Madrid Barajas Airport Passenger Reviews and Madrid Airport Traveller Reports   a World 3-Star Airport         Add your Madrid Barajas Airport Review   Madrid Barajas Airport 3-Star Ranking     Customer Review scoring : Madrid Barajas Airport   6.5 out of 10 152 reviews

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	MADRID BARAJAS AIRPORT customer review :  15 April 2013 by E Norfrey    (USA)
	Rating : 6/10 Queuing Cleanliness Facilities Recommended	I recently traveled from the USA to Madrid. I had not flown internationally in many years, so I am not a very experienced traveler anymore. On my return trip, I checked in online and arrived at the airport 2.5 hours before my flight, checked my suitcase and waited at the security gate labelled A and B, which was not open yet. As the departure time grew closer, I was concerned, but continued to wait. Finally, about 45 minutes before my departure time, I overheard someone saying that there was another security area at the other end of the terminal. I hurried over there, but it took a while to get through. By the time I got to my gate, I missed my flight! I explained to the Delta clerks what had happened, and they said that the security area where I was waiting is only open on certain days. There was no sign or explanation anywhere, no announcements. It was very frustrating. Fortunately, Delta re-routed me very efficiently and I made it to my destination.

	MADRID BARAJAS AIRPORT customer review :  5 April 2013 by Simon Smith    (UK)
	Rating : 5/10 Queuing Cleanliness Facilities Recommended	I use T4/T4S reasonably regularly. Overall the facilities are good and the airport is clean. There also generally isn't much of a queue for or immigration on arrival. Immigration on departure can be slower but additional staff seem to appear when a queue builds up. There are 2 main issues though. Baggage reclaim at T4 is always very slow - last time the bags took 45 minutes to arrive even though we landed off peak when there were hardly any other flights. I don't know how they manage to make it so slow. Also, don't plan on shopping for anything practical a traveller might want - there are lots of shops selling expensive, branded clothes and luxury products, but it's difficult to find somewhere to buy a newspaper and there's nothing useful air-side like a chemist (it would be good to have a branch of Boots or something similar).

	MADRID BARAJAS AIRPORT customer review :  21 March 2013 by L Robinson    (UK)
	Rating : 4/10 Queuing Cleanliness Facilities Recommended	Shocking for a major international airport. I am sitting in the "M" gates of Terminal 4S at 7:30AM and there is not a single food option other than vending machines or candy from the duty free. Eat breakfast before you come here. I have been in airports in Nigeria that offered more facilities. I suppose it lowers your expectations sufficiently for the Iberia experience that follows.

	MADRID BARAJAS AIRPORT customer review :  8 January 2013 by Celia Boyce    (USA)
	Rating : 0/10 Queuing Cleanliness Facilities Recommended	T4/T4S was not designed for the traveller only for aesthetics. Huge distances between doors and gates. Beware elderly and those not able to walk miles comfortably. Lounge areas few and far between. Signage very poor and the staff unhelpful. I stood in the wrong line for Iberia (they have a dozen indistinguishable check in desks or more) for 40 minutes. Couldn't find anyone to tell me which line to go to. Few seats in that area so sat on the floor. Worst airport experience and I have been traveling for 38 years.

	MADRID BARAJAS AIRPORT customer review :  3 January 2013 by Stephan Grütering    (Germany)
	Rating : 1/10 Queuing Cleanliness Facilities Recommended	This airport makes JFK and FRA seem tiny in comparison and I have been only to the 2 Iberia Terminals. I had to wait there for 11 hours, there was nothing to do, the seating facilities were very uncomfortable and the food inedible. The only good thing about that airport was that they had a lounge, which you could buy a day-pass for €25 including food and beverages.

	MADRID BARAJAS AIRPORT customer review :  31 August 2012 by N Barnsley    (Spain)
	Rating : 7/10 Queuing Cleanliness Facilities Recommended	In general Madrid offers a good airport experience but on many occasions the queues at passport control and the waiting time at baggage reclaim are unacceptably long, especially at T4. Also, the catering outlets keep odd opening times for a major international hub airport: wasn't able to get breakfast anywhere in the T4 satellite at 6.00am earlier this month because everything was closed.

	MADRID BARAJAS AIRPORT customer review :  14 July 2012 by W Gilbert    (USA)
	Rating : 4/10 Queuing Cleanliness Facilities Recommended	I had an unpleasant experience for the most part at Barajas. Signage is poor. It took me a good 45 minutes to get to my BA departure gate after arriving on Iberia (fortunately my connecting flight was delayed). I had to take two trains and go up several escalators before finding my gate only to learn the gate had been changed after I became concerned that there were no other passengers or ground staff at my gate 1/2 hour before the scheduled departure time. Nobody told me the gate had been changed and there were no messages showing the gate change. I had to ask a staff member at another gate. There was very little in the way of food available nearby and what was available was very expensive. Pay-as-you-go Wifi was very confusing if you were not fluent in Spanish and the information desk was largely unhelpful and unfriendly. To top it all off, my check-in luggage was left outside in the rain and was sopping wet upon my arrival at Heathrow. This is by far the worst airport I've experienced in Europe. Of all the airports I've flown through, Nairobi-Kenyatta is the only one that ranks below Barajas, in my opinion, and only because it's much older.

