enzian

We have RT tickets on BA to Heathrow for next April/May, and have decided to go to Spain instead of staying in the UK. So I'm adding the flight to Spain, flying in to Barcelona and out of Madrid. We'll fly from Madrid to Heathrow the day before our transatlantic flight home, and spend the night in Windsor (the Monday night races will be on).

We'd like to stay in Cordoba the night before flying from Madrid, so I am looking at afternoon flights. There is a BA flight at 2:15 and one an hour later on Iberia (this is on the BA website since they are partners, I guess?) I believe we'll have plenty of time to make the 2:15 but I'm thinking of booking the later one just to be safe---there may be festival activity (Feria de San Isadro) in Madrid, although maybe on a Monday it won't be so crazy.

We're familiar with BA as that is our "usual" airline, but I know nothing about Iberia. Is there any reason to avoid booking on that airline? Do they fly into a different terminal at Heathrow? (Although that won't really be a concern as we will leave the airport and return the following day for our flight home). I seem to recall hearing some negative things, but can't recall the specifics.

Thanks for your thoughts.

wally34949

The last time I flew from Barcelona to London on Iberia, I had to pay for coffee. However, it is a short flight and you might get miles with BA.

enzian

Yes, we get miles, but I think we will get BA miles even if we use Iberia. The Iberia flight is on the BA website for booking.

So no negatives for Iberia other than paying for coff? This is a mid-afternoon flight so we would skip than anyway.

Gardyloo

If you're earning BA miles, you'll get 25% of the mileage credited by flying Iberia; if you take the BA planes you'll earn 100% miles (a recent change affecting BA flights.)

Both Iberia and BA use Terminal 3 for flights to/from Madrid.

People love to hate Iberia; my experience is generally favorable. We <i>love</i> Barajas airport.

enzian

Thanks, Gardyloo!

Would terinal 3 be for the flight to Barcelona too? We'll be doing that flight directly after our long-haul leg, so I'll have to build in time for the T% to T3 transfer when I choose that flight. Three hours? More?

Does your love for Barajas mean that the airport is easy to navigate? I'm expecting the new bus service from Atocha to the airport to be well-established by then, hopefully easy and quick at mid-day.

Gardyloo

If you're arriving on BA at Terminal 5 (SEA?) then you'll do an airside transfer (no UK passport control). It's very straightforward - follow the signs to "flight connections" and you'll be put on a bus to T3, go through security, and will be expelled into the T3 shopping grand mal. I've done the switch in as little as 25 minutes; I think BAA says the minimum connection time is 90 minutes, so 3 hours would be more than sufficient. Yes, Barcelona is also served from T3 by BA.

Madrid airport is very easy to navigate. If departing on Iberia, you'll leave from the non-Schengen area of Terminal 4; if on BA from the T4 satellite, T4S, served by an underground train. Barajas is humongous, but beautiful and easy. If you're riding in business class by any chance, the lounges are terrific.

Gardyloo

Oh, I noticed that you already have tickets to LHR and are adding the Spanish leg, right? On separate tickets?

If so it's essential you show the connecting ticket to Barcelona to BA when you check in for the transatlantic flight, so your bags can be through-checked. Otherwise you'll have to go through immigration and customs at LHR and schlep landside from T5 to T3. 3 hours would still be ample IMO but rather unpleasant.

tengohambre

I haven't flown Iberia in awhile. However, a number of good friends have flown with them often in the past few months. Each flight was poor, delayed or had some scheduling issue (delay), etc. If pricing is the same I would go with BA.

enzian

This is very helpful---thanks everyone.

Gardyloo--yes, it will be separate tickets; we already have the SEA to LHR tickets. We will do carry-on bags, no checked luggage. But I still want to allow plenty of time for the connection on the outbound leg just in case, since it's not all on one ticket.

Maybe I'll book the flight to BCN with 4 hours between. We're flying business class on the long flight (miles ticket), so I am thinking we could use the Arrivals lounge in T5 until they close at 2:00, then head to T3 for the BCN flight. Does that make sense in terms of the traffic pattern we have to follow to go from T5 to T3? Or would we normally stay airside throughout the transfer and not go past the Arrivals lounge, which I believe is landside? This past June was our first experience with T5 and that was confusing enough.

Gardyloo

Yes, the BA arrivals lounge is landside, upstairs from the main exit from customs.

Getting from T5 to T3 without heavy luggage is very easy. Just allow enough time at T3 for security.

BA also has a new lounge complex in T3; your SEA-LHR boarding passes ought to let you into it, but I haven't used them yet so can't say for certain.