Connecting flights in Madrid to Barcelona

[CruisingGoddess]

I am flying from Dallas-Fort Worth to Madrid and then on to Barcelona. Do I need to claim my check-in luggage in Madrid and recheck them in? Or will they be forwarded on to the next flight for me? I read they generally forward the luggage but there are some exceptions for international flights due to customs so I'm not sure.

 

What about on the way back?

 

Thanks in advance!

[cruiseluv]

Is your connecting flight to Madrid on the same ticket? If so, yes the lugagge will be transferred. Make sure when you check in at Dallas that they do so.

[pyrrhus]

I am flying from Dallas-Fort Worth to Madrid and then on to Barcelona. Do I need to claim my check-in luggage in Madrid and recheck them in? Or will they be forwarded on to the next flight for me? I read they generally forward the luggage but there are some exceptions for international flights due to customs so I'm not sure.

 

What about on the way back?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

 

Depends, might have you go through Customs in Madrid since you will be taking a connecting flight to another Spanish City. I have had to do that in Germany Before. Flew into Frankfurt then connected up to Hannover.

 

 

Michael

[pyrrhus]

Found this on another site..... Might be useful.

 

Which airline are you arriving on from EWR and what is your connecting airline? This will greatly impact how easy or difficult making your connecting Jerez flight will be.

 

The key idea here is that if you arrive T1 terminal and your connecting airline departs from T2 terminal, your connection will be tight, but you should make your flight ( Spanair, Air Europa & other carriers fly out of T2 terminal ). If your connecting flight is on Iberia (IB), your flight will depart from T4 terminal and a timely connection might be difficult to achieve ( most likely your bags will not make the connecting flight to Jerez ).

 

All trans-Atlantic flights to MAD on CO, US, DL etc. arrive at T1 terminal. Trans-Atlantic flights on AA and IB arrive at T4 terminal which is not physically connected to T1/2/3 terminals and requires a shuttle bus. Arriving T1 terminal and flying out of T4 terminal might not allow enough time to clear immigration in T1 and hop the shuttle bus to T4 and recheck your bags and make the flight ( or you will experience tremendous agida in the process ).

 

I would check your itinerary to see which airlines you're flying so that you can determine if you need to alter your connecting flight itinerary.

 

A few hints.

Try to find out if you can check your bags all the way to Jerez from EWR. This is not always possible because unless the airlines are partners or belong to the same alliance, they are not required to check bags to the final destination ( Jerez should have immigration & customs which allow your checked bag to arrive this way ).

If your connecting airline is an alliance member, you should be able to check your bags all the way to Jerez and you should be able to get boarding passes for both flights ( either printing them at home or getting them in EWR ).

If you arrive T1 terminal & have boarding passes for your connecting flight to T2 terminal, you can remain inside of security & take a shuttle bus to T2 where you can head straight to the gate. Otherwise, lacking a boarding pass, you must exit to the public side of T1 and walk some 7-10 minutes to T2 terminal where you check in and get boarding passes.

If your connecting flight is out of T4 terminal, you will have to go outside of security & take a bus to T4 terminal, but you can proceed directly to security screening with your boarding passes at T4.

If your bags are already checked to Jerez from EWR, you need only get to the gate to make your flight. If your bags do not make your flight, the airline will deliver them to you later.

 

I'd look closely at your itinerary, especially if you're flying in the summer when thunderstorms can delay flight departures and create late arrivals.

 

In our experience flying into MAD T1 terminal on US Air, passport control is usually a brief 10 minute or less processs of queuing, baggage claim is right around the corner, and bags take 20 to 30 minutes to hit the belts after gate arrival. Airport signage is good at MAD and walking to T2 is quick and easy. Ckeck the monitors in the check-in area to find out which counters to check in at. Security at MAD is most usually efficient, requiring 5 to 10 miinutes of queuing at most. They don't remove shoes in Spain but you must remove your belts.