	MADRID BARAJAS AIRPORT customer review :  29 June 2012 by J Ludewig    (Germany)
	Rating : 9/10 Queuing Cleanliness Facilities Recommended	I flew in and out from both Terminal 2 and 4. T2 is rather convenient with short distances and easy access. It seems a bit worn out, but clean and organized. No lines, good access to T3 if you use Priority Pass Lounges. T4 is a new modern piece of art, but not as comfortable as it is rather large. Depending on the gate, you could use 20 minutes after security to reach the gate, so plan enough time. Overall it is spacious and clean, you just need to be good in walking. Also transferring from either T1, 2 or 3 to T4 takes some time. So does taxiing on the airport. From landing to the gate it took almost 15 minutes.

	MADRID BARAJAS AIRPORT customer review :  8 May 2012 by P Meikle    (UK)
	Rating : 1/10 Queuing Cleanliness Facilities Recommended	Terminal 1 Easyjet flight to Bristol 3rd May was most unpleasant. There is no organised queue system so that the passengers who arrive first, board first. Late arriving passengers just barge to the front of the queue. Ground staff do not enforce the 1 piece of cabin baggage per passenger, passengers who have arrived first and been pushed to the back of the line had their cabin baggage taken off them and put in the hold.

	MADRID BARAJAS AIRPORT customer review :  1 May 2012 by Alasdair Brooks    (UK)
	Rating : 9/10 Queuing Cleanliness Facilities Recommended	I transited through Madrid (using terminals 4 and 4S) twice this last month on Iberia flights to and from London/Buenos Aires. Since I was a transit passenger, I can't comment on the landside experience, but I found airside to be modern, efficient, comfortable, and easy to use. There are plentiful food and shopping options and clean toilet facilities. Outbound to Buenos Aires, those of us travelling to the Western Hemisphere left through the back of the plane, and were driven to 4S in a bus so there was no need to go through security again. With just over 1.5 hrs between flights, everything was quick and efficient. I had to go through security on the way back to London - no queues at either immigration or security at that time in the morning!

	MADRID BARAJAS AIRPORT customer review :  13 March 2012 by M Brown    (UK)
	Rating : 5/10 Queuing Cleanliness Facilities Recommended	Processed quickly and got bags quickly on arriving at the airport. However, an entirely different story when trying to depart, arrived at airport well in advance of 2hrs before flight. Took 50 minutes to check-in, a further 25 minutes to clear security, and 15-20 minutes to clear departures 'police control' immigration. The understaffed check-in facilities and departures queues are the one major let down of this airport.

	MADRID BARAJAS AIRPORT customer review :  7 December 2011 by Paul Van Alsten    (France)
	Rating : 7/10 Queuing Cleanliness Facilities Recommended	Arrived and departed from terminal T4. Modern and convenient airport with excellent train connections to downtown Madrid - either with Metro line 8 or with the less crowded Renfe regional trains. Both are quite clean and safe. Upon departure check-in was hassle-free - using self-service machines. Short queue at security, but barely polite staff with poor command of English. Limited seating areas at the boarding gates. Lavatories reasonably clean. Major downside are the endless walkways and escalators - both upon arrival and departure.

	MADRID BARAJAS AIRPORT customer review :  3 November 2011 by Carol Lombard    (UK)
	Rating : 1/10 Queuing Cleanliness Facilities Recommended	Airport staff unfriendly and unhelpful. Iberia's London-Madrid flight was delayed, there was no assistance at all in transferring us to the correct gates which resulted in missing my Johannesburg flight. The signs in the airport are very confusing and just about useless. Once I reached the gate, the staff there shouted at me. It took me nearly 5 hours to obtain a voucher to check into a hotel, retrieve my baggage and get out of the airport. Inbound we were delayed again and I had to spend another 4 hours in Madrid Airport, once again with extremely unhelpful and really rude people. I will never fly with Iberia again.

MADRID BARAJAS AIRPORT customer review :  3 October 2011 by N Barnsley   (Spain)

Customer Rating :  4/5

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Flew into and out of both T1 and T4 in recent weeks. Barajas seems to be getting better and better - at least in these two terminals. Good that the route through arrivals in T4 has been simplified.

