Madrid Barajas Airport

✅ Verified Review | Madrid Barajas Airport was surprisingly uncrowded at arrival time (2 September 11.45am). No documents control (arrived from Frankfurt), luggage fast on belt, than going directly to T2 Metro station. Corridors spotless clean, good signage, everything was perfect. We didn't need to use airport facilities, so no comment about it. In this situation, Barajas is the most welcoming airport I've ever seen.

This review is mainly for terminal 4. The airport is easy to access by car, bus and train. Between the terminal also running frequent buses. Check-in is easy and airport staff quite friendly. It is quite easy to find around. Security staff are friendly. After security there are some small places to buy drinks or food.

✅ Verified Review | I have been a business traveler for 20 years. I know what is permissible in hand luggage. The staff at security at Madrid Barajas confiscated a small pair of children's scissors from my hand luggage despite the blades shorter the permitted length and the edges rounded. For 10 years those scissors passed through countless airports in Europe, North and South America, Africa, Asia, even the Middle East. But no, for the overzealous staff at Terminal 2 Barajas they were deemed too dangerous. And don't get me started on the rude attitude. Avoid this airport like the plague. Shame on all of them for this appalling attitude.

✅ Verified Review | It's hard to imagine why someone designed an airport like this. From the moment we disembarked the plane this was the most confusing journey through a terminal that I've ever experienced. At no point did I see signage indicating either what terminal or what floor I was on. We wandered around for well over an hour trying to find our lounge. There was an interactive information screen with half the options blanked out. We approached a staff member for assistance and were very rudely told to consult the screen and that it wasn't her job to help. She refused to engage in conversation despite polite and desperate requests for help. We thankfully eventually encountered someone who some decency and sense of humanity. My boarding pass issued from Bilbao said Terminal 4 and boarding from HJK but upon consulting the information screens found we'd been moved to T4S. I've never once experienced an actual terminal change. Sure it was glossy and spacious, but with a tonne of empty gates, 2 flights worth of people joining us in that bizarre purgatory, only about 8 vending machines and not a single open cafe in 4S for sustenance I have no idea why someone felt it necessary to build a huge unused space. I am now highly anxious about our remaining flight to and from this awful airport.

One, if not the, most confusing airports there is. Arrived with 2 hour transit and information screens displayed that our next flight was due to depart from the satellite terminal. Absolutely no indication what this meant and when asking a membet of staff was told that "my job is not to provide information". Ended up following the flow of people, taking a subway train only then to find information which told us to go back on the train requiring us to pass through security again. Almost an hour wasted. You also walk through a latge duty free shopping area and are bombarded by staff. Its like a Turkish bazaar, but not pleasant. Food halls are also low on choice and expensive. Also dont try to speak english to any staff. You will get no-where. If you have alternatives avoid this place. (I am a frequent flyer taking 40+ flights a year over the past 20 years. This is the worst airport I have had the displeasure of visiting).

I recently had to use Madrid as a transit airport on a flight from Brussels to Banjul. I had read some information before I went, but not thorough. It was my opinion based on some 15 years of flying that all airports have a simple system of guiding you to where you should go - in most cases the check-in counters at the departure floor. Be aware that Madrid has some 4 terminals, with 1 sub-terminal (4S). Decent routing signs do not exist and staff are not present or unwilling to explain things properly to you. So you have to find out a lot yourself: the way to the shuttlebus, and once in terminal 4 the train to 4s (after check-in has been done in 4). Very, very confusing. When I returned from Banjul I thought that I understood how it works, but this time I could not find the check-in counters 400+. They are at a completely different location than 100-300. Luckily enough I had plenty of time for the transfer - count at least for 3-4 hours to get to your flight connection. Something else: in no airport in the world have I ever had the experience of having to pay for a baggage carrier. You already guess: in Madrid you have to buy a coin for 1 Euro to get one. A big nuisance.

The airport logistics are awful. We were due to transit to Madrid starting from Milan with final destination Lanzarote. Inbound and outband gates were miles away and information screens were light years away from gates as well. Our returning flight to Milan suddenly disappeared from the screen. No information from anyone for minutes. After a while, we discovered the flight was delayed one hour and more, gate moved elsewhere. Zero attention to customers rights, passengers treated like lemmings.

Large, clean airport - friendly staff. Great architecture - aesthetically pleasing. Seemed to have a good range of services even though did not access those. Wi-Fi was "pay for use". Difficult for people with disability not severe enough to request wheelchair. The current trend of big airport terminals with long stretches with satellite terminals like T4 of Madrid Bajaras (T5 of London Heathrow, Qatar airport, Dubai Airport etc.) is bad for people with back pain, arthritis etc. Great for young fit people, but can be difficult for family with small kids to manage, middle aged and elderly etc.

My first time in Madrid Airport. The airport is very clean and not too crowded. But I am travelling for work, and while waiting for boarding in terminal 4S, apart from the vending machines, there is a complete lack of service in terms of plugs or table. The Wi-Fi is complicated to use, and the free option very limited. Frustrating if you can't afford it.

The bathrooms at Madrid Barajas smell okay but not so clean. Terminal signs and directions are excellent, queuing times are good. Seats are not available for all passengers at the gate for large airplane or two boardings are held at the same time in two consecutive gates. WiFi for free for half an hour. Airport staff are rarely seen. Duty free shopping is good in terms of variety and staff. Coolers are next to bathroom for cold water.