MADRID BARAJAS AIRPORT review : 3 July 2008 : by N Barnsley
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Customer Rating : 4/5 |  |
Terminal One. Through check-in, passport control and security in no time and everyone very polite
and efficient. Same on the return - only marred by a long, long wait for bags to come through; which
is unusual at T1. The terminal is in the process of being refurbished and it's looking good. There
are now more catering outlets airside, offering a much improved - and reasonably priced - selection
of hot and cold food and drinks. Good to see that there are still plenty of seating areas and just
enough retail outlets for those who want to shop. UK airports please take note!
MADRID BARAJAS AIRPORT review : 28 June 2008 : by L Eames
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Customer Rating : 4/5 |  |
I like T4, but it is huge, almost a kilometre from one end to the other. If your plane docks at one
end, it's a 15 min walk to the baggage collection area. In the centre there is a selection of shops
and cafes. Try to avoid flying into T4 and out of any of the other terminals, as it is a ten minute
bus journey between (buses every 15 mins). Even with only hand luggage, it took 45 mins to get to
the gate of T1 from T4. If you are flying out of T1,2 or 3, it would be quicker to use Spanair
rather than Iberia, as they dock at T2. For a busy airport, it doesn't have the frenetic crush of Heathrow.
Madrid Barajas Airport review by A Macarron
17 June 2008 Customer Rating : 
I think T4 is an impressive terminal, one that Madrid should be proud of. However, baggage delivery
is still a major problem that AENA, the airport authority, has not managed to solve. Yesterday I
arrived to MAD T4 from TXL. The Iberia A320 was parked at a gate that was literally 3 minutes away
from the baggage claim area. But we had to wait for 50 minutes for our suitcase to be delivered!!!
This is just not acceptable and it happens all the time. Conclusion: for my next trip I will look
for airlines that use T1, T2 or T3. Sorry for Iberia!
Madrid Barajas Airport review by Julian Berg
28 May 2008 Customer Rating : 
The new terminal 4 is a beautiful disaster. Just from getting off the plane to leaving the airport
now takes 40 mins extra. I now always use terminals 1-3.
Madrid Barajas Airport review by Michael Fadjar
5 May 2008 Customer Rating : 
This is a Heaven compared to Frankfurt! True, terminal 1-3 have seen better days but they, along
with the immaculate T4, do the basic job what any airport must do: efficient immigration, efficient
custom and efficient security check. I have used this airport perhaps a dozen times for the past 1
year and surprisingly I find it a lot cleaner, quieter and better managed than other major European
airports. Luggage in T4 could take a bit long to collect.
Madrid Barajas Airport review by Malcolm Smith
26 March 2008 Customer Rating : 
If you are connecting at T4s and expect to get something to eat then good luck. There is a burger
place and a tapas bar and that's it. Beautiful building, nice shops but it's all style and no
content.
Madrid Barajas Airport review by B Smith
23 March 2008 Customer Rating : 
The quality of the Barajas Experience is almost entirely down to which terminal you end up using.
Most of T1 is old and a bit tired but generally fairly quick to get in and out of, although buses
are quite often used from departure gates. Beware that catering is minimal, expensive and very poor
quality. There's a lot of refurbishment going on, but it's mostly to the shopping areas, it seems.
It's a long walk to/from the metro stop, and the taxi rank tends to be a chaotic free for all.
T2/3 for domestic and some European flights is very easy to use, usually with very efficient
security checks and short waits for baggage reclaim. Again, catering is a right mess, with nothing
you'd want to try unless you were desperate. Metro is right outside, taxi rank reasonably organised.
T4 is enormous and generally efficient in terms of security and passport control (one trick for EU
passport holders is to go for any available desk at the control in T4S and not wait for the EU only
ones). Information is at a premium (there were apparently no clocks at all when the place opened),
with sparse TV monitors - especially in T4S where, perhaps cleverly, they are in the cafes!
Most frustrating is arrival with, as a rule, a 45-minute wait for luggage at reclaim (and keep your
eye out at the top of the escalator for the only set of monitors showing which carousel to go to!
