Meeting someone at Madrid Airport.

Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport has 5 arrival terminals: Terminal 1, Terminal 2, Terminal 3, Terminal 4 and Terminal 4S. Each has its own arrivals area, so waiting at the wrong one is the most common mix-up here. The terminal is on their booking or in the airline's app. Check it before you set off and put it in your Greet.

Put the exact spot in your Greet. Your guest sees it on their phone from the moment they land at MAD, even without signal.

• In the arrivals hall of their terminal, a few metres back from the doors.
• At one landmark you can both name: a numbered exit, a café sign or the information desk.
• Not right at the barrier, where everyone crowds and nobody can see past the first row.

Spain is in the Schengen area. Passengers on flights from other Schengen countries walk straight out with no passport check, often within 15 to 25 minutes. Flights from outside Schengen, including the UK, go through passport control first, which can add 20 to 60 minutes at busy times.

Madrid runs on Europe/Madrid time. The clock at the top of this page shows the local time now.

Want the sign to feel local? "Bienvenidos" means welcome in Spanish. Put it in the line above their name.

If they could be flying into a different airport, check which one first. Within 250 km of MAD: Salamanca SLM (170 km), Valladolid VLL (172 km), Logrono RJL (242 km), Zaragoza ZAZ (249 km).