Some of the cheapest flights leave early in the morning: how to get to the airport on time

Early morning and first-thing flights tend to be cheaper because fewer people are willing to get up so early, and they also make better use of your arrival day. Their big drawback is getting to the airport: for a flight at six in the morning you need to be at Barajas by around four, when the metro and Cercanías (commuter rail) are not yet running. The solution is to have your transfer sorted the night before, with a taxi booked for the exact time or with a means of transport you know for sure operates at that hour.

Airlines adjust prices to demand. The most convenient slots, mid-morning or early afternoon, fill up sooner and cost more; the first departures of the day, which mean getting up in the middle of the night, are harder to sell and often show up at a better price on search engines. It is not a fixed rule, but it is a pattern that anyone who compares flights ends up spotting.

Advantages of flying early

• Price: often lower than the same route a few hours later.
• You make the most of the day: you reach your destination in the morning, with the whole day ahead of you.
• Fewer knock-on delays: the first flights of the day depend less on the delays that build up as the hours go by.

Drawbacks worth planning for

• Public transport: the metro and Cercanías do not run in the early hours, and the night-time alternatives are more limited.
• Sleep: sleeping only a few hours and in a rush increases the risk of slip-ups, from an alarm that does not go off to a forgotten document.
• The airport is not empty: the first waves of departures bring lots of people to check-in and security, so the usual margin is still needed.

The margin does not change just because it is the early hours: 2 hours for European flights and 3 for international ones. What changes is that those hours fall in the middle of the night. These examples will help you do the maths:

At that time of night traffic usually flows well, but it is best not to cut it fine: an accident, overnight roadworks or a lane closure can still crop up. If you want the full method for working it out, you will find it in tips for getting to your flight on time.

With the metro and Cercanías closed, the options come down to your own car (with the cost of parking for the whole trip), getting someone to drive you, buses with a night service, whose timetables and stops you should check in advance, or a taxi. We go through the pros and cons of each in how to get to the airport without the stress.

A booked taxi is the option that best fits an early morning flight: it picks you up at your door at the exact time, without depending on timetables or looking for a free taxi in the street at four in the morning. We work 24 hours a day, every day of the year, and with a fixed fare by zone, the published price is what you pay, in the early hours too: from inside the M-30, €33 to any terminal; the other areas are in fares.

The same happens the other way round: many long-haul flights land in Madrid at night or at dawn, before public transport has started. There are taxis at the official rank at each terminal at any hour, but if you would rather not wait, book an airport pickup with your flight number: we check the terminal and confirm the meeting point. If your flight is early or late, let us know by phone or on WhatsApp.

To find out more about the advantage of sorting your transfer in good time, read why book your taxi to the airport in advance, or book it straight away on the airport taxi booking page.