What to do if your taxi is late: steps so you do not miss your flight

If your taxi is late, act in this order: check the booking details (address, time and day), contact the company straight away by phone or WhatsApp and, if you are heading to the airport with little time to spare, decide on a plan B early rather than waiting indefinitely. With us, the direct contact is 911 76 00 81 or taxi by WhatsApp, 24 hours a day. If it is your arriving flight that is delayed, let us know with the flight number and we will rearrange the pickup.

Below you will find the step-by-step guide, the alternatives for getting to Barajas and how to complain if the delay has caused you harm.

Before you panic, check the confirmation. Many “delays” are actually a misunderstanding:

• Address: the number, the building entrance, the housing estate or a street with a similar name in another town.
• Date and time: a common mistake is booking 00:30 on the wrong day for early-morning flights.
• Pickup point: at a hotel, the main entrance or the side entrance; on a housing estate, the gatehouse or the street.
• Phone: check that the number you gave is correct and that you have signal, in case the driver is calling you.

If a few minutes have passed since the agreed time and you cannot see the taxi, call or write. The sooner we know, the more room there is to sort it out, whether by confirming that the vehicle is about to arrive or by finding an alternative. Have your name, the pickup address and the booked time to hand.

Traffic in Madrid can get complicated because of an accident, a demonstration, roadworks or a big event, and sometimes the driver is stuck a few streets away. That is why communication matters so much: it lets you decide with real information.

Work out how much margin you have left. We recommend being at the airport 2 hours before European flights and 3 hours before international ones; if you are already below that, every minute of waiting counts.

Alternatives for getting to Barajas

• Another taxi: if you are near a taxi rank, it may be the quickest option.
• Metro: line 8 connects with the airport terminals.
• Cercanías (commuter rail): there is a train service to T4.
• Bus: there is an express line between central Madrid and the airport.

Check timetables and frequencies on each operator's official website before deciding. In urgent taxi to the airport you will find more tips for when you are short of time.

When you book a pickup at the airport you give us your flight number: with it we check the terminal and confirm the meeting point. If the flight is delayed, arrives early or is diverted, let us know by phone or WhatsApp as soon as you find out so we can adjust the pickup. It also helps if you message us when you land, especially if baggage reclaim takes a while.

If you cannot find the driver at the terminal

Sometimes the taxi is there and the problem is finding each other. The Barajas terminals are large and have several exits. Before assuming there is a delay, check the meeting point we confirmed, make sure you are at the right terminal (especially at T4 and its satellite) and call or message us: we will tell you where the vehicle is.

• Rain and public transport strike days, when demand for taxis soars and traffic gets worse.
• Big events: matches, concerts, trade fairs or demonstrations that close streets.
• Rush hour on the roads into Madrid, first thing in the morning and in the afternoon.
• Hard-to-find addresses: housing estates, new streets or entrances that do not show up properly on sat navs.

If your pickup coincides with any of these situations, add some margin to the time and leave clear directions in the booking.

• Book in advance, rather than on the day. With our airport taxi booking you can do it days ahead.
• For today and with little margin, call rather than booking online: with less than 2 hours to go, the phone is the quickest way.
• Give a precise address and add directions in the comments (building entrance, housing estate, hotel door).
• Choose a pickup time with a buffer, especially at rush hour or on rainy days.

We expand on these tips in how to avoid delays when taking a taxi to the airport, and if you are flying from the largest terminal, see how early to arrive at T4.

If the delay has caused you harm, the first step is to report it to the company with the details of the service: booking, times and messages exchanged. For cancellations and refunds of services paid online, see our refund policy. And if you are not satisfied, you can turn to the consumer affairs services.