Taxi pick-up here is the complete opposite of T1, with marshalls generally keeping things in pretty
strict order. It's notable that in general Barajas has almost no high street franchise restaurants
(a couple, including a Starbucks, have now crept into T4). Anyone flying out from T1 before 7am
should not expect anything to be open at all - and T4 is not much better.
Madrid Barajas Airport review by R Lopez
22 March 2008 Customer Rating : 
Nothing ever has gone wrong with my luggage. Barajas has 2 cheap and clean metro stations (one in T2
and one in T4) that links in like 15 minutes with the city centre. It is true that T4 is huge, and
T4S is also very big, and time needed to reach a boarding gate may be also big but, that's why only
long-haul flights are boarded using T4S. I might agree with some posters about the pricey food, and
the insufficient amount of restaurants. About immigration booths being understaffed, New York or
London is much worse.
Madrid Barajas Airport review by William Temmler
8 January 2008 Customer Rating : 
If you have to connect from terminal 4 to 4S and have less than 90 minutes flight connection time,
good luck and get your running shoes on! Iberia flight from Chicago arrived at the end gate on
terminal 4, using escalators and stairs got to security gate where there was a massive back-up -
only one screening station open, people cutting lines, lots of verbal insults (in numerous
languages); once thru security had to take train to terminal 4S. Again using elevators and stairs
and finding gate for connecting flight - a nightmare. Iberia terminals may be modern but it's left
a bad impression for me. Return flight with connection really not any better. Suggestion - avoid
Madrid if you have to connect from USA, South America, or Africa, to another European country!
Madrid Barajas Airport review by J Threasher
5 January 2008 Customer Rating : 
Terminals 4 and 4S a big improvement on old terminals. I like the architecture and the signage is
excellent. However, for some reason they appear reluctant to call boarding of flights on the tannoy
through the airport, relying on the departure boards apparently. I looked at the departures board
from the Iberia VIP lounge (they don't announce it there either, even though all other Business
Lounges inform you of boarding) and it said now boarding. Knowing that Iberia are disorganised and
always late, I took my time to set off. By the time I got outside the lounge, the board said Last
Call. So I had to run like the wind to get to the gate and was one of the last to board. Only other
complaint is that transferring in Madrid from London to Guatemala City, we arrived in Terminal 4 and
instead of walking through terminal to transfer train to 4S, we had to get off the back of plane and
onto a bus (took 20 minutes to get to terminal 4S) and into an immobile security queue. Having taken
the terminal and train route on the way home, I could have done it much quicker than the bus and
without the chaos that this decision caused on the plane. I wonder how many of my fellow travellers
missed their connection. I fortunately did not miss it this time.
Madrid Barajas Airport review by N Barnsley
12 December 2007 Customer Rating : 
Madrid T4. Checked in online and with only hand baggage we went straight through to security which
was swift, courteous and efficient. It was 5.30am and as our flight to Brussels wasn't boarding till
6.15 we decided to have some breakfast, but, unfortunately, it seems that none of T4's catering
outlets open till 6.10am, despite the terminal being quite busy at this time. We did manage to slurp
down a quick coffee just before boarding, but I think Barajas is letting itself and it's customers
down very badly here.
Madrid Barajas Airport review by A Elbaloula
9 December 2007 Customer Rating : 
There is no room for comparison between T1 and T4. T1 really needs some refurbishment, the walls
were dirty, there was a quite strong smell of detergent and the airport ceiling plus infrastructure
were quite exhausted. T4 is gigantic yet colourful but a little confusing. Make sure you follow the
signs carefully or else you can get lost. The little underground transfer train that takes you from
part of the terminal to the other is quite worth the ride and very rapid too.
Madrid Barajas Airport review by Paul Turner
30 November 2007 Customer Rating : 
Passage through Terminal 1 on arrival was quick and easy. On departure, security took about 5
minutes but be warned that at 05.30am, there are no facilities open airside at all. The only cafe
open was before passing through security and literally hundreds of people were wandering around
trying to get a cup of coffee but to no avail. I find it incredible that a flagship airport serving
a major capital city can operate without a single facility being open airside at a time when flights
are operating.
