I'm booking a return flight from Seville back to the US which goes through Madrid on American Airlines. The first short leg of the journey is on Iberian Airlines with the remainder on American. If I check my luggage, will I have to collect it and go through security again in Madrid? If so, any idea how long that could take? Thanks for your assistance.
Posted by
California 🦋
5294 posts
June,
Will these two flights be booked as one ticket or two separate ones?
If both flights are booked as one ticket, the airline will transfer your checked luggage.
However, I'd suggest contacting AA for this information, just to be safe, and 100% sure.
If this is two separate bookings, then you'll need to retrieve your luggage in Madrid, re-check your luggage, then go through security again.
How long would this process take? No one really knows... There may be a delay at baggage claim, long queues at check-in counter and/or at security.
If you haven't booked your ticket(s) yet, you may consider taking the AVE from Seville to Madrid and flying directly from Madrid instead.
The general recommendation is to arrive at the airport 3 hours in advance of your international flight.
Hope this helps!
Posted by
Barcelona + Sweden
4180 posts
From the info you have provided, I would say, after the Sevilla flight, you will not need to recollect your luggage in Madrid. Your checked luggage should be transferred to the USA flight, though you will have to go through a passport check to reach the non-Schengen part of Madrid airport.
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15788 posts
Are you booking directly with Iberian or AA? If not, you may have problems if you miss the connection. Are you booking all flights on a single ticket? If you are buying a separate ticket for Iberian, I'd reconsider. If there's a delay and you miss your connection, you will probably need to book a full fare flight from Madrid and neither airline is obligated to compensate you or accommodate you in any way, unless your ticket on AA allows for last-minute changes and you are able to notify them before flight time that you are delayed. I would seriously consider spending your last night in Madrid.
In any cast, call American and ask them. They probably have an agreement between them that will allow you to check your luggage through in Sevilla and also get your boarding pass for the Madrid flight, even if you're booked on separate tickets.
Things I have learned to do: When you check in, make sure you look at the routing tag on your bag and that it's for the correct airport. If your connection is under 3 hours, ask the agent to also tag your bag for "short connection". They usually do that, though they might decline, saying it's unnecessary. Since you're flying home, and a baggage delay shouldn't be a big problem, I wouldn't insist, but I would ask. If you have a short connection and you encounter a long line (passport control, security), go to an official there and tell them your flight is boarding soon. Usually they will expedite you through.