Madrid:17 yr old transferring planes

I'm just about done finding the flights for my 17 year olds trip to Spain. She will be staying with a family in Almeria. She arrives in Madrid at 8:15 a.m. I've gone to Iberia.com and find 2 flights to choose from to Almaria that same morning. One is at 10:10 a.m. and the next is at 1:50 p.m. We think the 10:10 will not give her enough time to claim her bags and get checked in at Iberia. What is your opinion? Is 2 hours plenty of time or should we schedule the 1:05pm flight? Also, this is for travel in June. When should I actually make a reservation? Thanks!

She has to pass through Immigration and Customs. Customs won't probably take much time or even nothing, but the Immigration queues depend on how many flights arrive simultaneously. She will have to change terminals, too. She will arrive at T1 and has to go to T2. It's just a 10 minutes walk, but it's time you have to add. And, finally, in my experience, delays in transatlantic flights are not uncommon. If I were you, I would take the 1:05pm one.

concernedmom writes: Many TransAtlantic flights arrive about that time so, as Torrales said, there may be some pretty long queues for Immigration. But, depending on winds aloft, there's more probability of arriving early than late. Usually it takes me about an hour from deplaning to when I exit the Arrivals Hall with my luggage.

Here's something you might consider: Make a firm reservation for the 1:50 PM flight; then, if she arrives at the Iberia domestic check-in before the 10:10 flight has closed, ask if she may fly standby.

For June travel, you should be shopping around now!

I don't know how confusing could be the airport for an 17 years old, but I think 2 hours should be enough. Luggage arrives at the same time you pass the passport control, and maybe it's possible to check it straight to Almeria, I don't know. I think I've never waited more than 40 minutes to be on the street. I also think that if the plane is late and you loose the connection, there's no problem and they get you in the next avalaible plane, the delayed company has the responsability.
I'ld check the luggage straight to Almeria taking with me as handbag the things I could need in case the luggage doesn't arrives with me, and I'ld take the 10:10 plane, waiting 5 hours in the airport after a intercontinental trip could be very very tired.

The Delta fare went up $50.00 today, so I went ahead and booked her trip. Should I reserve her Iberia flights now for June domestic travel? I'm thinking of taking a chance with the earlier flight to Almeria and hoping she can get on the later flight if she doesn't make it. Thanks!

I don't think it will be possible to check through the baggage from the US to Almeria, because the international and the domestic legs are done with different companies that even belong to different alliances (Delta is Star, Iberia is OneWorld).

As Eddie says, she can try to board the earlier flight at the check-in counter if she is on time. Iberia will have no problem if they have room in the morning plane, as they will have three more hours to try to sell the place she leaves in the afternoon flight. And it is always easier to change a flight for an earlier one than for a later one, unless you buy a full fare. If the Delta flight arrives late, it would be Delta's responsibility to put her in anoter flight to her destination but, what if the flight arrives, say, only 45 minutes in advance of the 10:10 to Almeria and she loses it due to queueing at immigration? Delta can say that she had time enough and that her loss was not due to them.

Booking the later flight, the worst case would be that she had 3-4 hours to stretch her legs after a long flight in a place with shops and cafes. Not too bad, in my opinion.

Thanks Torrales - good information and advice.

Like others have said before, Id book the later flight. Theres a good chance her first flight could be late, and why take the chance.

On checking luggage all the way through...if her first flight is not with IBERIA, even if they say its an option, I wouldnt do it, just leaves a bigger chance for it to get lost. When my friend came to visit me last year in Granada, she flew American to Madrid, then IBERIA to granada, and checked her luggage all the way through to Granada. When I picked her up at the airport, they had lost the luggage.

The flight transfer shouldnt be too bad, especially if shes not pressed for time and doesnt have to worry about missing her next flight. Something else to keep in mind, the gate for her IBERIA flight likely wont be on her ticket, it will be posted (normally in my experince anywhere from an hour to 30 minutes prior to boarding), on the boards in the terminal. Shes arriving early, so should have plenty of time to check.

Ive waited in line for up to an hour before to get through customs. Remind her to be sure and get in the line for non-europeans, as not to confuse EU (European union) for Estados Unidos as I did on my first trip to spain as a naive freshmen in college After going through customs, instead of walking between the 2 terminals, there is normally a bus.

Kelly

Thanks Kelly and everyone. I've changed my mind again and will book the later flight. Is Iberia.com fine to book from directly?

The 'Checking luggage thru to Almeria' may not be an option, even without a change of airline. Not all airports in Spain are International Ports of Entry even though flights from other EU Countries arrive/depart there. If Almeria is not an International Airport (i.e., with Immigration & Customs) she may have to clear both on arrival in Madrid when she enters the EU.

Sometimes this is not strictly enforced: Once I arrived in Madrid on SpanAir from Dulles, with a connection on SpanAir to Santiago de Compostela. SpanAir checked my baggage thru to Santiago. On arrival at Barajas I was routed to a closed passageway to the gate for my Santiago flight: there was a Passport Control (Immigration) Agent but no Customs. I expected to go thru Customs at Santiago but there was no Immigration or Customs there, either.

if you travel with the same airline all the way through you your final destination its not a problem to check it all the way through. I have flown Chicago-Madrid-Granada, all on IBERIA, checked the luggage all the way through, and it was not a problem. Granada isnt an international airport. I cleared customs in Madrid, then boarded a domestic IBERIA flight, and didnt see my luggage until I landed in Granada. No problems.

Hi concernedmom:

When I went to Madrid I arrived at 8:15 a.m. (Delta from Atlanta). I scheduled an Iberia flight to Lisbon at 1:05 p.m., and found that I had plenty of time to spare waiting for the flight. Immigration was a breeze for me . . . I'm guessing there was no real line because it was an early flight, and my bags came through surprisingly fast. (That may be an advantage.) I wouldn't think she would need to go through "Customs" as I think you mean here unless she is bringing some goods of some sort into the country. (That's an opinion, don't quote me!) But, you never can tell with any kind of immigration situation or if there will be luggage woes, so it is always good to budget for extra time just in case something happens!!

Good luck with the planning, and I hope she has a WONDERFUL time!!

Regarding iberia.com I have used the spanish version and is rather efficient. In fact talking e-commerce is by far the biggest online business operation of the country.

My teenage daughter is also having to transfer on her own this summerin Madrid. I took detailed fotos of the airport to 'walk' her through the stages. It is not difficult. If you want the specific details, email me.

Because of the risk of a lost bag, my daughter will not be checking a suitcase. We have been able to travel with just a carry-on and a book bag for trip as long as 6 weeks. She also takes an empty bag to fill with her new things and checks that bag coming home. If a bag is lost, it could delay her by an hour or so because she would need to complete the paperwork to locate the lost bag. It helps if she knows her frequent flyer number. For some reason, it gives extra benefits in luggage delivery.

If the tickets are not connected, the airlines does not have to honor the ticket if she misses her flight. She might have to buy a new ticket and forfeit the money spent on the previous ticket if her flight arrives late. The arriving airlines is also not liable if the tickets have been purchased separately.

I would buy the later flight and hope for the best.

The Madrid airport seemed to be just like every other major airport in the Western world - lots of shops, cafes, etc., etc.
Burning a few hours there would be a breeze for a young kid.
Find the departure gate, time the ride or walk walk and then go explore, or call home.

Definately go for the later flight, unless you like "Terminal anxiety".