 

Presently, we usually fly our connecting flight to Malaga via Iberia out of T4 terminal. The shuttle busses are located 2 levels above T1 passport control & baggage reclaim ( keep walking to the right as you exit the front of the terminal and look for the green busses ). It's about a 10 minute ride to T4 terminal some 2 miles away. Once again, check monitors at T4 to find where to check in for your flight. Be sure to check the T&C of your connecting airline regarding baggage and check-in times before they no longer accept bags.

 

We've had some flawless 90 minute or less connections out of T2 terminal and done the same at T4 rechecking bags, but you always feel harried connecting out of T4 and heaven help you if your TA flight is delayed . But now, we allow more time for that connecting flight, usually arriving @ 0830 and catching an 11AM to noon flight out of T4. We use the time to wind down in a cafe in T4 ( which is a new terminal and spectacular piece of architecture ).

 

I hope that this gives you a better feel for MAD Barajas airport. Enjoy your trip.

[cruiseluv]

I don't what airlines were involved in that post you found. But I know for a fact that in Spain, if your flights from Dallas to Madrid, Madrid to BCN are on the same ticket, you can check your lugagge through to your final destination , which in this case is Barcelona. You just have to make sure in Dallas that they ticket it through. The only time this will not be done is if the flight from Mad to BCN is on a separate ticket. Sometimes if the second flight is on a separate ticket but the airlines are partners they MIGHT check it through. However, this is not guaranteed.

[pyrrhus]

I don't what airlines were involved in that post you found. But I know for a fact that in Spain, if your flights from Dallas to Madrid, Madrid to BCN are on the same ticket, you can check your lugagge through to your final destination , which in this case is Barcelona. You just have to make sure in Dallas that they ticket it through. The only time this will not be done is if the flight from Mad to BCN is on a separate ticket. Sometimes if the second flight is on a separate ticket but the airlines are partners they MIGHT check it through. However, this is not guaranteed.

 

Which brings up another question. Are there any connecting flights in Barcelona through Madrid from an originating airline at DFW? I don't know. I can only think of AA that has a Direct flight to Madrid. But then you have to Change to Iberia to BCN. Although Maybe Iberia has a direct to Madrid? I have to switch airlines in Madrid. On the way back it is a straight shot to ATL. I guess it is really going to depend on the OP's flights.

 

Michael

[cruiseluv]

Which brings up another question. Are there any connecting flights in Barcelona through Madrid from an originating airline at DFW? I don't know. I can only think of AA that has a Direct flight to Madrid. But then you have to Change to Iberia to BCN. Although Maybe Iberia has a direct to Madrid? I have to switch airlines in Madrid. On the way back it is a straight shot to ATL. I guess it is really going to depend on the OP's flights.

 

Michael

 

 

I am not familiar with who flies to Madrid from DFW. But AA and Iberia are partners. So it would stand to reason that if the OP is flying to BCN and buying his/her ticket through AA the routing would be DFW-MAD in AA and then MAD-BCN in Iberia, all in one ticket. Sometimes they even codeshare.

 

Yes, it depends if the flights are sold in one ticket.

[CruisingGoddess]

Wow! Thanks for all the responses!

 

I booked my entire trip through AA on one ticket. As cruiseluv mentioned, they are partners with Iberia.

 

I called AA and they said I do not have to claim my bags in Madrid but I'm going to double-check at DFW when I check in for my flight too...just in case.

 

However, they said that if DFW was not my final destination on the way back, I would have to claim my luggage to present to customs when re-entering the U.S. and check it back in before boarding another domestic flight.

[cruiseluv]

Hi,

 

Yes, The info AA gave you is 100% correct. When you come back into the US you have to claim your lugagge in your first US port of entry and do customs with it. Then ,as you go out of customs , there is usually a conveyor belt where the lugagge is placed back. At least that is the system in Newark, NJ airport with which I'm most familiar.