Madrid Barajas Airport review by Rodrigo Revilla
9 November 2007 Customer Rating : 
I flew to Madrid to connect a flight to Johannesburg, all flights with Iberia from Mexico City. When I
arrived to the famous T4, I was confused. T4 is architecturally very nice, but is totally confusing.
The shops were boring, were very repeated. Overall, T4 is very boring, specially if you are waiting
for a long time transit. But, staff were very nice and efficient.
Madrid Barajas Airport review by M Brangan
29 October 2007 Customer Rating : 
I used Madrid Barajas to transfer from a North Tenerife Iberia flight to an Iberia flight bound for
Dublin. Arriving in T4 Satellite I found my way to the train, which took five minutes to get to the
main T4 building, where I negotiated an endless array of moving staircases and walkways to arrive at
Gate H33, at the extreme end of the building. I had just 1 hr 15 mins for the connection, but when I
saw the boarding gate showing a delay I was actually relieved to have time to use the WC and get a
glass of orange. To my horror the flight boarded on time, and the gate was closed when I got there.
The boarding gate staff gave out stink to me for delaying the flight, and said I probably wouldn't get
on. Iberia attendants allowed me to board and were pleasant and understanding. I think T4 is far too
vast a place, although the signage is quite good. I would never want to make such a transit again if
at all possible. On the plus side the airport is very clean.
Madrid Barajas Airport review by Jason Burnie
11 October 2007 Customer Rating : 
The new Terminal 4 is clean and nicely decorated. Full of shops and cafes. The interior is somehow
similar to Bkk Suvarnabhumi, eg. unpainted pillars, transparent/glass roof, lighting style. Ironically
it's similar to Bkk in terms of insufficient lighting at the gate area! The signage was clear and easy
to navigate through. However, it's still lack of airlines lounge, though this terminal only serves
Iberia and Oneworld but the number of lounges is still insufficient.
Madrid Barajas Airport review by Giacomo Gramazio
11 September 2007 Customer Rating : 
I must say that the new T4 is perfect in almost every aspect: it's clean, there are nice shops and
good services (though prices are rather high), fast baggage delivery and there is an underground stop
which connects it to the center of the town! A really good impression for anyone arriving to Madrid.
On the other side, on departing is a bit more disappointing. First of all, almost nobody speaks
English, there are neither designed gates for departure, nor audio announcements. There are only one
or three letters referring to the departure area on your boarding pass, and the exact gate is
communicated on LCD monitors, where the destinations and the numbers of the flights are written in
small letters. It took me half an hour to understand this. Nevertheless, a beautiful airport.
Madrid Barajas Airport review by N Barnsley
25 August 2007 Customer Rating : 
Terminal 4. In so many ways Madrid's T4 is streets ahead of it's main European rivals, but whenever I
pass through there always seems to be something to let it down. On this occasion, the complete
shambles at passport control: only six out of twenty- odd booths were manned by very leisurely
officials; this was peak time with several long haul flights departing and hundreds of passengers
packed into a relatively small space in the satellite terminal - for almost an hour in my case. Many
passengers with tight deadlines were, understandably, fraught. The response, rather than open more
positions, was to bring in security guards to deal with the "troublemakers"!
Madrid Barajas Airport review by Simon Smith
7 August 2007 Customer Rating : 
I use Madrid airport about once a month (usually T1). It’s a bit run down and not a good place to be
stuck for very long. The main advantage of using T1 over T4 is that it is nearer to the city and is
much smaller so you usually don’t have to walk far. The selection of shops is very strange – there are
several duty free shops selling identical (and quite expensive) stuff and a number of luxury boutiques
that always seem to be empty; but if you want to buy anything practical that a traveller might
actually need, forget it - even to buy a newspaper usually means a very long queue at the one tiny
airside outlet. Options for food/drink are also poor: there are several outlets with different
branding, but they all seem to sell the same things at the same price (though it is cheaper than at
some other European airports); also, they don't seem very clean. Security clearance on departure is
usually quick, at least compared to London airports, but immigration control on arrival can be slow –
they have a bizarre new system which seems to require EU nationals to wait longer than anyone else.
Madrid Barajas Airport review by Riccardo Cerutti
2 August 2007 Customer Rating : 
Barajas is one of the best airports I've ever been. Check in was very
fast, a big choice of shops, restaurants and bars, very nice
architecture (Terminal 4) and is just 10 minutes from Madrid. Staff is
very nice and efficient.
