What is the best way to get to the airport? Criteria for deciding and why a taxi usually pays off

To choose the best way to get to the airport, looking at the ticket price is not enough. What really decides it are five criteria: your flight time, your luggage, the number of travellers, the total cost (including parking or everyone's tickets) and how you are going to get back. With that information, the answer is usually clear: public transport pays off for people travelling alone, light and during the day; a taxi, for almost everyone else.

If you would like to review how each option works first, you will find the full comparison in the ways to get to Barajas Airport. Here we focus on how to decide.

1. Your flight time

The Metro and Cercanías (commuter rail) close at night. If you have to be at the terminal very early or you land in the early hours, the options come down to the night bus, a car or a taxi. We explain it in detail in our article on late-night taxis to the airport.

2. Your luggage

With a rucksack, any form of transport will do. With two large suitcases, a pushchair or sports equipment, every change, staircase or crowded platform becomes an obstacle.

3. How many of you are travelling

You pay for public transport per person; for a taxi, per vehicle. A family of four pays for four Metro tickets with the airport supplement, and a single price in a taxi.

4. The total cost, not just the outbound trip

Your own car seems free until you add up the parking for every day. And public transport tickets have to be multiplied by the number of travellers and journeys.

5. The return trip

Coming back tired, perhaps at night and with more luggage than on the way out, changes your priorities. Think about the return when deciding on the outbound trip.

Applying those criteria to the most common cases, the result is usually this:

If you travel with reduced mobility, it is worth finding out beforehand about adapted taxis for people with disabilities. And if you want an overview of everything a taxi offers on this journey, read the advantages of taking a taxi to the airport.

If, after applying the criteria, a taxi is your option, this is what we offer you:

• Official taxis licensed by Madrid City Council, between Barajas (T1, T2, T3 and T4) and the city of Madrid or any town in the Madrid region.
• Fixed fare by area: the published price is what you pay, with no meter and no surprises because of traffic, and it is the same in both directions. From inside the M-30, €33; the rest are on our fares page.
• 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, including for early-morning flights.
• Free booking online, by phone on 911 76 00 81 or on WhatsApp, days in advance or for the same day.
• Payment as you prefer: online by card when you book, through Redsys's secure payment gateway, or to the driver by card or in cash.
• Vehicles with up to 7 seats and child seats on request.
• Airport pickup with your flight number: we check the terminal and confirm the meeting point.

You can do it all from the airport taxi booking page, where you see the price for your area instantly.