I have a connecting flight at Madrid Airport to Budapest with a 2 hour layover. Airport navigation is a bit overwhelming. Is it recommended to use a meet & assist service? Thanks!
Posted by
new york
1514 posts
Not necessary. The airport is well signed and easy to navigate, although you may have to walk a fair amount and take the shuttle train. I traveled through MAD last week with a 55-minute connection. I had to walk fast but II made the plane. I do this two or three times a year and never had a problem. Two hours in plenty.
Posted by
OP
9 posts
Appreciate your reply. I’ll be arriving at T4S and taking shuttle train to T4 for customs. Connecting flight leaves from same terminal. Hopefully no delays from US or customs lines. Thanks!
Posted by
Republic of Texas / U.S.A. / Magyarország / Budapest
26153 posts
Jane, you have two hours? The delays in the US seem to be cured now. So that shouldn’t be a problem. The European air traffic control system has its own share of problems that is resulting in more delayed flights every year. So that might work for you LOL. Most airports 2 hours is more then enough. If it’s your first trip since EES then that might take a while, but I haven’t heard anything terrible about that, just a few anecdotal accounts. You shouldn’t be concerned about "Customs" as visitors rarely end up in that line. You will be going through "Immigration" after you do the EES enrolment process. I still think 2 hours is very reasonable for a layover, sure in my perfect world its 2.5 hours but ....
You can do a few things to maybe put your mind at rest. Get a seat towards the front of the plane. Get an aisle seat. Don’t overdo the carry-on luggage. Put your passport where you can pull it out easily. View one of the on-line tutorials on how to do the EES enrollment. And, as you have already done, look at a map of the airport. Or just show up cold and I bet you will do equally as well.
Welcome to Budapest. As I understand it, you will spend one night and then get on a riverboat? Rather than the airport, why not near the boat dock? I am probably wrong about everything. Enjoy.
Posted by
OP
9 posts
Thx for your info. Yes, it is a river cruise! I read that EES will be fully operational a/o April 10 or 12. Tried to pre-register but only available for Sweden & Portugal right now. We arrive early morning so hopefully lines won’t be so bad. You never know. The Meet & Assist services are quite pricey so, as a research-obsessed, fairly savvy traveler, we’re likely to forgo the service. Haven’t been to Europe in about 25 yrs! Thx again.