I was reading on this board about how plane travel from Madrid to Barcelona is
faster and not much more money than train travel.

Well, I am wondering what about one-way travel from Madrid to another country (for example, Florence, Italy or Paris, France)?

The reason I thought train travel was better for casual tourists/travelers is because some of us like to keep our schedules and can't buy plane tickets weeks in advance.

Here in the US, it is MUCH more expensive to buy a ticket the same day you want to travel. Is this different in Spain?

I went to the Iberia website to view prices, but they varied widely based on some codes - but I didn't know what the codes meant.

You won't often find good deals on one-way tickets. Most offers are only round trip. Anyway, you may find special youth / student one-way fares.

What I said above, applies to both domestic and international flights. As for Florence (Italy), there aren't direct flights from Madrid so you'll probably find cheaper tickets if you fly to Rome or Milan.

It's always better and often cheaper if you can buy your tickets far in advance. For instance, you can get incredible low fares with easyJet if you book one or two months in advance.

And, as for Iberia website, those codes are the aiport codes. For instance, the code for Madrid is "MAD". Anyway, if you type the full name, the system will show you the matching cities and you just have to choose the right one.

(BTW, Iberia is currently the cheapest airline for domestic flights in Spain).

Regards,

Antonio

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