Ryan Air SCQ - Madrid

[SaraDN]

What a helpful forum this is!

Does anyone have any insight on reliability or potential delays on Ryan Air flights to Madrid?

I'm planning a 2-week camino starting in mid-September 2015 from Astorga to Santiago. I'll likely be taking flight home from Madrid - Seattle leaving at 11:45 am on 9/30. There's a Ryan Air flight that leaves SCQ - Madrid at 8:15 am, arriving at 9:30 am that morning. I'm wondering if this 2-hour window between flights is enough time, or if I should get myself to Madrid the night before to be safe?

Appreciate any wisdom on this - thanks.

Sara

 

[whariwharangi]

Ryan Air deliberately publishes a schedule with slush. That means Ryan Air has a higher record of being on time than most and often arrives early. A lot of airlines could learn from this.

That being said 2:15 hours to deplane (at least a half hour), transfer to another terminal (15 minutes) (Your US flight and your domestic flight probably use different terminals) and whatever your airline for the Madrid to Seattle states for check in , clear customs, and endure security for a US bound flight is too tight for my preferences (probably two hours). By my estimate you are half an hour short assuming no delays and remember Murphy's law applies.

You might get away with it but it would be a nail biter.

Si yo fuera tu, take a train to Madrid the day before and find a hotel. Some people like the Trenhotel that arrives at Madrid at 0805.

 

[Damien Reynolds]

I always find myself in a similar situation. I usually have a return flight to the states in the 11 o'clock hour, so I must choose to risk the rush or do something else.

Last year I actually took the evening Ryanair flight to Madrid the night before my departure to Atlanta the next day at 11:30. I found a convenient (though certainly posh by Camino standards) hotel near the Madrid airport that offered a shuttle service from and to the airport to minimize complications.

This is certainly an option if you prefer to fly the night before rather than risking a tight schedule or spending the night on the train.

 

[SaraDN]

Thanks for these helpful suggestions. These are both good options - I'm leaning toward the evening Ryanair flight and airport hotel. It's good to have confirmation that I'll need to get to Madrid earlier than the morning Ryanair flight.

 

[ivar]

In Madrid, RyanAir uses Terminal 2 (or 3) and you will most likely leave at Terminal 4... you need to take the bus to transfer to a different terminal and then security and get to your gate... Check out this map:
http://www.aena.es/csee/Satellite?L...=banner&utm_campaign=MAD-Banner+Cartograf�a

It sounds a bit tight, if it was me I would try to get there the night before... or take the night train from Santiago to Madrid? Not sure what time the train gets in but check out: http://www.renfe.com/EN/viajeros/index.html

Buen Camino!
Ivar

 

[SaraDN]

Thanks Ivar. I'll look into the Trenhotel option. If I decide to do that, how far ahead of time do you think I'd need to purchase a ticket, and can I do that online? Then I'd just need to get from the Madrid train station to the airport by 9:30 am.

 

[ivar]

Thanks Ivar. I'll look into the Trenhotel option. If I decide to do that, how far ahead of time do you think I'd need to purchase a ticket, and can I do that online? Then I'd just need to get from the Madrid train station to the airport by 9:30 am.

I would wait with reserving a train... odds are that you will get in to Santiago earlier than you have planned (I see this many times) and not booking gives you some liberty. There is a RENFE office next door to the pilgrims office in Santiago.

 

[whariwharangi]

This was written for people arriving in Madrid. The information applies in reverse.

There are many hotels in the Sol area. Madrid Metro connects anywhere Madrid to the airport in less than an hour.

Cercanias (light rail transit operated by Renfe) runs less frequently but is faster than taking the Metro.

2002 Madrid Airport

The airport in Madrid is called Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD). There are 4 terminals. T1, T2, and T3 are connected while T4 is connected via shuttle. Terminal 4S is connected to Terminal 4 by Automatic People Mover (APM) and has a shuttle stop.

Madrid Airport (MAD)
http://www.aena-aeropuertos.es/csee/Satellite/Aeropuerto-Madrid-Barajas/en/

Information about the inter-terminal shuttle is located here:
http://www.aena-aeropuertos.es/csee...554331229//Connections-between-terminals.html

2003 Getting around in Madrid

Connections to Madrid include subway (Metro), light rail transit (Cercanias), and Express bus (EMT).

Madrid Metro has stations at T1-T2-T3 and at T4. The trains run every 6 - 12 minutes.

Madrid Cercanias has a station at T4. The trains run every 30 minutes.

EMT Madrid Aeropuerto Express operates a bright yellow express bus every 13 -20 minutes from the airport T1-T2-T3 and airport T4 to Puerta de Atocha Renfe station.

Madrid Metro
http://www.metromadrid.es/en/index.html

Madrid Metro Map
http://www.metromadrid.es/export/sites/metro/comun/documentos/planos/Planomayo2013.pdf

Madrid Cercanias (operated by Renfe)
http://www.renfe.com/viajeros/cercanias/madrid/index.html

EMT Madrid provides Madrid transit bus services
http://www.emtmadrid.es/

EMT Madrid Aeropuerto Express
http://www.emtmadrid.es/lineaAeropuerto/index.html

2007 Madrid Airport to train station Chamartin

a. Chamartin is reached by Metro. Take line 8 from airport T1-T2-T3 or T4 to Nuevos Ministerios; and, line 10 to Chamartin.

b. Chamartin is reached by Renfe Cercanias direct from Madrid Airport T4.

 

[peregrina2000]

What a helpful forum this is!

Does anyone have any insight on reliability or potential delays on Ryan Air flights to Madrid?

I'm planning a 2-week camino starting in mid-September 2015 from Astorga to Santiago. I'll likely be taking flight home from Madrid - Seattle leaving at 11:45 am on 9/30. There's a Ryan Air flight that leaves SCQ - Madrid at 8:15 am, arriving at 9:30 am that morning. I'm wondering if this 2-hour window between flights is enough time, or if I should get myself to Madrid the night before to be safe?

Appreciate any wisdom on this - thanks.

Sara

Hi, Sara,
If you're flying from Seattle, you might want to check the prices of a ticket that goes Seattle to Madrid and then Santiago to Seattle (you can see it by choosing the "multi-city" option on the airline or travel websites. I almost always fly home starting in Santiago, and I usually can add that segment to the round trip ticket with very little increase in cost over the round trip to Madrid. The benefit of that is that if your return flight is booked Santiago-Madrid-Seattle, delays or missed connections are not your problem. If you buy a separate ticket to Madrid on Ryan Air, and that flight is late, then you could have a problem getting rebooked on your Madrid -Seattle flight.

If you fly Iberia or a One World partner (BA or American are the two I'm most familiar with), you'll be in T4. But if you are on any other airline, you'll be leaving from one of the other terminals.

 

[SaraDN]

I'm actually not flying directly from Seattle. My travel is a little complicated as I'll be in Sicily for 2 weeks prior to going to Spain, and my air is routed Seattle - Palermo and then Madrid-Seattle. I'll get myself from Sicily to Santiago. I'll be on a trip with my mother and the agency for that trip is arranging the airfare and they don't work with Iberia, so can't get me a flight out of Santiago - Seattle.