Hotels.com Airport Transportation Insider examines most affordable and convenient ways to get to your destination.
DALLAS – To help Americans better plan their travel itineraries, Hotels.com has compiled an insider’s look at the best transportation options from 29 major airports around the world. The Hotels.com Airport Transportation Insider compares taxi, private car and mass transit options within the most popular international and domestic destinations based on the latest Hotel Price Index.
International Airport Travel
Among the most popular international destinations for Americans, travelers can find the most affordable taxis in Bogota, Columbia (38th most popular) and Bangkok (ranked #21 in international popularity), where you can get from the main airport to the city center for around $7 and $8, respectively. Bogota’s El Dorado International Airport is the shortest drive to city center (20 minutes), while Bangkok taxis offer travelers the most for their money, with the $8 fare covering a distance of 17 miles (average of $0.45 per mile). Travelers can also find a taxi fare from the airport to the main part of the city under $20 in Beijing (#29), Mexico City (#16), Singapore (#19) and Rio de Janeiro (#41).
Hotels.com also found that travelers looking to take advantage of a long international layover to go sightseeing will find the most efficient mass transit options in London (#1) via the Heathrow Express and Madrid (#14) via the Metro de Madrid– both of which take passengers from the airport to the respective cities within 15 minutes. Mexico City and Berlin (#24) also offer airport bus options that take only 20 minutes. A number of cities also offer mass transit options under a $1 that take an hour or less, including the Metro in Mexico City ($0.37), the TransMilenio bus in Bogota ($1) and the MRT rail in Singapore ($1).
Travelers can also find private cars for rates equivalent to average taxi fares in international destinations like Rome (#4) and Madrid, $38 and $51 respectively. Taxi apps also continue to become more popular abroad and services in many top destinations such as Dublin (#17) and Paris (#2) offer rates similar to taxi fares as well.
|
City |
International Popularity |
Major Airport |
Distance to City Center (miles) |
Avg. Taxi Cost |
Avg. Taxi Time |
Avg. Mass Transit Cost |
Ave. Mass Transit Time |
|
Mexico City |
16 |
Mexico City International Airport |
7 |
$16 |
40 |
$0.37 |
35 |
|
Bogota |
38 |
El Dorado International Airport |
9 |
$7 |
20 |
$1 |
40 |
|
Singapore |
19 |
Singapore Changi International Airport |
11 |
$17 |
25 |
$1 |
60 |
|
Bangkok |
21 |
Suvarnabhumi Airport |
17 |
$8 |
40 |
$2 |
85 |
|
Toronto |
3 |
Toronto Pearson International Airport |
16 |
$49 |
50 |
$3 |
75 |
|
Seoul |
23 |
Incheon International Airport |
36 |
$39 |
66 |
$4 |
56 |
|
Dublin |
17 |
Dublin Airport |
9 |
$32 |
25 |
$4 |
30 |
|
Hong Kong |
9 |
Hong Kong International Airport |
25 |
$38 |
30 |
$4 |
40 |
|
Taipei |
47 |
Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport |
29 |
$30 |
42 |
$4 |
60 |
|
Beijing |
29 |
Beijing Capital International Airport |
19 |
$15 |
28 |
$4 |
61 |
|
Buenos Aires |
37 |
Ministro Pistarini International Airport |
19 |
$34 |
60 |
$1 |
120 |
|
Rome |
4 |
Rome Fiumicino Airport |
16 |
$51 |
30 |
$5 |
55 |
|
Rio de Janeiro |
41 |
Galeao International Airport |
12 |
$19 |
40 |
$5 |
66 |
|
Madrid |
14 |
Madrid-Barajas International Airport |
18 |
$38 |
30 |
$6 |
40 |
|
London |
1 |
London Heathrow Airport |
15 |
$109 |
60 |
$9 |
60 |
|
Sydney |
32 |
Kingsford-Smith Airport |
5 |
$35 |
25 |
$14 |
25 |
|
Paris |
2 |
Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport |
19 |
$76 |
56 |
$15 |
48 |
|
Tokyo |
7 |
Narita International Airport |
44 |
$191 |
60 |
$24 |
55 |
|
Berlin |
24 |
Berlin Tegel Airport |
8 |
$30 |
30 |
$3 |
20 |
Domestic Airport Travel
In the U.S., the best airports for long layovers are Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington (8th most popular domestic destination for Americans) and San Diego International Airport in San Diego (ranked #5 for domestic travel). Travelers can get to the cities’ downtown areas within 15 minutes via Washington’s Metrorail ($3) and San Diego’s Metro Bus ($3).
San Diego has the most affordable ($14) and the most efficient (11 minutes from city center) taxi options as well. Passengers arriving in top-ranked Las Vegas, Washington or 10th ranked San Antonio can also get to the city center or main hotel area via taxi for under $25 in 15 minutes or less. John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York (#2) offers the most transportation alternatives to taxis, giving arriving passengers the option of taking the MTA Subway, Long Island Railroad or various shared ride and shuttle bus services – all more affordable than the $52 taxi flat rate to Manhattan.
|
City |
Domestic Popularity |
Major Airport |
Distance to City Center (miles) |
Avg. Taxi Cost |
Avg. Taxi Time |
Avg. Mass Transit Cost |
Ave. Mass Transit Time |
|
Washington |
8 |
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport |
5 |
$17 |
15 |
$3 |
15 |
|
San Diego |
5 |
San Diego International Airport |
4 |
$14 |
11 |
$2 |
15 |
|
San Antonio |
10 |
San Antonio International Airport |
10 |
$25 |
15 |
$1 |
30 |
|
Las Vegas |
1 |
McCarran International Airport |
4 |
$17 |
14 |
$6 |
35 |
|
Chicago |
6 |
O’Hare International Airport |
18 |
$40 |
25 |
$5 |
45 |
|
Los Angeles |
4 |
Los Angeles International Airport |
14 |
$47 |
40 |
$2 |
47 |
|
New York |
2 |
John F. Kennedy Int’l Airport |
15 |
$52 |
52 |
$8 |
50 |
|
Orlando |
3 |
Orlando International Airport |
17 |
$60 |
22 |
$4 |
83 |
|
Houston |
9 |
George Bush Intercontinental Airport |
21 |
$52 |
25 |
$2 |
80 |
|
San Francisco |
7 |
San Francisco International Airport |
14 |
$39 |
19 |
$2 |
50 |
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
