Madrid airport self transfer question

Posted by allencrew on 09/30/25 01:25 PM

Hello fellow travelers! I am hoping someone who has transferred between different airlines/bookings in the Madrid airport can give me some guidance. I am traveling from Santiago de Compostela to Madrid (Ryanair) and then from Madrid to Boston (JetBlue) on Sunday, Oct 12. Both should be in Terminal 1, looks like the farther gates, though (A1-A4). No checked bags and will have boarding passes on phone (no check in required). First flight lands at 11:30, next flight is at 1:30. JetBlue's suggested time for arrival at Madrid airport is 2 hours before scheduled departure. This Ryanair flight looks to usually land on time or a bit early. I should be ok, correct? I wasn't nervous until I started reading forum posts about self transfers in Madrid! If anyone has experience navigating this type of connection, I would love to hear about it.

UPDATE: Updating in case others search this and wonder how it went! We had plenty of time, even with a slight delay in our RyanAir flight from Santiago (the king was in Madrid for Spain Day and there was a Spanish Air Force flyover). We did have to go through passport control (no wait or line) but we did NOT have to go through security again in Spain. It was a long walk gate to gate, but we had ample time to get there and have lunch before our flight to the US boarded. This was all in Terminal 1 in Madrid.

Posted by The Other Marty

Jacksonville, Florida

10/03/25 07:11 PM

222 posts

I would think 2 hours would be plenty, especially if it's all in Terminal T1.

I was faced with a similar dilemma back in March, when I was scheduling a flight from Seville to Madrid and from Madrid back to the US. The layover would have been 1-1/2 hours. Nervous guy that I am, I eliminated the layover by taking the train from Seville to Madrid and spending a week in Madrid before flying back to the states.

But based on what I know now, I would say 2 hours will be plenty of time for you to make the connection.

Posted by Plectrude

10/03/25 11:23 PM

230 posts

Yeah, it was really fast. There was zero wait to go through security.

I think the long transfer times in Madrid could be situations where you have to get to T4-S which is quite remote from the rest of the airport.

Posted by joe32F

Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂

10/04/25 04:48 AM

13034 posts

Ryanair’s Bag Policy

All our fares include one small personal bag which can be brought on board, such as a handbag or laptop bag (40 x 30 x 20 cm), which must fit under the seat in front of you. If you need additional baggage allowance, there are various options available to you.

1: Cabin Baggage:

Priority & 2 Cabin Bags: This allows you to carry a small personal bag (40 x 30 x 20 cm), which must fit under the seat in front of you and a 10kg bag (55x40x20cm) onboard, to be stored in the overhead locker. It also allows you to board the plane first using the Priority Boarding queue at the gate.
https://help.ryanair.com/hc/en-mt/articles/12888036565521-Ryanair-s-Bag-Policy

AND

International flights
Each customer must be on board the aircraft at least 20 minutes prior to departure.
https://www-prdbg.jetblue.com/help/boarding-procedures

Be sure you are in compliance with ryanair limits, lest being forced to check a bag.

You actually have 1 hr 40 min, not 2 hours to change planes.

No personal experience with Madrid, but you have less time than the scheduled arrival and departure times suggest.

Posted by Elizabeth

L'Occitanie, France

10/04/25 08:17 AM

11416 posts

Verify about being able to check in online and have your ticket on your phone. If it's allowed, your only wild cards are Ryan Air landing on time, and if the two airplanes are indeed close to each other in the terminal, despite you needing to go through passport control and another security check. This needs to be accomplished in less than one hour before takeoff. because he US wants the passenger manifest well before takeoff. Doors close well before push back.

I've often gone to check in and been directed to check-in at the airport for transatlantic flights. This is because passengers waiting in line to check-in are questioned, and some passengers receive something called SSSS on their boarding pass which tags them for additional inspection just before boarding. You won't be exempt because this is randomly generated. I seen even older people in wheelchairs going through SSSS inspection.