MADRID BARAJAS AIRPORT customer review :  30 August 2011 by Margaret Craner   (UK)

Customer Rating :  1/5

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Getting from terminal to terminal to catch our coach was a nightmare. The signage was poor and very confusing. The escalators were steep and quite frightening. While waiting outside in the heat for our coach, there was nowhere to sit. The return journey was worse with the transit buses crowded and the airport heaving. Information for our booked wheelchair was confusing and the chairs themselves uncomfortable and impossible to push. The public toilets on both sides of security were filthy.

MADRID BARAJAS AIRPORT customer review :  28 July 2011 by Dave Vern   (UK)

Customer Rating :  1/5

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Poor limited seating if you have to wait for a flight, seats limited and awful with a very poor choice of food. Screens are from the 70's and toilets are very dirty. Cant believe Madrid are so far behind.

MADRID BARAJAS AIRPORT customer review :  25 July 2011 by F Murray   (USA)

Customer Rating :  3/5

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Connecting at Barajas from Terminal 4 to 4S to depart Spain becomes overly stressful with the huge unpredictable delays at immigration Passport control. Chaotic "lines" swarm at each operating booth and line-jumpers push ahead. Timid and weak travelers miss their flights. An express line for 30min connections has no enforcement and took about 45 mins for us to clear. Iberia does not assist customers connecting to U.S. flights - even those in Premier Business Class. Iberia Business Class is otherwise fine but what's the point if you miss your connection as we almost did? We got to Boarding gate 74 (the furthest away) a few mins past departure time but the flight was being held, for us because our baggage would have to be unloaded.

MADRID BARAJAS AIRPORT customer review :  21 July 2011 by R Hdez   (Switzerland)

Customer Rating :  1/5

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Madrid Barajas T4 and T4S are one of the most unfriendly terminals in the world. The staff are rude, queues are never ending and there is a lack of accurate information provided. No express connection facilities (although they existed once upon a time, but not anymore). Heating in the airport is always very high and when arriving from another European country in winter, it can feel extremely hot and humid.

MADRID BARAJAS AIRPORT customer review :  27 June 2011 by A Futeran   (Australia)

Customer Rating :  5/5

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What a superb modern example of a busy airport this is. Arrived and departed at the newer terminal 4. Don't worry that after you arrive you seem to walk for ever, and go out of various gates until you might think you have missed your luggage. Keep going until you board the fast train that travels under the airport to where you collect your bags and then if you need to, take the incredibly cheap and fast bus into the city. Be careful when departing that you know exactly where you are departing from as the distance from 1-2-3 and the satellite 4 is quiet a long bus ride away. Really good duty free shops once through customs when flying out. One of the most impressive airports I have ever used.

MADRID BARAJAS AIRPORT customer review :  5 June 2011 by L Frederic   (Germany)

Customer Rating :  2/5

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Travelled through the old Terminal (1-3) area with Spanair and Lufthansa. This airport is a joke for such a city. I know that T4 is much better, but this part of the terminal is outdated, dark, crowded and cramped. Restrooms are dirty. Check-in area is small and dark. Furthermore taxiing at this airport may take ages since runways are sometimes very far away. On the plus side: convenient public transportation to the city and acceptable range of outlets.

MADRID BARAJAS AIRPORT customer review :  31 May 2011 by Johnny Tung   (UK)

Customer Rating :  1/5

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Used this airport (Terminal 1) for a short city break. On arrival, we were not attached to a bridge so was shuttled to the immigration area must be a huge terminal. The passport checking process didn't take too long, although some of the staff seemed to care more about talking to their colleagues rather than doing their own job. After leaving the passport check, it was a long walk to metro station. Departure wasn't good as arrival. The check in area wasn't in a hall, rather in a corridor. Security check was chaotic (a lot of Spanish travellers didn't like the idea of queuing). The terminal was very old. Very limited information was given and it was crowded (in gate CDE area). If you are flying out of EU you will be going from gate B which is more calming, but again the options of eating and drinking are limited. I flew easyjet and the ground handling was poor - all flights delayed for hours and not much information was given, and boarding process was extremely slow. In short this is an airport that needs some organisational and management skills to improve passenger's experience.

MADRID BARAJAS AIRPORT customer review :  9 May 2011 by Pedro Tavares   (Portugal)

Customer Rating :  1/5

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I just used Terminal 4. Most reviews are absolutely correct when they say the airport is messy, security checks are unbelievable (you need to carry plastic trays with your things and if you have a computer you need to carry two!). It is extremely expensive, specially food. Just avoid it.

