DTManiac From Germany, joined Aug 2004, 689 posts, RR: 16 Posted (7 years 3 months 2 weeks 3 days ago) and read 1197 times:
Fellow A.netters,
I have a problem that has to be solved quickly and I would really appreciate your help in this case:
I have a friend from the US who has to be in Madrid on the 29th of March at 2pm the latest after visiting me here in Germany. It has to be a oneway flight preferably from DUS, but CGN,FRA or Berlin would be possible, too.
I called LH, but they didnt sell oneway tickets in Economy and all the low cost carriers (Air Berlin, Germanwings) only have later flights, so no chance there.
This leads to the following question. Do you know an affordable accomodation in the airport or close to the airport so that my friend can fly to Madrid one day earlier? It would be important that the hotel has a shuttle (free of charge possibly) from the airport to the hotel.
As I said, your help would be appreciated a lot. I need to make the booking as soon as possible.
Thanks in advance
Frederik
P.S.: I might join my friend from the 28th to until the 29th to Madrid. Do they have an observation deck there?
AlitaliaMD11 From Spain, joined Dec 2003, 4068 posts, RR: 15 Reply 1, posted (7 years 3 months 2 weeks 2 days 23 hours ago) and read 1186 times:
There are many hotels surrounding MAD. I would try the NH Barajas which is located very close to the airport and I think they have a free shuttle to the airport.
There is no observation deck at MAD but there is a cafeteria located in terminal 2 which has large windows looking out over the main taxiway and one of the runways (I lived in Madrid for a year and went to MAD frequently but I still can't remember any of the runways numbers )
TriStar500 From Germany, joined Nov 1999, 4685 posts, RR: 47 Reply 3, posted (7 years 3 months 2 weeks 2 days 17 hours ago) and read 1116 times:
How about booking a return flight on e.g. LH oder LH and just not using the return segment of the ticket? LH and IB roundtrip flights from DUS are available from about 110 Euro, so this sounds like a value-priced proposition.
Homer: Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true!
DTManiac From Germany, joined Aug 2004, 689 posts, RR: 16 Reply 4, posted (7 years 3 months 2 weeks 2 days 17 hours ago) and read 1112 times:
First of all, thank you guys.
I will have a look at the hotels you mentionend.
Quoting IBERIA747 (Reply 2): I would try the "Tryp Diana", the "Meliá Barajas" or the "High Tech", which are less than 2 kilometers away from Terminals 1, 2 and 3.
Do you know if those hotels have shuttle services or how to reach them? Is it possible to walk there or do you need a cab?
Quoting IBERIA747 (Reply 2): Why don't you try Easyjet from Berlin?
I tried, but it seems that their flight arrives later than 2pm which makes it useless for the 29th. I would probably book on Germanwings from CGN on the 28th so far. Good advise though.
DTManiac From Germany, joined Aug 2004, 689 posts, RR: 16 Reply 5, posted (7 years 3 months 2 weeks 2 days 17 hours ago) and read 1109 times:
Quoting TriStar500 (Reply 3): How about booking a return flight on e.g. LH oder LH and just not using the return segment of the ticket? LH and IB roundtrip flights from DUS are available from about 110 Euro, so this sounds like a value-priced proposition.
Hmm, I just tried to look it up on LH, but it seems there is only Business Class available that day. More than 1000€ from both, DUS and FRA. Furthermore, is that legal to throw away the return ticket? Sounds like a ticket fraud since it is can be significantly cheaper this way.
IB indeed has cheap flights if you book a return as well, about 135€. But again, is this legal?
IBERIA747 From Spain, joined Aug 2003, 1825 posts, RR: 62 Reply 6, posted (7 years 3 months 2 weeks 2 days 16 hours ago) and read 1095 times:
Quoting DTManiac (Reply 4): Do you know if those hotels have shuttle services or how to reach them?
Last year, fellow a.netter Paulc visited Madrid and stayed at the "Tryp Alameda Aeropuerto" (it's the Tryp Diana but it's just been renamed). I met him at the airport terminals and if I recall correctly he took a hotel shuttle to get to the airport. On the website there's a free shuttle service announced.
Taxi drivers leaving from arrivals level at Barajas are anything but friendly. They won't want to take you just 2 kms away, telling you that they have spent all morning in a huge queue waiting to pick up passengers who will pay them a lot more for taking them to downtown Madrid.
If you want to take a taxi for getting to one of those nearby hotels, the best thing is to go upstairs (departures level) and take one of those cabs that are dropping passengers. However, the fare is not worth it since it will be about 10€, which IMO is a lot for going just "round the corner".
