I often have to get up a bit too early on Monday mornings these days to catch a flight to Germany. This morning I was clearly on autopilot, and it wasn't until I was almost inside the security check at Madrid's Terminal 4 that someone kindly pointed out that I wasn't flying with Iberia today and that my Spanair flight would leave from the old terminal. As I say, it was early in the morning and it's been very hot this weekend.
Now I know there are buses connecting the terminals but I just turned around and went back into the Metro station. Of course, to get back into the Metro with my normal bonobus ticket I had to pay the infamous Aguirre tax, the €1 supplement that we have to pay at the airport so that this privatised stretch of network keeps the Lideresa's friends from the brink of starvation. I'd already paid it once to get out at the wrong terminal! I was too concentrated on getting to the right place to catch my flight to even think that on arrival at the other terminal I was going to have to pay the same supplement a third time.
I know there are probably still some sentimental people out there who think that travelling between two terminals of the same airport should be free. Welcome to Madrid. After all of this I hope that in whichever sun kissed Caribbean tax haven they use to store the profits of this extortion they can at least name a palm tree in my honour. Or maybe it should be a cocktail. I'll have another Barajas Rip Off, but go easy on the ice because I like that long lasting bitter after taste.
Now I know there are buses connecting the terminals but I just turned around and went back into the Metro station. Of course, to get back into the Metro with my normal bonobus ticket I had to pay the infamous Aguirre tax, the €1 supplement that we have to pay at the airport so that this privatised stretch of network keeps the Lideresa's friends from the brink of starvation. I'd already paid it once to get out at the wrong terminal! I was too concentrated on getting to the right place to catch my flight to even think that on arrival at the other terminal I was going to have to pay the same supplement a third time.
I know there are probably still some sentimental people out there who think that travelling between two terminals of the same airport should be free. Welcome to Madrid. After all of this I hope that in whichever sun kissed Caribbean tax haven they use to store the profits of this extortion they can at least name a palm tree in my honour. Or maybe it should be a cocktail. I'll have another Barajas Rip Off, but go easy on the ice because I like that long lasting bitter after taste.
2 comments:
Ah, the Liderisa is responsible for that? Now it makes sense. I arrived back from the Ukay yesterday, walked several miles from T1 to T3, before realising I'd missed the turn-off for the Metro and having to retrace my steps.
I'll try to be fair to Espe, she probably wasn't responsible for the decision to hide the Metro entrance in a corner of what was at the time the terminal dealing with domestic flights only. I always suspected they did this to ensure a steady flow of jetlagged foreigners into the not so welcoming arms of Madrid's taxi pirates. Aguirre is definitely responsible for privatising the extension to Terminal 4 and then charging to enter the other termi nal as well, even though there was originally no supplement to get off the train there.
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