap business class flights from whichever European airport has the best deals (see more on the Airfare Deals page) and as this normally entails a connection from another European city, I thought I’d write a few observations on what the transfer process is like and what you can expect to find at the airport.
As I mentioned yesterday, I recently took a day trip to Madrid (from London) for no reason other than to check out the new Iberia Business Class cabin on their Airbus A330-200. I caught a morning flight from London Heathrow to Madrid on an Iberia A320 (review coming up later today) and, around an hour and a half later, I was landing at Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport.
Madrid airport has 4 terminals in total
Madrid Airport Terminal Layout
T1 – Operates mainly with international destinations and the following airline companies: Air Europa, Air France, easyJet, Lufthansa and thirty more airlines.
T2 – This is the oldest operating building at the airport. It mainly serves domestic destinations and countries within Schengen territory.
T3 – Terminal for Domestic and Regional flights.
T4 – The newest and biggest of the terminals at Madrid Airport which also includes Terminal 4S (the satellite terminal). This is the terminal used by OneWorld Airlines and well as airlines like TAM and Emirates
Click here for a full listing of which airlines operate from which terminal at Madrid Airport.
I’m going to concentrate on intra-T4 transfers as that’s what I’ve experienced and that’s what most travelers using OneWorld airlines will be faced with.
As I’d flown in from the UK (a non-Schengen country) on an Iberia flight, the aircraft parked at a T4 gate that then required passengers to pass through passport control before we could enter the main part of the terminal.
Hint 1: If you’re flying into Madrid T4 from a non-Schengen country bring walking shoes – the gate you’ll fly into is one of the furthest gates away from baggage reclaim and the rest of the main terminal.
- Most departures and arrivals to/from domestic airports and Schengen counties take place at the main part of T4.
- The T4S satellite terminal is primarily used for departures and arrivals of international flights to/from non-European Union counties and non-Schengen EU counties (with the exception of flights to/from the UK which fly into T4)
The chances are, if you’re connecting in Madrid from another European country with an onward connection to somewhere exotic, you’ll be flying into T4 and flying out of T4S.
Terminal 4
Terminal 4 is where you’ll most likely be arriving into and it’s the terminal with the most shops and restaurants. There are a total of 43 shops in T4 so there’s quite a lot to choose from.
If you’re intent on doing some shopping before you fly you may want to start here as there are fewer shops (19) in terminal T4S (where you will be flying out from).
T4 is where you’ll find the Iberia Dali Lounge (open 06:00 – 00:00 daily) and this is open to First Class and Business Class passengers as well as OneWorld Emerald and OneWorld Sapphire status holders from the following airlines:
- AirBerlin
- British Airways
- Finnair
- Iberia
Iberia Dali Lounge at Madrid Airport – Image courtesy of OneWorld
On my trip, I decided not to hang around T4 but, instead, to head over to T4S (where my flight was departing from) to see what things were like over there.
The walk from my arrival gate to the main area of T4 where all the shops are took around 10 minutes including time at passport control (which is very quick) – I had been on row 18 of the aircraft so it’s not like I had a head start on most of the passengers.
Transit To T4S
If you’re flying from T4S you’ll be flying out of an “R Gate”, an “S Gate” or a “U Gate” and the signage at Madrid Airport is pretty good:
Madrid Airport – Signs for International Gates & Lounges
Although I was flying back to the UK my aircraft was leaving from T4S presumably because it was a wide-body Airbus A330-200.
I followed the signs for the S gates (I was departing from S37) and they’ll lead me to the train that links T4 and T4S – there a re a few escalators or lifts to negotiate so allow 5 – 7 minutes from the main section of T4 to get to the platform.
The trains run very frequently and the transit time is around 3-4 minutes.
Terminal 4S
The first thing you encounter at T4S is another passport control. Have your passport and boarding pass ready at this point if you want to keep things moving.
After passport control I took the escalators to the main concourse level of T4S and was greeted with a traditional Duty Free area – you know, the kind that you’re forced to walk through if you want to get where you’re going (like at Heathrow T3):
Madrid Airport T4S Duty Free
The entrance to the second OneWorld lounge (the Iberia Velazquez Lounge) is actually within this Duty Free section and can be missed if you’re busy looking at the alcohol and chocolate rather than where you’re going – I’ll be reviewing this lounge tomorrow.
Entrance to the Iberia Velazquez Lounge at Madrid Airport
Just past the duty free melee are a few high-end shops amongst which are Mont Blanc, Bvlgari, Michael Kors, Loewe and Boss:
Shops at Madrid Airport T4S
Shops may keep people entertained but what tends to be more important to passengers is somewhere to sit and somewhere to eat (if you don’t have lounge access) and T4S seemed pretty well equipped for both.
There was a lot of seating in the terminal and most of it was completely empty.
Madrid Airport T4S – Seating
There were a few OneWorld aircraft around….
Qatar Airways 787 Dreamliner at Madrid Airport
LAN Dreamliner at Madrid Airport
And Emirates had one of their many Whale Jets in town:
Emirates Airbus A380 at Madrid Airport
Hint 2: Madrid Airport T4 is a terrible terminal for taking aircraft shots – the number of walkways and gantries that get in the way is unbelievable! If you want aircraft photos go elsewhere.
Refreshment-wise the T4S terminal is well served.
There are a range of options available ranging from Starbucks….
Starbucks – Madrid Airport T4S
…to a number of medium-sized cafes and delis….
Madrid Airport T4S – Cafe
Madrid Airport T4S – Cafe
….to a full service restaurant:
To view the restaurant menu click on the thumbnail below:
Hint 3: If you’re going to do some basic shopping, you may be better served (or at least quicker served) by using one of the numerous “Express Duty Free” stores that you’ll find around T4S. The seem to have all the same main items that the bigger Duty Free store at the entrance to T4S….but they were almost all empty while the main Duty Free store was quite busy.
Madrid Airport T4S – Express Duty Free
Bottom Line
If you’re flying into T4 and flying out of T4S Madrid airport is a pretty easy place to connect. It may be tempting to stay over in the bigger part of the terminal (T4) but, unless you’re doing some specific shopping or plan on having a full on meal, T4S has most of what you could want.
Alcohol is cheap in Madrid but be aware of the duty free allowances of whatever country you’re flying on to – it becomes a whole lot more expensive if you’re stopped by customs and you’re carrying more than your allowance.
The main areas of both T4 and T4S are on a single level so everything is very easy to find, but do leave yourself enough time to get where you need to go. The terminals are long and it can take a bit longer than you may think to get from one end to the other, so don’t leave things to the last minute.
Anyone else visited Madrid recently and have any tips to share?