Madrid Barajas Airport review by E Muñoz
23 July 2007 Customer Rating : 
I live in Madrid and find the airport a disgrace to the city! No matter
which terminal you arrive in the staff are rude and the bags take ages
to arrive on the carousel. I assumed with the new terminal 4, the one
everybody raved about, things would improve. It seems to take forever to
get to the area where you collect your luggage, especially if you arrive
on a flight from the UK as they seem to park these aircraft way out in
the airfield! If you're only staying in Madrid for a short while, I
recommend packing lightly and taking just the one small suitcase or
holdall on as hand luggage. I've flown in and out Barajas 5 times since
January (into terminal 2 twice and terminal 4 three times) and 3 of
these times my bags have been lost! Now I don't know if I should blame
Aena, or the airline itself. But I do know that trying to get through to
anybody at the airport about missing bags is virtually impossible. They
still have not recovered, or not bothered to tell me if they have, my
lost suitcase from my most recent trip, in June. I'm sure there are some
good aspects of Madrid airport, unfortunately I have yet to experience
them!
Madrid Barajas Airport review by Ian MacDonald
15 July 2007 Customer Rating : 
Every time I use this airport something goes wrong! I hate the place but
I have to use it regularly as I live in Spain. Never try to connect from
a One World (Iberia, Qantas etc.,) airline to Star Alliance (Lufthansa,
Thai etc) flight. It will take at least 3-4 hours to do so. Firstly,
Iberia staff refuse to check any luggage through to your final
destination if it´s not on one ticket. They say it´s not possible. This
means coming in to the new Terminal 4 and a train ride for ages just to
pick up your bags which will take between 60-90 minutes to arrive (as
they also have to be transported by train from the T4 terminal which has
no collection point at all! This done, try your luck at getting on a
shuttle bus. When the bus is at least 150% full it might start - but
most likely you will have a lovely 15 minute wait. Arriving at Terminal
one for example, you might find you have a further 15 minute walk to get
to your overcrowded check-in desk. From here it´s only another 20 minute
walk to the gate so you´ve almost made it! I swore never to connect this
way again and now use only Spanair, a Star Alliance Partner of Thai
Airways with whom I fly to Asia with on Business about 5-6 times a year.
Better?? I have tried 5 times this year already and every time my bags
have got lost thanks to AENA and Spanair. I have waited for anything
from 3-10 days and on the last trip the case still has not arrived! To
top it all- no messages are answered from the airport Lost & Found
department. Thai sent 12 messages in one week to try and locate my
wife´s case - no reply!
Madrid Barajas Airport review by David Williams
14 May 2007 Customer Rating : 
Flew in and out on BA recently and found T4 and T4S hugely
disappointing. The wavy wooden ceilings look good inside, but from the
outside the buildings look like warehouses. Deplaning at T4S has clearly
been thought out by someone who has never actually used a plane. Instead
of heading as quickly as possible to immigration/luggage you are
directed up a long ramp, across acres of floor space, down another ramp,
then down a series of escalators for the train connection to T4. It
feels like you’ve walked half way to Madrid and you are still a train
ride away from your bags. At the carousel three screens were showing the
same half a dozen flights. When – after a long wait – two of them
clanked into action, there was no way of knowing which bags were coming
off which, necessitating frequent dashing back and forth. Add to this
poor signage, dull, expensive shopping outlets, and a desolate, ‘glass
canyon’ feel and you’ve got an over hyped mediocrity. I admire much of
Richard Rogers’ other work, but this a public building which has been
designed to show off its architect’s skills, not do its job properly.
Madrid Barajas Airport review by Jack Sheldon
10 May 2007 Customer Rating : 
Unlike many other readers, I rather like MAD. True I use it principally
for transfers on IB flights so tend to use just T4S, but transfering in
T4S to T4S is very simple and quick. The space means that you don't have
the crowded feeling of most other European hubs (CDG, LHR notably) and
the IB lounge is very pleasant.
