Hi, is 3 hours normally enough time to transfer at BCN from an international flight to a domestic flight where the 2 flights are on separate tickets? Am arriving on SQ at 0700 and am looking at then taking a Vueling domestic flight departing at 1020 so will need to clear customs and check in. Looks like arrival and departure will both be in T1. Thanks in advance.
Yes should be enough time. From memory, SIA flies into MXP then onto BCN with the same plane, so you should arrive at a gate with an aerobridge.
Trouble stems when you fly in with a European airline that is not Vueling. You get left at the airplane parking lot until a rare Swissport bus stumbles upon you. If you fly into BCN with an international or Vueling, you should be right with 3 hours, as you get parked at an aerobridge gate, or utilise one of the many Iberia buses.
My only concern is with the unpredictable long queue and delay at the customs & immigration upon arrival. Even more so if you get delayed by an hour in arriving. Even the best performing airlines for on time departure/arrival can have the occasional off day.
Best to check your connecting flight (Vuelling) for availability and timing of the next flight, and that they can/will give you special consideration in case of late arrival. Of course it all depends on your ticket terms. Know all your options.
I flew SQ 378 into BCN in May; took nearly an hour to get through immigration, but n=1. Other overseas conference delegates said, however, their experience was much better. I also took some internal flights; MAD to BCN - well, that took about 45mins for my luggage to arrive - last lot on the carousel....Nevertheless, 3hrs transit should be enough
Flew Qatar into BCN late April this year and as others have said it can take a long time to get through immigration - took us nearly an hour in quite oppressive heat!!!
I'm a former airline staff from Barcelona. Bcn airport is small compared to major European hubs, and three hours should be ok under normal conditions. As already mentioned, immigration is the critical point (due to an endemic staffing problem). I would advise you to disembark quickly, and make your way to the immigration counters as fast as possible. The arrival of the SQ flight often coincides with that of big long-haul flights, mainly from the US and the Gulf. So every single minute you gain will be precious. Also to consider, baggage claim works at Spanish pace here... Access from the Arrivals area to the check-in desk is very easy, just going upstairs.
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Barcelona international to domestic transfer time?
JakeDrake
JakeDrake
Member since 13 Mar 2014
Total posts 20
Hi, is 3 hours normally enough time to transfer at BCN from an international flight to a domestic flight where the 2 flights are on separate tickets?
Am arriving on SQ at 0700 and am looking at then taking a Vueling domestic flight departing at 1020 so will need to clear customs and check in. Looks like arrival and departure will both be in T1.
Thanks in advance.
madmouse58
madmouse58
Member since 26 Apr 2016
Total posts 4
Yes should be enough time. From memory, SIA flies into MXP then onto BCN with the same plane, so you should arrive at a gate with an aerobridge.
KinHo
KinHo
Member since 03 Sep 2017
Total posts 26
My only concern is with the unpredictable long queue and delay at the customs & immigration upon arrival. Even more so if you get delayed by an hour in arriving. Even the best performing airlines for on time departure/arrival can have the occasional off day.
xtfer
xtfer
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
Member since 14 Mar 2017
Total posts 159
BCN is a relatively small, modern airport with pretty quick transit times, as far as I recall. I would think you'd be fine.
vfm
vfm
Member since 26 Jul 2015
Total posts 28
I flew SQ 378 into BCN in May; took nearly an hour to get through immigration, but n=1. Other overseas conference delegates said, however, their experience was much better. I also took some internal flights; MAD to BCN - well, that took about 45mins for my luggage to arrive - last lot on the carousel....Nevertheless, 3hrs transit should be enough
raymac
raymac
Malaysia Airlines - Enrich
Member since 21 Mar 2014
Total posts 12
Flew Qatar into BCN late April this year and as others have said it can take a long time to get through immigration - took us nearly an hour in quite oppressive heat!!!
Francsk
Francsk
Member since 15 Sep 2017
Total posts 1
I'm a former airline staff from Barcelona. Bcn airport is small compared to major European hubs, and three hours should be ok under normal conditions. As already mentioned, immigration is the critical point (due to an endemic staffing problem). I would advise you to disembark quickly, and make your way to the immigration counters as fast as possible. The arrival of the SQ flight often coincides with that of big long-haul flights, mainly from the US and the Gulf. So every single minute you gain will be precious. Also to consider, baggage claim works at Spanish pace here... Access from the Arrivals area to the check-in desk is very easy, just going upstairs.