The most touching stories are told in taxis (especially on the way to the airport)

Many of the most touching stories that happen in a taxi take place on the way to or from the airport. It is the journey of farewells before a year away, of reunions after months apart, of the couple setting off on honeymoon with freshly packed suitcases or the child about to catch their first plane. For that short while, the taxi is a small private space between everyday life and the trip, and the driver is a discreet witness to moments the passenger will remember for years.

We do not tell real cases with names: what is said in a taxi belongs to the person travelling. What follows are situations that repeat themselves, in one version or another, in any taxi that works the Barajas run.

The outbound journey is usually charged with held-back emotion. There are students going abroad for an academic year, mentally checking they have packed everything; sons and daughters taking their elderly parents to a long-haul flight; professionals leaving to work in another country with a mix of excitement and vertigo. Sometimes the passenger talks to calm their nerves; at other times they look out of the window in silence, saying goodbye to the city.

On the departures kerb, farewells drag on: one more hug, one last photo, the suitcase someone insists on carrying to the door. Arriving in good time keeps that moment from turning into a race.

The journey back has a different tone. A traveller leaving the terminal after a long flight arrives tired but eager to talk. The journey often fills up with calls to say they have landed, comments about the trip or the phrase so many passengers repeat when they see the first buildings: “it's so good to be back in Madrid”.

To make that first moment comfortable, it helps a lot if the taxi is already waiting. With our airport pickup, you give us your flight number when you book, we check the terminal and confirm the meeting point.

Some journeys are not just another trip. The couple off on honeymoon who still have rice in their hair, the family finally taking the trip they had been planning for years, the person flying to a decisive job interview or to meet a newborn grandchild. In all of them, the taxi is the first setting for the adventure and, often, the last before returning to routine.

Then there are the first times: a child's first flight, which turns the journey into a string of questions about planes; or that of an older person who has never flown and appreciates having the terminal explained to them. If you are travelling with young children, our guide to airport taxis with a child seat may come in handy.

In all these stories the taxi driver stays in the background. They listen if the passenger wants to talk, respect the silence if they would rather not, and make sure the journey is a calm one. There is nothing wrong with keeping quiet: a good professional knows that every passenger experiences the trip in their own way.

From the other side of the wheel, the trade has its own stories, which we gather in taxi driver anecdotes. And if you are wondering why so many people prefer a taxi for these journeys, we explain it in the pleasure of going to and from the airport by taxi.

Touching stories have more room when the logistics are not a worry. A few simple tips:

• Book in advance and plan to arrive at the terminal 2 hours early for European flights and 3 for international ones.
• Give us your flight number if we are picking you up on arrival, so we can confirm the terminal.
• Choose the right vehicle: if there are 5 or more of you or you have lots of luggage, ask for a 7-seater taxi.
• Ask for a child seat when booking, stating the child's age; we will confirm availability.
• Forget about the price: with a fixed fare by area you know what you will pay before setting off, €33 from inside the M-30.

You can book your airport taxi in three steps and pay online or to the driver, by card or in cash.