Madrid Airport delayed or cancelled — how to claim flight compensation?

Madrid Airport flight delayed — claim flight compensation

If the following conditions apply to your delayed flight to or from Madrid-Barajas Airport, then you can claim flight compensation:

• Your Madrid Airport flight was delayed by more than 3 hours
  

• The airline was the party at fault for the disruption. If the delay was caused by a force majeure or a third party, then the airline does not have to pay compensation. See the “Extraordinary Circumstances'' section of this article for more information.

Flight cancelled Madrid Airport — flight compensation and refund policies

In the case that your flight to or from Madrid-Barajas Airport was cancelled, you might be eligible to receive flight compensation up to €600, a full monetary refund of your flight, or both!

How to get compensation for my Madrid Airport flight cancelled?

To get flight compensation for your Madrid Airport cancelled flight:

• Your flight must have been cancelled less than 14 days before the original departure date

• The airline must have been responsible for the cancellation.

How to get a refund for my Madrid Airport flight cancelled?

If the airline offered you an alternative flight and you decided not to take it OR if you were not offered any alternative flight, you can also claim a full monetary refund. 

We do not recommend accepting airline travel vouchers! You would be forced to travel with the same airline again, you would likely have a time limit to use your voucher, and if the airline goes bankrupt, you could lose your money!

How much flight compensation can I get for my Madrid Airport delays or cancellations?

The claim amount per passenger will depend on the distance of your flight.

How to claim flight compensation for my Madrid Airport flight?

Submit your claim with Flight-Delayed.com —  your claim is in good hands with us! It only takes a few minutes, and our experts will take care of the whole process, allowing you to relax while they handle everything!

What do our experts do, and how can they improve your chances of winning a claim?

We have been helping passengers to claim flight compensation for over 10 years! We know all of the airlines' tricks and pain points. Our team evaluates your claim, prepares legal documentation, contacts the airline's legal department, and, if necessary, takes your claim to court to defend your right to compensation. No win, no fee, and no risks for you!

Frequently Asked Questions — Delays and cancellations at Madrid Airport

Delays and cancellations at Madrid-Barajas Airport —  can the airline deny my claim? 

Unfortunately, yes. If the disruptions are caused because of a third party or an unforeseen event, the airline is not the party at fault and, therefore, they are not obligated to pay flight compensation for your delayed or cancelled flights. Those situations are called extraordinary circumstances.

Here you can find a list with some examples of those situations:

• Bad weather conditions, such as thick fog, heavy rain, or thunderstorms.

• A strike, most often specifically within the aviation industry (for example, a strike of air traffic control workers at a specific airport).

  However, a strike of the airline's crew is not considered an extraordinary circumstance!

• Political circumstances, such as a terrorist attack or general security risk due to political unrest.

• Natural disasters, including volcanic eruptions and hurricanes.

• A collision between the aircraft and birds or other foreign objects.

• An ill or unruly passenger.

• Flight delays caused by the airport staff, such as extraordinarily long queues to security checks.

How much time do I have to submit my flight compensation claim?

This depends on the respective regulations in the country of departure, the country of arrival, and the country where the airline is based. The passenger can always choose the most convenient option. If you have a flight from Madrid-Barajas Airport to London Heathrow operated by Iberia, you can claim under British law which gives you 6 years to submit your claim, or under Spanish law which grants 5 years to claim.

I have flown to Madrid from a non-EU country — can I claim compensation?

In some cases, yes. If you fly to Madrid Airport from a non-EU country with a European carrier, then you can claim flight compensation. If you fly to Madrid-Barajas with a non-European carrier, unfortunately, your rights are not covered by British and EU laws and, therefore, you are not entitled to claim flight compensation.

Latest updates on Madrid Airport disruptions today: check your Madrid Airport flight status

As you may have already heard, throughout this summer of 2022, many airports across Europe have experienced a large number of flight delays and cancellations due to crowds, and Madrid-Barajas is no exception. Queues exceeding two hours in length, caused more than 15,000 passengers to miss their flights between March and June.

Although anything can happen at the very last minute, you can check the status of your Madrid-Barajas flight before going to the airport to avoid, as much as possible, unexpected situations.

Flight delayed or cancelled — our tips on how to kill time at Madrid Airport!

If your flight was delayed or cancelled, or if you have a very long layover, take a look at the following list of things you can do.

• Do you like shopping? Whether it's to buy the daily press, buy a gift, or completely renew your wardrobe, the airport shops offer a multitude of options. Duty-free shops, pharmacies, florists, fashion, gifts, newspapers, and anything you can think of! You can also find a wide variety of restaurants. From vending machines to Japanese and Italian restaurants, and of course, a traditional McDonald's, the variety in the terminals is broad.

• If you're travelling with kids, don't forget to stop by some of the entertainment and childcare facilities throughout the terminals.

• Long layover? Then leave your suitcase in the luggage deposit and go to discover the city centre. It takes about 30-45 minutes depending on transport and traffic. The metro, the train and the airport express bus all leave you in the city centre, very close to Cibeles, Gran Via and La Puerta del Sol.

• Need to rest for a while and take a nap? The AirRooms, located in the public area of T4, are your best option.

Use Madrid’s Tourist Guide to get all the information you need about your stay.

About Madrid-Barajas Airport

Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport entered service in 1928 although its official inauguration was three years later. With more than 61,7 million passengers in 2020, Madrid-Barajas has become the fifth most important airport in Europe by the number of passengers behind London Heathrow, Charles de Gaulle (Paris), Schiphol (Amsterdam) and Frankfurt am Main (Frankfurt).

Barajas Airport has four terminals and a satellite terminal. Terminal 4 was inaugurated in February 2006, making Madrid-Barajas the second-largest airport in Europe in terms of terminal surface area. When taking a flight, it is essential to know which terminal your flight is departing from, as both the car parking and the metro stop are different for Terminal 4 and the satellite terminal. The distance between terminals is more than two kilometres.

A total of 74 airlines operate at Madrid Barajas Airport, including Iberia, Vueling, Air Europa, and Volotea, some of the biggest airlines based in Spain.

Useful links

• Avianca flight compensation
• More details on delayed flight compensation
• More details on cancelled flight compensation
• Post-Brexit flight compensation rules in the UK
• Rules regarding missed flight compensation
• Rules regarding flight compensation in the case of denied boarding
• Claim Calculator — check if you are eligible for compensation