Madrid Barajas Airport review by N Barnsley
8 May 2007 Customer Rating : 
Terminal 2. Much easier to use since T4 opened and passenger throughput
subsequently dropped. Security and passport control are fast, courteous
and efficient, bags come through quite quickly, but check-in is chaotic:
single file queues - with lots of pushing - rather than communal snakes
feeding into available desks. Limited and overpriced catering outlets,
out of order ATMs and unstaffed currency exchange desks could all be
improved upon, but the staff are friendly and the terminal, along with
the other three at Barajas, is exceptionally clean and well maintained.
Madrid Barajas Airport review by Dan Binder
8 May 2007 Customer Rating : 
I travelled between London and Madrid on Iberia and BA, so I used
Terminal 4S. I very much liked the modern, open design. Amenities were
good, I found prices to be reasonable, and everything was navigable and
well-marked. There was a bit of walking involved, but no more than I've
had to do at DFW, Heathrow, and other major airports. I was there before
the metro went to T4, so I had to take the bus to the old terminal
complex to pick up the train. On my walk through the buildings, I was
not impressed with the appearance there. It seems pretty clear that the
city spent all the money on building the new terminal and basically left
the old ones as they were. I can understand why Spanair resented being
blocked access to the new terminal.
Madrid Barajas Airport review by Esteban Ruiz
5 May 2007 Customer Rating : 
Today has been finally opened Terminal 4 Metro sation. Transfers from T4
to old T1-T2-T3 to access the underground system are no longer needed .
Price is 2 €.
Madrid Barajas Airport review by Daniel Katz
24 March 2007 Customer Rating : 
Used Terminal 2 for CPH at Madrid Barajas, and my experience is
negative. The terminal is dark, lacking shopping opportunities, and the
food available is horribly expensive. I know CPH is not cheap, but for
€4 you will get a whole lot more in CPH, than a small dry bocadillo with
humble pieces of chorizo or tortilla, a can of cola from a automat will
set you back at €2,5, which is more expensive than on a no-frills plane!
Madrid Barajas Airport review by J Bowen
24 March 2007 Customer Rating : 
I have used this airport several times during the last years, and it has
improved a lot, although there are big differences between terminals.
Terminal 1 is the oldest and one of the biggest. It is easy to use,
clean and handy. Before the T4 opened, it was quite overcrowded, but
this problem no longer exists. It has many facilities and the walls are
covered by marble. Terminal 2, the worst one. Small, boring and old-
fashioned. The biggest pro is that it's very close to the subway.
Terminal 3. I've never used it, but I think that the living room of my
house is bigger. Only one or two small airlines operate there. Terminals
4 and 4S. Very modern, huge and impressive. Designed by the British
architect Richard Rogers, it's a model of what a XXI century airport
should look like. The only con is the long time that sometimes takes to
collect your luggage.
Madrid Barajas Airport review by Len Kneppers
7 March 2007 Customer Rating : 
Barajas in Madrid is really one of the worst places to wait for your
flight. I stayed last weekend in terminal 2 to get my flight to
Amsterdam. NO restaurants, ALL shops closed at 8 pm, one lousy, dirty,
humid, hot place to get an expensive drink. I recommend everyone to
avoid Barajas.
Madrid Barajas Airport review by Esperanza Muñoz
7 March 2007 Customer Rating : 
Use the airport frequently, mainly to fly to the UK and other parts of
Europe, so I use the new terminal (4/4S). The staff at check in are
often rude and obviously not interested in helping, usually busy having
their own conversations. However, the staff in the shops and at the
information desks are always friendly and happy to help. I do find the
design of the new terminal a little impersonal, it seems so big and they
could add a few extra restaurants or shops due to the enormous amount of
space! The thing that gets me most about Barajas is the flight
information screens. The gate number doesn't generally appear until not
long before you're due to board, which can get confusing, especially if
the gate is nowhere near to where you are. Expect to wait a long time
for luggage when you arrive, God only knows what the baggage handlers do
in the time it takes to get from the aircraft, through immigration and
then onto the baggage claim areas. Madrid Barajas is not a bad airport,
but it's not worth the hype it receives in my opinion.