TriStar500 From Germany, joined Nov 1999, 4685 posts, RR: 47 Reply 8, posted (7 years 3 months 2 weeks 2 days 16 hours ago) and read 1084 times:
Quoting DTManiac (Reply 5): Quoting TriStar500 (Reply 3):
How about booking a return flight on e.g. LH oder LH and just not using the return segment of the ticket? LH and IB roundtrip flights from DUS are available from about 110 Euro, so this sounds like a value-priced proposition.
Hmm, I just tried to look it up on LH, but it seems there is only Business Class available that day. More than 1000€ from both, DUS and FRA. Furthermore, is that legal to throw away the return ticket? Sounds like a ticket fraud since it is can be significantly cheaper this way.
IB indeed has cheap flights if you book a return as well, about 135€. But again, is this legal?
It is a grey area. But if your friend calls the airline a few days before the "return flight" and tells them that he has to cancel the return segment due to personal reasons and the seat can be made available again, there should be no problems in a one-of-a-kind case.
Homer: Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true!
I hope you and your friend have a pleasant stay in Madrid.
Btw, I would also recommend to visit the new T4. There are free shuttle buses running between T1,T2,T3 and T4. Those are Green buses with easy-to-see "AENA" titles on them.
Well...as Alitalia MD11 mentioned, there is the famous cafeteria at T2 which offers a nice view of the traffic. You'll see aircraft landing on Rwy 33L or taking off from 15R (depending on airport configuration). You'll also see the aircraft taxiing to/from Terminals 1 and 2 although the amount of aircraft you'll see taxiing in that area has decreased a lot since IB and many other airlines moved to Terminal 4 and they don't taxi in front of T2 anymore.
There's also a great spot (outdoors) between the "old" and new terminals. You'll see all the traffic coming from T1, T2 and T3 for take off as well as all operations at T4.
DTManiac From Germany, joined Aug 2004, 689 posts, RR: 16 Reply 11, posted (7 years 3 months 2 weeks 2 days 15 hours ago) and read 1057 times:
Quoting IBERIA747 (Reply 10): Btw, I would also recommend to visit the new T4. There are free shuttle buses running between T1,T2,T3 and T4. Those are Green buses with easy-to-see "AENA" titles on them.
Good idea. I might do that after my will be picked up at 2pm. For the case I join him I will probably take an evening flight back to CGN or DUS so that I can spend some time at MAD once I am already there. If I lived closer to FRA I would try to take the LAN A343 home to Germany.
As I said my friend will be picked up and taken to Salamanca that day. Does Salamanca have an airport with regular service? Iberia doesnt seem to fly there if the have one.
TriStar500 From Germany, joined Nov 1999, 4685 posts, RR: 47 Reply 12, posted (7 years 3 months 2 weeks 2 days 13 hours ago) and read 1032 times:
Quoting DTManiac (Reply 11): As I said my friend will be picked up and taken to Salamanca that day. Does Salamanca have an airport with regular service? Iberia doesnt seem to fly there if the have one.
No domestic scheduled flight serves the city AFAIK.
Homer: Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true!
AlitaliaMD11 From Spain, joined Dec 2003, 4068 posts, RR: 15 Reply 13, posted (7 years 3 months 2 weeks 2 days 9 hours ago) and read 973 times:
Quoting DTManiac (Reply 11): As I said my friend will be picked up and taken to Salamanca that day
There is a regular bus service and train service between Madrid and Salamanca. The bus takes about two hours and the train about the same.
Quoting IBERIA747 (Reply 10): taxiing in that area has decreased a lot
Yeah I was going to say since Iberia and other airlines have moved their operations out to Terminal 4 that I am sure the activity in the old terminal area has decreased a lot.
Quoting IBERIA747 (Reply 10): There's also a great spot (outdoors) between the "old" and new terminals. You'll see all the traffic coming from T1, T2 and T3 for take off as well as all operations at T4.
I used to go out to that spot a lot last year when I lived in Madrid. I am heading back to Spain for a month this summer and will defitenley be doing some spotting again. Has the spot changed at all since the new terminals have opened?
DTManiac From Germany, joined Aug 2004, 689 posts, RR: 16 Reply 16, posted (7 years 3 months 2 weeks 2 days 7 hours ago) and read 925 times:
Quoting Dutch122 (Reply 15): You tried to book or call Spanair (JK) they do have flights I thought from FRA, but do not the times, and they sell oneways from €28.
Hmm, strange, their website only shows the same expensive fares as LH's. Maybe I should call them though.
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