Taxi to airport

nuffznuff

Her Maj and I are flying off to sunny climes in the spring 2026 to celebrate our retirement. Flights and hotel booked, but for the UK transfer I'm thinking of booking a taxi to get us to airport. 

I did consider meet and greet among other options, but I didn't want the faff and taxi works out a bit cheaper - plus we travel in a Merc!

So my questions are:
* How far in advance should I book a taxi?
* Is it better to book now (for cheaper prices) or makes no difference if I book about a month away?

For the destination transfer (Spain), it's taxi or walk. So again, is it better to book now (for cheaper prices) or makes no difference if I book about a month away?

It's about the cash flow, y'see... 

Many thanks. 

zagfles

I never book a taxi in advance unless it's at a silly time like 5am, we just book an Uber when we're ready to leave. But we're in the suburbs and there's always a Uber close by, if you're in a remote village it might be sensible to book in advance, but the night before will usually be OK. 

For the destination it'll depend where, often getting an airport taxi will be cheaper than a pre-booked transfer, but you could ask on the relevant tripadvisor forum. But if it's walking distance then that's an option if you can cope with the luggage, we've walked from the airport a few times in various places. 

elsien

Where I am, the minicabs are the same price regardless. I tend to  book a bit in advance  because I panic a bit otherwise. 
Is public transport not an option at either end?

marcia_

I would only book the day before in case the booking gets lost in their system. 

p00hsticks

marcia_ said:

I would only book the day before in case the booking gets lost in their system. 

I'd say it probably depends on the distance, which I don't think the OP has mentioned.
If we're talking a good way (and hence several hours of the drivers time), you may find that leaving trying to book it until the day before means no drivers available, especially in school term time, as many drivers will have regular school runs.

And - as another poster over on the Consumer Rights board recently found out - ensure that you allow plenty of time because usually if the taxi company is late or fails to turn up they won't be liable if you miss your flight/cruise  (and that may not be covered by your imsurance).

nuffznuff

zagfles said:

I never book a taxi in advance unless it's at a silly time like 5am, we just book an Uber when we're ready to leave. But we're in the suburbs and there's always a Uber close by, if you're in a remote village it might be sensible to book in advance, but the night before will usually be OK. 

For the destination it'll depend where, often getting an airport taxi will be cheaper than a pre-booked transfer, but you could ask on the relevant tripadvisor forum. But if it's walking distance then that's an option if you can cope with the luggage, we've walked from the airport a few times in various places. 

Thanks. Walking is out of the question, as airports are 30 mins away by car.

Thanks also for the tip about Trip Advisor. I'll see what there is over there. 

NoodleDoodleMan

"For the destination transfer (Spain), it's taxi or walk. So again, is it better to book now (for cheaper prices) or makes no difference if I book about a month away?"

You will likely find that that your hotel in Spain can arrange a taxi if you give them a few days notice - find their email address an send an enquiry.

A couple of things to be aware of - if your flight is delayed departing it's a good idea to warn them if possible.for obvious reasons.

Unless already done so you'll require to register for EES on arrival at the Spanish airport - that process may cause a delay - there are reports of holdups due to first timers queuing for the scanner system. It's all a bit confused at present, a clearer picture may evolve as we approach April, which is the target date for implementation.

Maybe the best idea is to join the taxi rank once you've cleared passport controls - there will be a steady stream of them coming and going.

You certainly don't want to walk to your accommodation hauling luggage in daytime heat.

Which airport is it ?   

MyRealNameToo

nuffznuff said:

Her Maj and I are flying off to sunny climes in the spring 2026 to celebrate our retirement. Flights and hotel booked, but for the UK transfer I'm thinking of booking a taxi to get us to airport. 

I did consider meet and greet among other options, but I didn't want the faff and taxi works out a bit cheaper - plus we travel in a Merc!

So my questions are:
* How far in advance should I book a taxi?
* Is it better to book now (for cheaper prices) or makes no difference if I book about a month away?

For the destination transfer (Spain), it's taxi or walk. So again, is it better to book now (for cheaper prices) or makes no difference if I book about a month away?

It's about the cash flow, y'see... 

Many thanks. 

Never noticed that booking materially early makes any difference to the price. 

Not all firms are equal though and some do seem to only give out the jobs last minute to freelancers. These days I pay a little more for a firm with a good rep than save £5 but be stressing when the taxi is an hour late picking up. 

Uber can be a good option but its price is variable, most the time its cheaper than a normal pre-booked mini-cab (not a merc) but it can be twice the price if there is bad traffic etc.

Havent been to Spain in ages so really can't remember the taxi situation there. I'd expect you'll be fine queuing for the taxi rank, certainly in less regulated countries you can ask a hotel to arrange a car but their prices are often many times that of the public taxi rank. We went to a fancy restaurant in a hotel once, hailed a cab there for £3.20 and the hotel arranged cab back was £26 - wasnt a fancy car or anything just they charge more to those coming from nice hotels. 

NoodleDoodleMan

Taxis in Spain are well regulated by the local Ayuntamiento (town hall) - airport and resort taxi ranks will display the set fares to various hotels etc.

nuffznuff

Unless already done so you'll require to register for EES on arrival at the Spanish airport.

I've looked that up. Spain and Greece will implement EES by 1 April 2026. The deadline is 10 April, which is before we go away. 

Pollycat

When we take taxis to the airport (usually MAN, BHX, EMA) we take a printed paper with all details on into the taxi office about a week before departure.
We then go in again a couple of days before departure to confirm they have the booking (they always have).
We then get a text from the allocated driver introducing themselves and confirming the booking.