Connections at Madrid terminal 4

Connecting flights mean that the passenger has to take different flights in the same booking, even if they are operated by different companies. For each flight you will need your own boarding pass and your luggage, depending on the circumstances, might be tagged to your final destination or not.

For flights with a stopover, you will only have one boarding pass with a single origin-destination flight number and, although the plane may make one or more stops at different airports, in most cases you will remain on board or in a designated transit room, if you are required to disembark the aircraft. Your baggage will always travel with you to your final destination.

If your trip includes different flights and all your flights belong to the same booking, in most cases your baggage will tagged to the final destination.

However, you will need to check in your bags separately, collect them at the transit airport and then check them in again if:

• The customs authorities in the transit country require passengers to go through customs at the first point of entry (e.g. in the United States or Mexico). In this case, you will be required to collect your baggage, go through customs control and check it in again.

• You are switching airports in the city through which you are transiting (e.g. from Heathrow to Gatwick in London).

• Your connecting flights are not on the same day and the total transfer time exceeds 12 hours.

• Part of your trip is by bus or train (e.g. if you have bought a Train&Fly or Bus&Fly ticket).

If you have booked several flights with different booking numbers to your destination, each of them will be considered a separate flight, even if they are all operated by Iberia. Therefore, you will be required to collect your baggage at each of the airports and check it in again at the counters of the airlines you are going to fly with.
Keep this in mind when purchasing your flights in make sure you have enough time to do all of this and arrive at the boarding gate for the following flight on time.

This will depend on how long you have and whether your documentation is in order. We generally recommend that you stay at the airport if the stopover is less than 3 hours. If the connection time between flights is longer, calculate how long the entire procedure might take: passport and/or customs control (for international flights), departure and return to the airport and passing back through security control, etc.

If you intend on making a longer stop to get to know the city, you can organise your trip with Stopover Hola Madrid. We offer you a series of experiences at the best price to explore the capital over the number of days you select: events, bars and restaurants, transport, excursions and much more.

Bus&Fly tickets are always purchased through to the final destination, so transit connections and any possible incidents that may arise will be guaranteed. You just need your boarding pass from/to Madrid for Iberia flights.

You must check in your baggage upon departure or collect it upon arrival at Madrid airport.

• National origin: the bus will drop you off in the arrival bays (1-4) at Madrid T4 (level 0). Pick up your luggage from the bus and head up to the Iberia check-in area (level 2).

• International origin: check your baggage on Iberia flights through to Madrid. Once you disembark the plane, pick it up from the conveyor belt and head through customs. Next, head to the departure bays (1-4) at T4 where you will find your bus (level 0).

With Train&Fly you will travel on a single ticket and  have two boarding passes: one for your plane journey and another for your train journey. You can obtain your boarding passes from 24 hours to 2 hours prior to your flight's departure. check-in online

You must transfer to/from the train station and Madrid airport using the Renfe Cercanías service, which is included in the combined ticket. The minimum connection time is 2 and a half hours, meaning you can make the journey without having to rush.
Once you arrive at Madrid airport, head to the Iberia check-in area to drop off your baggage. 

On these journeys, train-airport-train connections as well as your baggage will be under your care and responsibility. Your free baggage allowance will be indicated on your ticket.

Although only one piece of hand luggage and one personal accessory can be taken on short and medium-haul flights operated by the Iberia Group; if you are travelling in Business class connecting to another long-haul Iberia flight, you can take two pieces of hand luggage on both legs, in addition to one personal accessory.

If you are travelling from the USA, you will only be able to take one piece of hand luggage in addition to one personal item on your outbound flight on account of security restrictions applied by US authorities.

If you have purchased this type of combination via an agency, you should bear in mind that the airlines you fly with will consider these as separate flights. With this in mind, the transit time, luggage collection and check in for each leg will be your responsibility. 

In these cases, AENA provides free 24-hour shuttle buses from Terminals 1 and 2 to Terminal 4.

• From 6.30 a.m. to 11.30 p.m., with a frequency of every eight minutes.

• From 11.30 p.m to 6.30 a.m., with a frequency of every twenty-four minutes.

The estimated journey time is 10 minutes. There are stops at T1 Departures, T2 Departures and T4 Arrivals (Level 0).