YOU should always pick up your friends and family from the airport and you’re wrong if you don’t, a travel expert has said.
Whether it’s late at night or first thing in the morning, helping out a loved one by taking them to or from the airport is one of the most important things you can do.
GettyYou should always take your friends and family to the airport, according to a travel expert[/caption]
AlamyTaking a taxi to and from the airport can rack up an eye-watering bill[/caption]
That’s according to travel guru Dawn Gilbertson, who claims that taking someone to or from the airport is the “ultimate act of service”.
Not only are you doing them a massive favour by offering your services, but it also helps people save an incredible amount of money.
Taxis to and from the airport can often rack up an eye-watering bill and with the current state of the cost of living crisis, many could do without it.
But it isn’t just the financial side of things that you’re helping out with when offering to take someone to the airport.
Hitching a ride with family or friends also adds a personal touch that you can’t get with even the nicest of taxi drivers, Gilbertson claims.
Writing in the Wall Street Journal, she explains how riding with someone you know is the perfect remedy for airport stress.
Finding someone to take you at certain times of the day can also be stressful.
Early morning airport drop-off’s are easier as a lot of people can continue with the rest of their day soon after.
But those requesting late-night journeys can often find themselves at a loose end.
Not only is it difficult to find someone willing to take you, especially during the week when they might have work the next day, but taxi prices are often through the roof in the middle of the night.
As Gilbertson says, helping out with late-night rides is tough, but it’s where true friends step in.
She references a time where her own friend made two separate trips for a large group of people, but she didn’t mind doing it because it’s “a really nice thing to do.”
Another frequent traveller, Mike Wilner, echoed those thoughts but also made his own good point.
By taking someone to the airport, you are also benefiting yourself, he claims, because you’ve got a favour in the bank for the future.
“It’s the right thing to do, and it helps relationships with friends and neighbours and relatives,” he said. “And having a favour in the favour bank ain’t bad.”
You can also make things easier for yourself by requesting the relevant flight information.
By tracking arrivals, traffic and other factors, you can ensure you make the journey as quick and easy for yourself as possible.
Knowing when the flight is coming in or if it’s delayed will help you plan when to leave and avoid waiting around for ages.
“We have our tips and technology and tricks to sort of minimise the burden,” Wilner says.
If you have plans to drop or pick someone up from the airport who has an afternoon flight, you might want to read this next part.
That’s because another travel expert has warned that afternoon flights are more likely to be delayed or cancelled.
They also reveal why it happens and the best times to fly instead.
Elsewhere, a flight attendant has revealed the huge seat-swapping mistake that passengers make which drives crew mad.
One crew member took to TikTok to share her pet peeve when flying.
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