Madrid Barajas Airport review by Peter Styles
7 March 2007 Customer Rating : 
Did someone get the scale wrong on the drawings as there are acres
(Hectares perhaps) of totally wasted space, especially around the
escalators? Incoming from Manchester the luggage took 30 minutes even
though there appeared to be only one other flight. Heaven help you when
it gets busy. The walk, as others have mentioned would be almost
impossible if you were in poor health; although I guess you could miss
the gym out for a week if you had done it. There is no information to
tell you that you have to get the bus to terminal 2 to get the Metro (2
changes into the centre) and so we chickened out and got a taxi.
Outgoing, until you know your gate which wasn't until about 20 minutes
before scheduled takeoff, there isn't anywhere to sit apart from
Starbucks in Area S and they were shutting and so booted everyone off
their seats. A triumph of form over function!! I guess if you are an
architect it feeds your already monstrous ego to build something that
futuristic and that gigantic but as a passenger it felt impersonal and
unwelcoming.
Madrid Barajas Airport review by Nicholas Gorton
7 March 2007 Customer Rating : 
Transferring from Uk flights to intl flights via the old terminal is
horrendous. Airport clean but not enough seating at gates. Luggage
transfer is a disgrace - no luggage arrived in EZE after leaving Madrid
with 1.5 hour connection time, it affected 100 fellow passengers, the
same on the return journey however only 12 passenger at LGW without
luggage from the same flight.
Madrid Barajas Airport review by Jack Sheldon
1 March 2007 Customer Rating : 
I have travelled through Terminal 4 and 4S several times, most recently
last week, which included connexions between T4 and T4S. I rather like
the airport, find the signage perfectly clear. Its certainly leagues
easier to use than LHR or CDG for example and the trains between T4 and
T4S function frequently and reliably. It's magnitudes easier than trying
to make connexions between T1 and T4 and LHR and infinitely faster.
Everything seemed clean and I didn't see anything that was broken. The
two minor downsides - as other correspondents have noted fairly long
walking distances, though there are moving walkways (which seem to
work!!) in most areas. The areas around the gates are a bit cramped,
meaning passengers queuing to board don't have anywhere obvious to line up.
Madrid Barajas Airport review by Mike Preston
26 February 2007 Customer Rating : n/a
Why are the new terminals 4 and 4S so huge, and so far from the other
terminals and the metro? Also the access by road is circuitous making a
taxi ride expensive (€25 to Parque de las Avenidas, which is on the same
side of the city as the airport, nearly €30 to Chamartin). Apart from
this and the long walks, I found the new terminal too monolithic and
vast, an echoing cavern, rather eerie, but the facilities good, and what
I liked most was how wonderfully clean everything is compared to many
other airports. The shops and catering facilites are good and
reasonably priced. For some reason though the people who work at the
airport, particularly the airline staff, seem to be sullen and unhelpful
- a contrast to the normal warmth of the Spanish.
Madrid Barajas Airport review by Jim Bennett
19 February 2007 Customer Rating : n/a
I have passed through the new T4 four times since it opened and it is a
disgrace. The first time, we were directed to go back to T3, just to be
told that we should still be in T4. Signage is confusing and haphazard.
The walks from the plane to passport to the train to baggage had to be
close to a mile. Baggage (finally) came down two different carousels.
We were just there 10 days after the recent bombing. They had to
relocate the rental car counters, but the only signs indicating the new
location were all directed toward the incoming passengers, not the
people who had just returned a car. I pointed that out, but was met with
total indifference. I couldn't even find the Iberia lounge without
asking twice. Stay away if you have a choice.
Madrid Barajas Airport review by Nigel Barnsley
15 December 2006
Passed through T4 again recently and a much better experience than a few
weeks ago. Outbound, the security check which had been a nightmare was
efficient and well organised. Info screens were all working and lots of
approachable, green uniformed ground staff about . Wasn't happy about
being charged 4.65 euros for a glass of average house wine which would
sell for less than 2 euros in most central Madrid bars; especially as
drink prices at the other Barajas terminals are usually reasonable.
Arriving back, 7 out of 22 passport controls were open with separate EU
and non EU channels, so definitely speedier, but obviously room for
improvement. Wait for bags down to a respectable ten minutes. And full
credit for the fantastic organisation of the queuing and pick up system
at the taxi rank outside the terminal.
