Hi! I'm wondering what people's experiences are with this... We have a flight into Madrid on United April 2026. It arrives at 9AM. Considering booking a separate flight into Seville on Iberia departing at 11:30.
Has anyone done this? Is there a way to let the airlines know?
Why do you have to let the airlines know? Just buy the ticket. It's too bad you did not buy them together so your bags would have been checked through to Sevilla, but I don't think you can remedy that now, unless you cancel the first flight and re-book, which would probably mean a fee.
That’s a very tight connection time as you’ll have to go through immigration and collect your luggage, and what happens if your incoming flight is delayed? I’d go for a later flight to Seville
I agree with AmandaR that your connection time is too short. I would book a later flight to Seville. Also no reason to notify United or Iberia as they are not codeshare partners. Good luck!
Going to Sevilla you can also take a train. You can book a flexible ticket so that if you manage to get to the station earlier you can leave on an earlier train.
Give yourself at least 4 hours when gambling on a separate ticket.
Given that your United flight schedule is subject to change between now and April 2026 I'd wait a lot closer to that date maybe around February 2026 to book any kind of separate flight.
United will not have any kind of obligation to you in regards to your separate booking.
Last time I checked Madrid had multiple terminals not vey close together, so that is a consideration.
@WengenK I didn't know we could book a flexible train ticket! Is that on the site? We were in Spain last year and did the north. This is helpful. Do you know how I would do this?
I didn't know we could book a flexible train ticket!
All railways companies (just like the airlines) have a flexible ticket option meaning it is refundable in case you change your mind or miss the train. Those are usually the most expensive ticket option you will see . Train tickets are usually only available 3-6 months in advance.
I particularly like traveling on the IRYO trains. These are scarlet red cars, designed in Italy. The most expensive option, which allows free changes, also affords you food and wine. I believe it's called INFINITA BISTRO class. IRYO is very easy to book on their site.
I did that exact series of flights and it worked out fine.
Plectrude, Thank you! Was it difficult to get from Terminal 1 to Terminal 4?
Is there a way to let the airlines know?
What do you want them to know?
Do you have to fly UAL?
Is there not a way to fly from your origin ( wherever that is) to Seville on one ticket?
I did that exact series of flights and it worked out fine.
That was 'then' (when?); April 2026 is a unique situation. Was checked baggage involved? Is Iberia's carry on limits the same as UAL?
No personal experience, but a separate ticket 2.5 hr connection leaves no real margin for anything but ideal/perfect execution by all involved.
If a single ticket flight is not possible then the safer thing to do is either: a) a longer time between flights or b) take the train
I was flying American Airlines from the USA, so I think it might have been Terminal 4S to Terminal 4. I'm not 100% confident on that. But, the timing was the exact same and I had time to have breakfast, pick up checked bags, use the bathroom, and wait for 30 minutes at the Sevilla flight gate. It wasn't tight.
What I noticed was that passport control didn't take a long time, and security back into the terminal after getting my checked bags had literally zero line.
What you can run into in Barajas is that two gates can be a very long distance away. You may be walking for 20 minutes so if you have mobility issues, or your flight is delayed, it could be an issue.
You have to be prepared to walk long distances at Barajas airport, but there is excellent signage. You will have to change terminals and take the little train. I think you can do this, but if the incoming flight is delayed (they usually arrive early into Madrid from the US) you might have to dash. You can go to the front of the immigration line if you have a tight connection.
I think you are missing the point about two separate tickets.
If your flight into Madrid on United is late, and you miss the connection, Iberia doesn't care. They have nothing to do with your flight on United.
You will have to buy all new tickets at the last minute rate. And a lot can happen between now and next April--like schedule changes.
Take the train
My wife and I just went through this!
My flight from Boston arrived at Madrid at 5:30am (actually it arrived early, closer to 5:00am) via Iberia. I had booked a one way ticket to Valencia leaving Madrid at 8:00am. We also were made to check luggage in Boston.
So we had to go to luggage claim where we waited over an hour to get our bags, clear customs, enter the EU, take a train to another terminal, get a boarding pass (check luggage again) enlist the aid of a customer service person because we were running late and then find our gate which was at the end of a 300 yard terminal. We barely made it.
Wild.
That airport is huge. And the signage, while OK, made little sense. But we survived it all and made all of our flights. I'm not complaining. In fact, until I saw your question - I had sort of forgotten the whole event and it was only 10 days ago that we returned.
For what it is worth upon our return (back to Boston form Madrid) we allowed 2.5 hours to catch our flight and again, only made it just as boarding began.
Bottom line: it is a tough airport.
I am not savvy enough to give you advise - but I thought I'd toss in my very recent experience.
I think this is not even a remote choice--hang out in an airport for hours (ugh) or depart immediately for the train station (and nap on the fast train).
I agree with Frank II; Iberia will not help you if your United flight arrives late. I wouldn't risk it.
It depends on your tolerance of risk and your backup plan. If you miss the flight, what is plan b. Buy another ticket later in the day, at the increased airfare price (hopefully the flight would not be full). Take the train, paying same day pricing. Or.....
If you are not "okay" with the possibility of missing that flight then the answer is no, don't do it.
I had a 55 minute connection in Madrid, flying in from Jerez and bound for the US. This was last March. I was very nervous, but I did make it. It was on one Iberia ticket so I knew that they would take care of me (at least I think they would have) if I missed the flight. But I was still very worried because it was the last flight that day to the US.
I'm leaving Monday and again, have a tight connection of just over one hour in Madrid. but again, all on one ticket...
I checked Vueling for you but it looks as if they only have an 11:20 and a 3:50 from MAD to SVQ, at least for this time of year...
Yeah, I just flew in to Madrid on American and was 90 minutes late arriving. I looked back and in the last 2 weeks that flight has been at least an hour late 2/3 of the time. I had a train continuing on to Seville, though, so it wasn’t a problem even though I had to change to one 2 hours later
Renfe, Spain’s national train company, sells various types of train tickets. The least expensive are its “Basico” tickets which are nonrefundable and unchangeable But Renfe also sells “ELIGE” tickets for about €10 more than its nonrefundable, unchangeable tix. Because the AVE trains are high-speed trains, there has to be a seat available on any later train you want to change to. There are some time requirements but the basic strategy is to change the ticket online or at a train station once your flight has landed, you’ve collected your luggage and you’ve cleared passport control.
By then you should know if you can make your train or you need to change the ticket. Renfe has at least one train every hour between 7am and 9pm from Madrid to Seville.
IRYO, a private train company in Spain, also does the Madrid Atocha to Sevilla Santa Justa route. A cheap IRYO “Inicial” train ticket can become a changeable train ticket by paying a €6 supplemental fee to upgrade the ticket.
It takes about 30-45 minutes to get from Madrid’s airport to Madrid’s Atocha station on the Cercanias commuter trains that depart from Madrid’s airport train station. A taxi can make the transfer in 30 minutes outside of rush hours.
www.Seat61.com. has details under its section on Spain’s Renfe trains.
Have fun in Spain!
After nearly getting burned once, we do not book separate tickets for the same day. All you gotta have happen is for United to be several hours late or cancelled entirely. If you want to go to Seville on the day you arrive, I would purchase refundable train tickets or spend a day and night in Madrid before leaving.
