Great. thank you. You're nice.

I saw a note on the bus website that said Luggage is only permitted on the bus as long as it is no bigger than carry on luggage. DO you think they enforce that?

Ok, I am confused. I am still not sure why we are giving up on the Metro. Per my last post...
"How about metro all the way by going Barajas to Mar de Cristal then catch line 4 to say...Avda.de Americas and then continue...to wherever Madrid centro Sol etc?"

Is this not feasable, easy, cheap?

If you are flying into the new terminal T4, the best way to get into the city is on the 204 bus to the Avenida de America metro stop or a cab. This is faster than taking a shuttle bus to the old terminal and getting on the metro, transferring, etc. I've never had a problem with luggage on the buses. They have never been crowded when I have taken them.

There is only one stop on the way to Avenida de America--Canillejas--you can get off there to get on the 5 line, but you will have to walk over an overpass to get to the metro stop. It's easier to use Canillejas coming from Madrid and going to Barajas.

No, they don't, unless the bus is crowded. This rule really applies to all the other lines in the Madrid bus system, but in the case of the airport lines, the drivers are much more understanding.

Of course, you can do, and it is the cheapest way. But it involves a couple of line transfers. All the new stations in Madrid (and many of the old ones that are being refurbished) have elevators that will help you out with the luggage when transferring. Aeropuerto and Mar de Cristal are two of those, Avenida de America isn't, just escalators. For many people, pulling a big suitcase can be a hassle. It is a matter of personal choice.

The replies are much appreciated. I will take the bus.

re: giving up on the metro. yes. I won't want to use the metro because I really don't want to change lines a million times and haul my luggage up and down 50 million escalators. So yes. I've never even been there and I'm giving up on the metro as a means of transport from the airport. The bus sounds like much less of a hassle.

This thread is a good warning. The attraction of having a direct and inexpensive Metro option to and from the airport will disappear until September. Unless you are going or coming from Mar de Cristal, you will need to transfer at least once, if not twice, or even three times to get to your final destination. Add on the wait times (imagine just missing your connection two times in a row!), and the hassle of transiting the different stations (long walks, up and down stairs, etc.) Take the less convenient and more expensive 200 and 204 buses. I can't believe the city decided to do this work at the height of the summer travel season! I'm afraid gone are the days when I could get from my home to the departure gate in a little over half an hour.

I took the metro from sol line 2 to principe de vegera then line 9 to columbia and then onto line 8aeropuerto this was june 2 and there were no problems . I think there is work at station on line 3. this took a half hour
tickets are 6.15 euro for 10 rides good deal.

I need to get to Hostal Acapulco on c/ Salud 13, near plaza del Carmen, on tuesday so I figured I would take the 204 to Av. de America, then line 4 to Alonso Martinez & from there line 5 to Gran Via.
Does that seem ok? Is there a transfer from the 204 to the metro or is it a different system?
Btw, we have only a small bag each (carry on)

Hola everyone, As a reply to breibach, and an update...yes your idea of switching trains at Mar de Cristal to or from line 4 is a good option and is a convenient way to get into the city since if you came by bus (which is an ok option too) you probably would still have to get on the metro at Av. America to get to your hotel anyway.
I just took the bus they have between M on Wednesday June 7th and it was very easy and well marked (look for the busses with the letters "SE" , they come quite often, for me there was no line going from Colombia out but there was a line at Mar de Cristal, but with two busses coming at once sometimes its pretty quick. The trip itself is not fast as the metro of course but ok if you need to go that direction. I would opt to just transfer at Mar de Cristal to the Metro line 4 to go into the city.
J.