Speedy Transfer between terminals at Madrid airport

[C-Team2]

Will 90 minutes be enough time to get between terminal one, passport control on the bus to terminal 4 and through security to the gate? I will not have to pick up luggage and will be pre checked in for my second flight.

 

[peregrina2000]

If all goes well, you'll have plenty of time. The bus from T1 to T4 takes about 20 minutes.

Going in direction T1 to T4, you want to be on the 1st Floor at the departures level.
(Going direction T4 to T1, you have to be on the Arrivals level, which is the Planta Baja, Lower level)

The bus runs every 5 minutes between 6:30 a.m. and 23:30.

From 23:30 - 1:50 a.m. it runs every 20 minutes; from 1:50 -6:30, every 40 minutes)

In my experience, going through Immigration in Barajas is usually pretty fast, but of course if several big flights all land at once you may get long lines.

Getting to your gate at T4 might be a long haul. But it's very well marked, with lots of indication about how much time it will take (though the times posted are very generous and you usually arrive in much less time than they indicate).

A tip -- The elevators in T4 are usually much quicker than the escalators because of the distances between upper and lower levels.

Buen camino! Laurie

 

[Anniesantiago]

Laurie, is this the Conda (movelia) bus or the ALSA?

I need to give my pilgrims instructions on catching the bus from Madrid Airport (T4) to Pamplona.
I found the movelia website has more buses listed and you can purchase the tickets online.

 

[LTfit]

Laurie is talking about the airport buses that run between the 4 terminals, they are free.

 

[jpflavin1]

Is it possible to walk between the terminals?

 

[LTfit]

You can easily walk between Terminals T1, T2 and T3 but need to take the free shuttle bus from any of these terminals to T4 (about 9 minutes from T4 to T1, less to the others).

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, LTfit,
I have never taken that airport bus between terminals, but I had read on some web site that it was a 20 minute ride (which is what I wrote above). You are right that it's only 9 minutes: http://www.aena-aeropuertos.es/csee/ContentServer/Aeropuerto-Madrid-Barajas/en/Page/1237554331229/ That extra 10 minutes may matter some day to a rushing pilgrim!

Joe, I sense that your departure is imminent -- buen camino! Laurie

 

[piogaw]

Will 90 minutes be enough time to get between terminal one, passport control on the bus to terminal 4 and through security to the gate? I will not have to pick up luggage and will be pre checked in for my second flight.

 

[piogaw]

Hello c-team2,

90 minutes should be plenty of time if there are no other contingencies like flight delay, long queie at immigration, etc. you are coming in from the usa and madrid barajas is quite a big airport.

Good luck and buen camino.

 

[Luba Klama]

Will 90 minutes be enough time to get between terminal one, passport control on the bus to terminal 4 and through security to the gate? I will not have to pick up luggage and will be pre checked in for my second flight.

Did you have enough time? I'm in the same situation. I arrive in Madrid 7:55am, flying in from Toronto and would like to catch the 10am bus from T4 to Astorga. How was your walk?

 

[whariwharangi]

Did you have enough time? I'm in the same situation. I arrive in Madrid 7:55am, flying in from Toronto and would like to catch the 10am bus from T4 to Astorga. How was your walk?

The arrival time is usually the time the plane touches on the runway. Add time for taxiing.

I would not assume the plane will arrive on time.

It will take minimum 30 minutes to get off the plane and get your baggage.

Sometimes in Madrid the planes stop on the tarmac and a bus is used to shuttle people from the plane to the terminal. Add time for this.

Passport control consists of checking your documents so its fast but there could be a long line up.

Shuttle runs every 5 minutes and takes 10 minutes. So allow minimum 15 minutes.

The bus leaves at the appointed time. If you are not on it the door closes and the bus moves. So you need to be there 1o minutes before the bus leaves, more if you don't already have a ticket.

Plan B

Take EMT Madrid #200 bus from T1 to Intercambiador de Avenida de America.
http://www.emtmadrid.es/Aeropuerto?lang=es-ES

Catch the 1100 PLM Autocares bus from Avenida de America to Pamplona. Or
http://plmautocares.com/

Catch the 1100 ALSA bus from Avenida de America to Pamplona via Zaragosa. There is another bus at 1200.
https://www.alsa.es/en

I note there is not a 1000 bus schedule from T4 (based on 7 Sept).

 

[Tincatinker]

@C-Team2 has not returned to the forum since November 2013. Presumably she was either successful or is still on the Barajas shuttle. @whariwharangi is a very reliable source of travel data.

Buen camino