Airport Taxi Report Winter 2019

Airport taxis very affordable in Spain

• Average cost for a taxi ride from European airports to the nearby city is 40 EUR / 35 GBP
• Taxis in Spain are much more affordable compared to the UK, Italy, France and Germany
• Prices in the UK and Italy are high due to the larger distances between airports and cities

AMSTERDAM, 28 JANUARY 2019. When travelling to Spain, travellers do not need to worry about the price of an airport taxi. The average fare for a taxi from the five busiest airports in Spain to the city centre is 28 EUR / 24 GBP, which is considerably lower than the European average of 40 EUR / 35 GBP. According to a study performed by travel website AirMundo.com, airport taxi prices in the United Kingdom, Italy, France and Germany are much higher.

Airport taxis are known throughout Europe as the fastest and most comfortable travel option, but at the same time as the more expensive alternative to public transportation. This is also true for Spanish airport taxi fares. However, the price difference is not so big. It makes the taxi alternative in Spain not just popular by business travellers, but tourists as well.

The Airport Taxi Report Winter 2019 ‘Taxi fares at European airports’, compares the taxi rates at the 50 busiest airports in Europe. The report offers travellers an insight in the average price for an airport taxi ride to the city centre. Prices of pre-booked taxis are not included in the comparison. The average price for a taxi ride from the airport to the city centre for the 50 airports combined is 40 EUR / 35 GBP, for an average trip-length of 23.5 km (33 minutes). In this article the results for five major European countries (Spain, United Kingdom, Italy, France and Germany) are summarized.

Airport taxis in Spain

In Spain, airport taxis offer a relatively affordable alternative to the public transport system for getting to the city centre. The average price is 28 € and varies between 20 € for a ride out of Alicante Airport to 35 € for Barcelona Airport. The study reveals that the main reason for the relatively low prices in Spain is the close proximity of Spanish airports to the city centres.

“These figures help to sustain Spanish taxi drivers who are combating modern-era alternatives like Uber and Cabify”, says Guus Wantia, owner of AirMundo.com. “Spanish taxi companies offer good service for a reasonable price, yet they have to deal with unfair competition. Unlike their competitors, they do not have the option of increasing prices during peak moments or reducing them during the slow hours. Next to that they have to adhere to much stricter rules.”

Spain	Taxi fare	Kilometres	Price per km
Barcelona Airport	35 EUR	15	2,33 EUR
Palma de Mallorca Airport	30 EUR	10	3,00 EUR
Madrid Barajas Airport	30 EUR	17	1,67 EUR
Malaga Airport	25 EUR	10	2,50 EUR
Alicante Airport	20 EUR	11	1,82 EUR
Average fare, distance, price per km	28 EUR	13 KM	2,28 EUR

Airport taxis in the United Kingdom

London has a total of six airports. London City Airport has by far the most favourable location, very close to the heart of the city. Despite its prime location, the business airport is utilized far less intensive than its bigger brothers Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Luton. The distance from London Heathrow Airport, the busiest airport in Europe, to the city centre is still relatively small. For Gatwick, Stansted and Luton this is not the case. The remote locations of these airports to the city centre result in taxi rates in excess of 100 € for a single trip. Traditional British black cabs (hackney carriage) at airports in the UK are more expensive than their private taxi counterparts.

United Kingdom	Taxi fare	Kilometres / Miles	Price per km
London Luton Airport	109 EUR (95 GBP)	55 / 34.2	1,98 EUR
London Stansted Airport	109 EUR (95 GBP)	63 / 39.1	1,73 EUR
London Gatwick Airport	103 EUR (90 GBP)	47 /29.2	2,19 EUR
London Heathrow Airport	80 EUR (70 GBP)	27 / 16.8	2,96 EUR
Birmingham Airport	39 EUR (34 GBP)	18 / 11.2	2,17 EUR
Manchester Airport	34 EUR (30 GBP)	14 / 8.7	2,43 EUR
Edinburgh Airport	29 EUR (25 GBP)	13 / 8.1	2,23 EUR
Average fare, distance, price per km	72 EUR (62 GBP)	34 / 21.1	2,24 EUR

Airport taxis in Italy

Like the United Kingdom, the busiest Italian airports Rome Fiumicino, Milan Malpensa and Milan Bergamo are located far away from the city centre. The average distance from these airports to the city centre is 44 kilometres. For this reason, airports in Italy are in absolute numbers the most expensive of the five countries: 83 €. Airport taxis fares in Milan are among the most expensive in Europe. When flying to Milan Bergamo Airport it’s not unlikely that the price for the taxi ride exceeds the price of the airline ticket. Despite the high overall taxi rates, the average price per kilometre in Italy is, with a modest 1.89 €, actually lower than those reported for the United Kingdom, Spain, France and Germany.