Madrid Barajas Airport review by N Barnsley
30 November 2006
Passing through T1 at Barajas used to feel like entering a time warp:
it can't have changed much since the seventies; but now, next to T4's
vast austerity it feels cosy and welcoming. I've passed through both
terminals in the last month and T4, despite its impressive design, has a
lot of catching up to do: on my outbound journey there was chaos at the
security check and most of the information screens weren't working.
Inbound, only two out of ten passport controls were open, despite
passengers from several flights passing through at the same time. And
there are no separate channels for EU and non-EU passport holders. The
forty minute wait for luggage was on parr with my previous experiences
here. T1 by comparison was positively slick, minimum wait at both
security and passport control and procedures carried out with friendly
efficiency. On my return, the luggage was already on the belt as
passengers were coming through passport control. Of course, the layout
at this terminal means that the distances from check-in to gate/gate to
baggage reclaim are among the shortest of any major airport and this
obviously speeds things up. But to have such disparity between
terminals can't be good.
Madrid Barajas Airport review by Den Herraghty
30 November 2006
First time in MAD (in transit from PMI)and won't be using it again. T1/2
or A/B (depending on whom you asked) was a throwback to the sixties.
None of the information desks/airline desks were manned, shops and
catering facilities closed - this on a busy Sunday afternoon - a late
gate change and an overall dingy appearance did little to ensure that I
would use this airport again. Business Class lounge the only bright
spot.
Madrid Barajas Airport review by Johan Vranken
27 November 2006
Arriving in MAD terminal 4 on November 24th and going out on the 26th.
Everything went very well. This terminal is big, nice and clean.
Baggage arrived in no time and busses to terminal 2, where one can take
the subway to the city center, run very often. On the way back check in
at SN Brussels Airlines counter took only 3 minutes.
Madrid Barajas Airport review by John Oram
15 November 2006
First impression on arrival at Madrid's T4 on my latest trip is that it
is pointlessly large. We had arrived at a quiet time in a quiet part of
this vast terminal. I did see it much busier elsewhere after we had
taken the transit and again on our departure. The gate numbers
(external) based on the ICAO requirements seem to indicate that half of
T4 is in fact a T5 - I wonder what the future plans are. Signage was not
good although the principal of 'time to gate' was sensible enough. There
is far too much up and down on escalators. In spite of the huge number
of gates provided by the new terminal there were still a lot of flights
being bussed. This I noticed happened to the BA LHR flight although my
LGW flight had got a gate. I am trying in these comments to pick up on
those made before. I can agree that information on where to board the
LHR flight which was obviously going to be bussed was poor so that
hasn't changed. Baggage handling was just about acceptable. Taxi
dispatch was very efficient.
Madrid Barajas Airport review by Hugh Thomas
15 November 2006
I have travelled to, from and via the 'old' MAD on several occasions,
and largely incident-free, though the infrequency of the buses between
the terminals and the pointless second security checks were occasionally
sources of stress when changing. This was my first trip via T4/T4S, and,
having read previous postings here and press reports of lost luggage, I
was a little apprehensive about it. Also, on a trip last April from LHR
to MAD T4 I had to wait 40 minutes for my luggage - not encouraging. I
am pleased to report that both changes, both of which involved going
from T4 to T4S, went as smoothly as could be expected, and I experienced
none of the problems mentioned here by others. In spite of 1-hour
30-minute connection times in each direction I reached both connecting
gates well on time and had plenty of time to look around the shops. On
arrival at MAD from LHR passports were checked at the arrival gate, so
there minimal waiting. Most importantly, my luggage arrived. Indeed,
such a painless experience was spoilt on arrival back at LHR, where we
had to wait 30 minutes for our luggage owing to "manpower shortages".
Madrid Barajas Airport review by C George
27 October 2006
A lot of Madrid residents - like me - now avoid using airlines which
operate from T4 and have migrated to the old terminals (T1-3) which are
now a pleasure to use as they are quiet and easy to use. Easyjet has
realised this and is making Madrid it's main southern Europe base. It
astonishes me that RIBA could have awarded T4 it's Stirling prize.
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