Madrid Airport
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Barajas -
Lasting Impressions....
Good times
by JITLI
I was on a teen trip bringing together Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs and were trying to catch a connecting flight to Jerusalem. Unfortunately, Iberia Airlines (by far the worst airline company on record), decided to cancel a flight at the last minute for no reason, splitting our group into two parts. Letting the group leaders responsible haggle for accommodations, me and my 20-25 newfound international friends were free to explore the airport. We taught them how to play American football, running up and down and screaming through the airport. We called our parents, played butts up downstairs, my friend even took a piss on the door of the bathroom because the door was locked. Security merely stared. Laden with video cameras, we filmed commercials mocking Iberia's ineptness, ate late night McDonalds, and interviewed disgruntled customers in a variety of languages including Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, English, and whatever else struck their fancy. Then, as we finally received complimentary coupons, one of the kids realized that she had lost her passport and checked it in with her luggage. Three hours later, we finally get to our hotel. When we come back, Iberia still sucks. However, it was one of the best nights of my life. Well-done.
Not a bad place, but not great either
by MartinO2
I spent 2 nights at Madrid Barajas airport. Good to know thing is, that metro starts running at 6am, so if you have early departure, there is no other choice than stay at the airport overnight (I know, You can take a cab, but if you are budget traveller as I am, this is far too expensive option).
First night (I was waiting for 6.45am departure) i realized, that there is almost no seating anywhere in Arrival/Check-in hall. I discovered some seating at "arrival lounge no. 6" (in terminal 2 i guess), where are benches without armrests. I slept well, it is dark and quiet place. When I returned to terminal 3 (most planes are departing from this terminal) around 4am, I saw about 50-70 people, sleeping everywhere in check-in hall. On the ground, on those baggage belts, in the 24/7 restaurant nearby.
The second night I slept on the floor in terminal 3 (covered myself with lufthansa blanket) because i arrived at the airport at about 11.30 pm and all benches i slept on the night before were already taken.
There are some things i noticed:
-If you have boarding pass for tomorrows flight, security will not let you go into gates area.
-Security control is present 24h a day.
-If you have boarding pass, you can try get into gates area about 3am (worked for me).
-In gates area you will find a lot of seats without armrest you can sleep on.
-Sleeping at this airport is NOT prohibited and because stupid metro hours, everybody at the airport is used to many sleepers.
Um, you may want to rethink sleeping in this place
by espanna
stayed a few hours in barajas T1 during the night. no seats in the whole airport! just a really expensive open cafe, lots of people sleeping on the floor and also, there were a few ones making noise. the best way to pass the night is to take a coffee and just read a book. it's impossible to sleep!
Airport Guide
Here is some information that we've picked out of from your reviews. Be sure to read the reviews on the next page for the most up-to-date info:
- limited seating in arrivals and check-in halls
- benches without armrests in "arrival lounge 6" (terminal 2?)
- gates have seats without armrests
- frequent announcements
- WiFi
- prayer room
- cafe with long benches and seats
