Madrid MCT between T4S – T4

[samh004]

Greetings all, I generally have no difficulties with planning my travel, but a recent flight change notification has left me wondering what my rights are and how I should go about contacting the airline. I want to go into the call with the right information so as to not get screwed.

So, back in March I booked myself and partner LHR-MAD-AGP. I booked through the Iberia website, and received two IB-coded flights, however the first flight is actually on BA-metal. The second flight is on Air Nostrum. Fare classes are "R" – (Business with restrictions).

The result is that I would arrive into MAD T4S and depart from MAD T4. With a 1 hour 10 minute connection, it was tight but do-able.

23rd June
IB7443 0720 - 1050
IB8812 1200 - 1315

Unfortunately, I received a flight change yesterday for the second flight, bringing the departure forward by 25 minutes and reducing my connection time to 45 minutes. I had a look at Iberia's MCT at Madrid and it is confusing to say the least. The first table seems to suggest I need an MCT of 55 minutes T4S - T4 if travelling IB to IB, however even though I have the IB-code on my first flight, I'm technically on BA. So, looking at the second table I see the MCT T4S - T4 is actually more like 90 minutes. As they sold me the ticket in the first place, I would assume they have to wear this cost. I'm hoping so at least.

I do not know what the EU protections provide for me either.

I am planning to check luggage, so if I did phone and they tried to tell me I could make a 45 minute connection including immigration/customs I would be telling them no thanks... and would want something firm I could rely on.

I do not want to take a later flight to Malaga (AGP) as the idea was to be on IB8812 as my mother is flying into MAD from HKG and will also be on that flight. Taking a later flight would result in her waiting an unnecessarily long time at the other end for me (departs 5 hours later). I'm thinking I could push for moving my first flight to the afternoon/evening on the day before and spending a night in Madrid (at my expense) as while there is 1 earlier flight, it leaves an hour earlier than what is convenient for me.

So I guess I'm asking for advice if I am correct in thinking that following a phone call to them, they will have to move me to a more suitable MCT for free?

 

[docjames]

LHR-MAD are effectively "metal neutral" so often are booked as BA xx_ operated by IB xx_x and vv.

The 45m connection is a problem.

T4S is a bit like LHR T5B to T5A - you have to connect to a remote terminal. But on top of that, the non-schengen flights arrive and depart at the very far end of T4 (behind a small, two-desk immigration point). To transfer, you've got to get back to the main entry point to the terminal proper (similar distance to walking from a distant A gate at LHRT5 or gates 1-3 at LHRT3) then connect. But you'll also after deplaning need to pass through the immigration point, and whilst you are in J and should be first off the plane, if another plane arrives and there's a queue, you'll burn time.

If booked as a through ticket, i'd go to the ticketing carrier and point out the time change and mis-connect. I'm assuming you're probably on the earliest flight of the day from LHR?

If the second flight is the one you really need to take, i'd be demanding to move to the next most practical flight to make that connection. Which means flying the night before. They should do that, although you could conceivably get them to move you to any flight the day before.

I doubt you'll get them to pay for a hotel though.

FWIW there are plenty of easily accessed airport hotels (at varying price points) at MAD. The train into town is also super-easy so you could effectively look all over MAD for your preferred hotel. There are also a number of hotels near the conference centre which is on the train line to the airport. A taxi into town (and same back again) is a fixed fare EU30.

 

[samh004]

If booked as a through ticket, i'd go to the ticketing carrier and point out the time change and mis-connect. I'm assuming you're probably on the earliest flight of the day from LHR?

After searching high and low for a number that would work out of Australia for Iberia, I finally found one: +34 913 894 357 and gave them a call to discover that the flight that was 'rescheduled' had actually been cancelled. Not sure why that wasn't in the email.

As I have a type-R fare, being quite restrictive, they wouldn't let me do much with the flights. In the end, they allowed me to take the later flight that day, but my first flight had to move so the connection wasn't too big a gap. In essence, I'm in a very similar position to what I originally booked, having a 1 hour 20 minute connection.

Interestingly, the new flights moved me from fare "R" to "C", so if I was using different programs based on the fare classes I'd be quite happy with that move I'm sure.

Thanks for the advice!