Taxi from the airport – Queuing by luck or arranged in advance?
Should you take a taxi from the airport through the queue or order a driver to meet you separately through the on-demand service? We want to help you make a choice that will make your next trip as smooth and pleasant as possible.
You arrive at the terminal from a long flight, wait for your luggage and head towards the taxi queue, only to see that the customer queue is long and at worst you wait for your turn for an hour. You get to the top of the line and the lottery begins to decide which driver and vehicle will hit you this time. The humor starts to wear off and you just want to go home safely. There should be an alternative to this?
Yes, there is a service for that, namely charter services specializing in airport transportation. You order the transport in advance, the driver waits for you at the agreed place, you jump into the warm business class car and head home.
Now let's dig into the topic a little deeper than the surface.
You know what you're getting through the on-demand driving service
Have you ever entered the entrance hall of the field and seen drivers waiting for their customers along the long railing? Many people have not thought that chartered services specializing in airport transportation are a good alternative to the airport's general taxi queues. By booking a driver to pick you up from the airport, you reduce chance and avoid the uncertainty associated with general taxi queues. You will be able to choose the vehicle you want to pick you up with, and you will save yourself from drawing lots in lines. Pretty good deal, right?
Charter operators invest in a more pleasant travel experience
In general, ride-hailing services operate with higher-end vehicles than taxis waiting in a taxi queue. The most common vehicle used in charter driving is the Mercedes E-series sedan, but depending on the operator, you can also choose from luxury class vehicles, such as the Mercedes S-series, in addition to that, several operators have minivans of different sizes for larger groups.
However, for the time being, only Bmw 7 series executive class passenger cars are available through us, for which we recommend a maximum of three passengers and two suitcases. We are actively looking for alternatives so that we can serve you more comprehensively.
Chartered services are a safer alternative to airport taxis
It's really a bit of a lottery when taking transportation from airport taxi queues. Of course, you can "peep" and let the next customer in line pass you by if you don't like the face of the taxi driver next in line. But in this case, why not ensure high-quality transport by ordering an option that suits you in advance? There would be no need to draw lots and worry about what kind of travel experience you will get this time.
How do charter services at the airport work?
Return transportation is ordered directly from an operator specializing in airport transportation in advance. The operators are smaller in number of cars, so it would be nice to place the order well in advance. Through our electronic ordering platform, you can place an order 8 hours before the departure time, for more urgent transport needs we answer by phone. When ordering, you enter the flight number with which the driver can track your flight in real time. The search location is always agreed separately when ordering, the search locations may differ depending on the operator. In many cases, the driver will meet you in the entrance hall, i.e. the so-called "meet & greet" service is applied, especially if you don't know where the operator leaves his car in the parking lot.
How does pricing work?
The on-demand driving service is designed to offer certainty and ease of travel. In general, ride-on-demand services work at fixed prices and airport pickups include, for example, 45-60 minutes of free waiting time after the flight lands. The purpose is that you can wait for your luggage in peace.
A word about price levels
The price level of on-demand driving services usually varies depending on the selected vehicle. Taxis hired from airport queues are often a cheaper option.
The prices of the business class cars of on-demand driving services usually mirror the consumer prices of the largest taxi companies. For medium-long distances of 20-50 km, transportation through the on-demand driving service is, in my opinion, already quite competitive in terms of price-quality ratio. For longer journeys, where travel comfort plays a big role, I would definitely recommend to secure better quality transport in advance and avoid the bad luck of the lottery in general queues.
However, I must remember that the service is more individual. In addition to a professional driver and a high-class vehicle, the fixed price usually includes about an hour of free waiting time after the flight lands, in addition, depending on the operator, bottles of water may be waiting in the car at the end of your long flight.
A big newspaper story about the operators of airport taxi queues
The taxis at Helsinki-Vantaa airport have been steadily popular and several stories have been made about them. I will give one example here from hesar, where the operation of the taxis in the queue is controlled. Attached are a few quotes from the text.
The problems started at the taxi rank, where, according to Sinko, thirty cars were waiting.
None of the cars in the taxi queue at the airport agreed to take Sinkko and his family on board.
"We have been skiing in Lapland for years, and we have never come across a situation like this."
Sinkko says of course that he understands that three people, things and a ski bag cannot fit in a small car.
Even the drivers of cars of sufficient size, however, said that it is not possible to board with a ski bag. Sinko was surprised by this, because according to his estimate, the seats could have been folded down.
"I got the feeling that this is such a skimming of the cream, that we will take the easy rides and easy customers."
I agree with Sinko. After all, it is a cream peeling it should be a universal service used by everyone.
The operators in the queue have specifically promised to drive short distances for 15€ in the tender, but when one hits the spot, they try their best to wriggle out of their responsibilities under any pretext at any time. Of course, I also understand the drivers' side, when on a quiet evening you have waited in line for 3 hours and after the ride, the next 3-hour wait is ahead, a €15 ride is not much consolation. Still, if something has been agreed to be taken care of at certain prices, they should be taken care of.
The on-demand driving service here represents the individualized option where you order the type of transport you want and you don't have to worry about it any more.
Summary: Taxi from the airport – Queuing or via a ride-hailing service?
In this text, I am not offering any "this is how you travel for half price" option, but more to stimulate discussion and thoughts how could you make traveling easy and pleasant for yourself instead of always drawing lots and getting excited. Still, it's about personal preferences in this matter as well. You should probably try both options yourself and decide which is the better option for you.