MADRID BARAJAS AIRPORT customer review :  25 January 2011 by E Porter   (UK)

Customer Rating :  1/5

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Fashion over function! I primarily use Terminal 4 which is almost always empty given that it's so large. It's like someone built the airport expecting the Olympics to come but they never did. The staff are completely useless, again, typical Spanish. I especially like the need to ride on about 25 escalators or take multiple elevators up and down to get anywhere. The security check also has been very poorly designed. Putting everything into the plastic trays to then be forced to carry or hold them as the tables don't extend to the actual screening point. It's also the only airport I still travel to which requires me to open my laptop (although Dublin requires me to open my umbrella, so I guess that's worse). Avoid this airport if possible, or better yet, avoid Spain and head to Portugal!!

MADRID BARAJAS AIRPORT customer review :  22 January 2011 by R Skopac   (Croatia)

Customer Rating :  2/5

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Terminal 2 on arrival from MUC we waited quite a long time for baggage and finally it appeared on a ZRH conveyor belt - we could have waited for ages if somebody hadn't noticed our bags mixed up with ZRH bags. Toilets rather worn out and filthy. T2 generally looks rather worn out. On departure waited 45 min at LH check-in desk just to give away our bags, although we've been already checked-in at home. Not enough seats in front of gates. Some of security stuff doesn't speak English at all. Gate numbers not appearing on a display monitor - if you're lucky some of the apt staff will tell you to which gate to go.

MADRID BARAJAS AIRPORT customer review :  21 January 2011 by M Chang   (Australia)

Customer Rating :  1/5

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I will never go through that airport again in my life! The staff were rude, lazy and unhelpful. When I landed in MAD, I had my duty free alcohol confiscated by a security staff, even though that alcohol was in a sealed bag brought from another international airport. This security person spoke to me in English when I first walked through and then suddenly pretended not to understand any English when I tried to explain that the bottles of alcohol were in a proper sealed bag bought from another airport. She simply stood there smiling smugly, and of course, I had told her I had 20 minutes to make the next flight so there was not much I could do about that. Also, I had my backpack strapped onto my wheelie bag and when I tried to unstrap it so that I could lift both items onto the conveyor belt at security, a security staff came over and started shouting at me. She was not interested in my explanations. For a major airport, I was quite disgusted. I had a more pleasant time going through Marrakech Airport despite its fewer facilities - at least the staff there had manners.

MADRID BARAJAS AIRPORT customer review :  9 January 2011 by Bertrand Lacour   (UK)

Customer Rating :  1/5

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Avoid Transit via MAD! What a mess, I could not believe it. The airport is new, but if you are unlucky and have to swap terminal, it is a real mess. You even have to go through customs twice again, and passport control.

MADRID BARAJAS AIRPORT customer review :  9 January 2011 by Miles Canne   (Spain)

Customer Rating :  3/5

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Flew out of and into T2 during the holiday period. Early morning departure and none of the catering outlets were open and very limited seating in the waiting areas around the gates; there's no departure lounge as such. But queues at security were minimal, and on return, bags were on the belt fairly quickly. Money changing facilities in the arrivals hall were closed at 8.30pm and none of the very few ATMs in the terminal were working. Fortunately, the ticket machines for the metro take cards; but most Madrid taxis don't.

MADRID BARAJAS AIRPORT customer review :  28 December 2010 by C Porter   (USA)

Customer Rating :  3/5

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Its easy to transit between the terminals, but terminal 4 and its satellite are functionally lackluster in my opinion. The lines and walks are long everywhere you go. Transiting from the primary terminal to the satellite is a pain. After several elevator rides and several ramps, you traverse a crowded security checkpoint with the most impersonal agents I have experienced. Its then another train ride and one long walk through a long, straight terminal to your gate, unless you are lucky and have one of the near gates. Signage is inadequate in the satellite terminal as are seats. If its a busy time of the day, many will be forced to sit on the floor or along a wall. They are also poor when it comes to announcements. I once had 2 completely unannounced gate changes in the matter of 30 minutes. The other terminals are dated looking, but more functional. Its not all bad, as its a decent looking airport and a good selection of restaurants and other services when you are waiting for a flight. To sum it up, its a small airport design stretched out for one of the worlds largest and it simply does not work.

MADRID BARAJAS AIRPORT customer review :  22 November 2010 by Z Vanek   (Czech Republic)

Customer Rating :  1/5

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Used Terminal 1. This arport has lack of good management, particularly for security checks. Passengers have to put their hand baggage and metal things in plastic trays and carry them to the security check. The security staff do not speak English and are rude to passengers. Without any reason, passangers frisked by the security staff in front of all other passengers. The terminal looks shabby and old-fashioned. Almost no seats at gates so passengers have to stand the whole time. No announcements, frequent changes of gates so need to watch carefully screens. Overpriced food and drinks in restaurants within the terminal, no free Wi-Fi available.