Helsinki to Valencia via Madrid - Finnair and Iberia; separate tickets

[kermatu]

Hi AFF community - I'd welcome any views or reports of direct experience of the following situation.

This month I will be travelling from Helsinki to Madrid in J as part of an upcoming European trip, on Finnair. It arrives in Madrid Terminal 4. Booked separately I then fly to Valencia approx. 2 hours later, on Iberia (Air Nostrum actually) also departing Terminal 4. I start this journey in Helsinki.

Some questions:

- Can I get my bag tagged and checked through to Valencia, if on check-in at HEL I show both tickets? I assume yes given both are OW.
- Given it is Finland to Spain I assume it is all Schengen zone - but will I need to clear immigration in Madrid?
- And will I need to collect bags in Madrid, clear customs and re-check?

Given it's all in same terminal apparently I'm not worried if I do need to collect and re-check just like returning to Oz. But would be good to know.

Any experience of Madrid T4 and suggestions on lounges (OWE) would be good too.

Cheers.

 

[esseeeayeenn]

Hi AFF community - I'd welcome any views or reports of direct experience of the following situation.

This month I will be travelling from Helsinki to Madrid in J as part of an upcoming European trip, on Finnair. It arrives in Madrid Terminal 4. Booked separately I then fly to Valencia approx. 2 hours later, on Iberia (Air Nostrum actually) also departing Terminal 4. I start this journey in Helsinki.

Some questions:

- Can I get my bag tagged and checked through to Valencia, if on check-in at HEL I show both tickets? I assume yes given both are OW.

It should be possible - certainly Finnair and Iberia will interline - but some airlines still refuse to interline unless the tickets are on the same PNR.
As a minor detail Air Nostrum is a Oneworld affilliate not a full member but I doubt that will make any practical difference.

- Given it is Finland to Spain I assume it is all Schengen zone - but will I need to clear immigration in Madrid?

No, you will already be within the Schengen zone - you'll disembark at Terminal 4 in MAD which is for Schengen flights rather than 4S which is for flights to/from non-Schengen countries.

- And will I need to collect bags in Madrid, clear customs and re-check?

Provided Finnair check your bags through and give you a second boarding pass, no.
You should be able to walk from gate to lounge to gate.
If they don't you will have to collect and re-check but there should be no customs involved.

Given it's all in same terminal apparently I'm not worried if I do need to collect and re-check just like returning to Oz. But would be good to know.

Any experience of Madrid T4 and suggestions on lounges (OWE) would be good too.

Cheers.

T4 is a nice terminal, and it has priority lanes all through it which you can use as a OW Emerald member.
The Iberia lounge is quite comfortable, make sure you try the red wine they have on offer as a promotion for Spanish wine - some of them are quite special.
Don't have high expectations for food, though.

 

[kermatu]

Thanks for this detailed reply. Much appreciated.

 

[kermatu]

Just wanted to note that the baggage transfer worked fine, even though my connection time ended up being 35 minutes rather than 3 hours as Finnair decided to hold its flights to Spain for a late JAL flight from Tokyo. (Great for those travelling from Tokyo to Madrid or barcelona, not so good for those who had further connections.)

sampled the Iberia lounge on the way out of Spain, in the morning. Nice space. Food average but drinks ok.

priority security and boarding worked very well. But Finnair flights seem to park on the apron so the use of a bus kind of negates the benefit (in my sample of 2 flights).

 

[esseeeayeenn]

Good to hear!
Thanks for letting us know.
I am only sorry you didn't have time to sample the reds on offer in the lounge!

 

[kermatu]

I looked at the Reds on my way out of Madrid yesterday morning. While I'm no wine expert, they didn't look that special. In fact, in 2 weeks in Spain I only came across a couple of really good reds. The rest confirmed my view that Aussie wines are best.

that said, there was a very nice French Pinot noir in the HEL premium lounge yesterday...

thanks for your advice mate.