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Barcelona Airport - how early?

Posted by on

Hi.

For an 11 am flight from Barcelona to the USA, what time should I be at the airport - to have plenty of time for security, etc.
Are three hours before the flight enough?
Is it a huge and busy airport?

I was going to stay at an airport hotel, but it takes 20 to 30 minutes from them to get to the airport, which is the same time from as my hotel near the Plaza Catalunya - so it may be better to enjoy the city for another afternoon and leave early the next day.

Thanks for any suggestions!

Posted by
1872 posts

It is a big airport. Really nice terminal. 3 hours should be plenty of time to be at the airport in advance.

Posted by
1560 posts
  1. My wife speaks "quilt" (an expensive language) and on our last trip googled several quilt shops to visit in Barcelona. Made for a wonderful experience and the lack of sharing a verbal language was not barrier to the one spoken with hands.
    1. Stay in your hotel, just consider if you are departing on a weekday there might be some commuter congestio.
    2. Arrive at 8ish and you should be fine.
    3. Are you making a connection to Madrid and are you flying Iberia? If yes, then there is a terminal entry worthy of determining if your flight departs from that gate which saves check in time and a long walk. Check with Iberia for gate info and use the online map to determine if this works for you.
Posted by
27951 posts

Time from door to gate at an airport can vary greatly from hour to hour, day to day and passenger to passenger. I needed every bit of the 3 hours I had allowed at BCN back in 2016. The United check-in counter was very long, and something about me (senior WASPy female) triggered extra attention from security. I made my flight, but it was a pretty close call.

I used the Aerobus from Placa de Catalunya and would do so again if staying in that area. It runs very frequently.

Posted by
97 posts

Thanks all. 8 am it will be! I appreciate the guidance. It gives me more time in Barcelona.

Yes, "Quilt" is a language of its own...and expensive. But a wonderful hobby. Glad she got some fabric to remember her trip by!!

Posted by
4775 posts

3 hours is probably good. I had about 2 hrs mid-March, with a Lufthansa flight leaving at 6:15 am. and would have missed the flight if it hadn’t been delayed. The problem was the LONG check in line - it took at least an hour. I foolishly thought it would be a faster process that early, with fewer people. Everything else was fine time-wise.

Posted by
8 posts

For a flight within Europe (BCN to Amsterdam via KLM) do you think we need to get to the airport 3 hours early, or is it 2 like flying domestic in the US?
I'm planning on taking the Airport bus from Placa Catalunya. I wonder how much extra time to allow for waiting for the next bus and all that. Do we just buy a ticket on the bus?
Thank you

Posted by
97 posts

Lilacrain - I read you pay the driver.

Good question. I wonder about that also...is it better to take a taxi or the shuttle bus early in the morning? The subway/train is nearby also. Lots of options.

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