We flew from New York to Madrid on Iberia and then transferred to El Al in Madrid. The transfer was very easy. The flights were in the same terminal and we didn't have to go through immigration or even screening. There was a big sign directing transit passengers to a walkway and there was really no screening. The El Al screening which is basically an interview was done at the gate. We had printed our boarding passes for both the Iberia and El Al flights in New York and checked our bags through to Tel Aviv. I was a bit worried because we only had 90 minutes between flights and I thought there would be immigration and screening which would delay us, but as I said none of that took place and it was very easy. I don't know why our experience was so different from other transit passengers at Madrid Airport but it was easy. However, I am a person who always checks a bag so that for me is one less thing to worry about.
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8125 posts
Might have to be part of El Al's checking you out prior to you getting to Israel. I understand they often do investigations on those arriving there.
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
" I thought there would be immigration and screening which would delay us, but as I said none of that took place and it was very easy. I don't know why our experience was so different from other transit passengers at Madrid Airport"
You were going from non-Schengen to non-Schengen. That's why you didn't have to go through immigration in MAD.
And, since your arriving and departing flights were in the same terminal (presumably 4S), you didn't leave a secured area. So, you just had to go through the El Al screening procedures (famously, they have their own procedures which you always have to go through, whether you are originating at the airport or connecting from another flight).
Going from a non-Schengen arrival (like from New York) to a Schengen departure (like another place in Spain), you have to change terminals (via underground train), then go through immigration, then security, before getting to your next flight. And those terminals are HUGE - allow time! I mention this so that anyone else reading this will understand that the procedures in MAD will vary depending on both your origin and your destination. Ironically, you had an easier and quicker experience going to Israel than I did going to Seville or Biarritz!
Posted by
OP
San Francisco CA
8 posts
Thanks for the explanation about why we had such an easy time with our transfer in Madrid. It's always nice to know why things happen. I would recommend the Iberia flight to Madrid and then transfer to El Al as a less expensive way to get to Israel. It's much less than a direct flight from NYC to Tel Aviv on El Al. El Al security in Madrid was fairly quick. As another poster commented El Al does check out passengers before the flight. I know we had to answer quite a few questions on the phone long before we left so obviously El Al had information long before we arrived in Madrid for our flight..