Italy	Taxi fare	Kilometres	Price per km
Bergamo Airport	105 EUR	52	2,02 EUR
Milan Malpensa Airport	95 EUR	50	1,90 EUR
Rome Fiumicino Airport	48 EUR	30	1,60 EUR
Average fare, distance, price per km	83 EUR	44 KM	1,84 EUR

Airport taxis in France

In France, airport taxi rates are around the European average of 40 €. However, the average price per kilometre is actually the highest of the five reported countries. This high average per-kilometre price is caused entirely by the 32 € flat rate for Nice Airport. With only 7 kilometres to the city centre, the kilometre price is 4.57 €. An airport flat rate is also applied at Paris airports, but these are friendlier priced. Taking a taxi from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to the right bank (rive droite) of the river Seine costs 50 € and to the left bank (rive gauche) 55 €. When flying in via Paris Orly Airport travellers can expect a price of 30 € for the left bank and 35 € for the right bank. Crossing the river Seine means getting into another zone which results in a 5 € price increase.

France	Taxi fare	Kilometres	Price per km
Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport	55 EUR	26	2,12 EUR
Paris Orly Airport	35 EUR	18	1,94 EUR
Nice Airport	32 EUR	7	4,57 EUR
Average fare, distance, price per km	41 EUR	17 KM	2,88 EUR

Airport taxis in Germany

In Germany, airport taxi fares are close to the European average. Only at Munich Airport and Berlin Schönefeld Airport taxi prices are above the average. Not surprisingly this, again, is due to the remote location of the airports. The German airports of Frankfurt, Hamburg, Düsseldorf, Berlin Tegel and Cologne Bonn are located close to city centres and as a result offer taxi rates below the European average. One number that stands out is the relatively high kilometre price of 3.11 € for a cab ride from Düsseldorf Airport to the city centre. A ticket for the train (S-Bahn) costs 2.90 €, 10 times less expensive than a taxi ride. Germany is an economically thriving country so travellers might expect very high airport taxi prices, overall that is not the case.

Germany	Taxi fare	Kilometres	Price per km
Munich Airport	70 EUR	38	1,84 EUR
Berlin Schönefeld Airport	45 EUR	22	2,05 EUR
Frankfurt Airport	35 EUR	12	2,92 EUR
Hamburg Airport	30 EUR	11	2,73 EUR
Düsseldorf Airport	28 EUR	9	3,11 EUR
Berlin Tegel Airport	28 EUR	12	2,33 EUR
Cologne Bonn Airport	27 EUR	15	1,80 EUR
Average fare, distance, price per km	38 EUR	17 KM	2,40 EUR

Prices rise and fall

Of the 50 investigated airports, six show an increase in price compared to half a year ago. Travellers have to pay more now for an airport taxi at Milan Bergamo Airport (100 EUR ↗ 105 EUR), Milan Malpensa Airport (90 EUR ↗ 95 EUR), Antalya Airport (42 TRY ↗ 48.5 TRY), Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport (56 TRY↗ 67 TRY), Frankfurt Airport (30 EUR ↗ 35 EUR) and Budapest airport (7,000 HUF ↗ 7,300 HUF).

For six other airports, the trip to the city centre shows a reduction in price. These airports are London Luton Airport (100 GBP ↘ 95 GBP), London Stansted Airport (100 GPB ↘ 95 GBP), London Gatwick Airport (95 GBP ↘ 90 GBP), Helsinki Airport (50 EUR ↘ 45 EUR), Prague Airport (700 CZK ↘ 600 CZK) and Bucharest Henri Coanda Airport (60 RON ↘ 45 RON).

Airport Taxi Report Winter 2019 ‘Taxi fares at European airports’
AirMundo.com biannually compares taxi prices at the 50 busiest airports in Europe (summer and winter reports). Comparisons are made based on both the taxi ride fare and the price per kilometre. For airports close to the centre, the taxi ride fare is a preferable comparison, the prices are lower because fewer kilometres have to be covered. For airports further away from the centre, the price per kilometre is a more favourable comparison, because the price per kilometre decreases as the distance increases.