We are flying Jerez to Madrid to Chicago. Does anyone know how early we should be at the airport? The recommendation is 3 hours for an international flight and two hours for a domestic flight but our host is saying 1 hour will work. It is the end of the Flamenco Festival and I suspect many people are flying home that day.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
8485 posts
An hour is about right. That airport is very small and only a few minutes outside of town. The last time I went through that airport was in 2011 and it was the same size it was in 1978.
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Thank you!
Posted by
OP
3 posts
An hour is perfect. They really don't open the gate until an hour beforehand. Glad to see the timing is still the same. Very easy airport. The only other hint I would say is a backpack is better than a roller bag. All my flights, even in Madrid, required you to load/unload via a staircase and that is after having to walk down a staircase to the tarmac. If you opt for the roller bag, make sure you can carry that roller bag up and down a flight of narrow stairs.
If you are transferring in Madrid make sure you leave yourself plenty of time. We had allocated 90 minutes which was tight but would have been doable except for passport control. Also note you may need to take an internal train to your terminal, for us that was a 23 minute ride.
If you need to process a VAT refund also leave yourself plenty of time. You apply at a Kiosk, then the approval desk, then the exchange desk. They process anyone wanting a currency exchange before the VAT refund so the wait can be long.
We would have made our Madrid flight but probably the last to board. They canceled the flight while I was in line for passport control. Another hint, unlike here you cannot change your flight within 2 hours of departure and will just get shuffled to customer service. I was on hold with the airline and in line at the same time. I was transferred back and forth and advised of the new flight schedule when they finally came back and said because it was within 2 hours they could not make the changes over the phone or online and I missed the 2nd flight.
The airline overnighted us at a local hotel with buffet meals. I would probably skip the lunch and dinner and just have breakfast. It was a long wait for the shuttle because it was too small for a whole airplane! Next time I would make sure I had the actual address for the hotel and just Uber or Taxi. You will get the best rooms and if you get there during siesta the restaurant was closed. People were really aggressive to get a seat on that shuttle. We only got on the 2nd shuttle because we had spoken with the driver before he drove off the first time.
We met some lovely people from Minneapolis while we waited and enjoyed a few beers at the hotel. Always nice to connect with fellow travelers!