our first trip to spain. we took a taxi from the airport to our hotel which was the crown plaza. we were charged 7000 pesatas. when we got to the hotel we asked how much it should have cost, and the conceirge said 3000 to 3500. he asked if the meter was on. it was not. so anytime you are in spain and take a taxi, make sure the meter is on. learned the hard way.

It's too bad you didn't see Antonio's " Taxi Rip Offs " thread/posting before going. LOTS of details there. Sorry about your bad luck!

Saludos, MadridMan

OUCH. Just goes to show you that the government winks at these rip offs. They could be stopped if there was good will to do so. Hey, why doesn't aerocity do what they do in big US cities? You have a person selling tickets for the shuttle, and you schedule service every 20 minutes... then people have a choice rather than hopping in a cab. I think being ripped off by a cab driver as the first experience that happens in a country is horrid, and always seek to avoid cabs when that's the scenario.

Hello!
Unfortunately, taxi rip-offs like this one are quite usual at Barajas Airport.
Thank you for your suggestions RGF! We will take them into account.
Each day, hundreds of customers take advantage from our fixed rates for airport transfers, without having to worry about being ripped off by taxi drivers at Barajas Airport.

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Juan
Airport shuttle, limo and coach services in Spain. http://www.aerocity.com

[This message has been edited by aerocity (edited 11-16-2000).]

Juan-- Probably in the U.S. the shuttle companies have to pay the airport something to have a little booth/sign where they sell tickets. But it is great, because there is a schedule (every 20 minutes from JFK to Manhattan), they use vans and buses, and you can always count on the shuttle coming by often. When I get to Madrid in January, I want Aerocity to pick me up. But what if my plane is late? Then I'll have to call Aerocity and maybe wait an extra half hour or so til you come? See, that's when it becomes appealing to just take a taxi. Anyway, looking forward to seeing Aerocity in operation.

An hour wait doesn't seem too long. I'm a nut, but waiting at an airport seems like the best of times to plan an itinerary or map out the city or figure out what food you will eat first or washing your face, or even pulling out the dictionary. You can also use this time to lock up your passport duplicate and such in an airport locker and to pick up your bags and if you're traveling with a laptop, to e-mail that you have arrived and to buy postcards.

See, I told you I was a nut.

What do some of you do to pass the time at airports.

People watch!!!! Airports are great for that - rain stations as well. Couple of my fondest memories from my first trip to Europe were scenes I had witnessed in train stations. And over the years I've added scenes from airports.

Hi RGF and all!
We share your opinion about the need of having a ticketing desk at the airport in order to minimize waiting times of customers. However, although Barajas Airport Authority also agrees with it, they face great political pressure from taxi unions so they have it on stand by.
Therefore and until this pressure gets easier, we will have to keep on trying to reduce this waiting times by means of improving our operations.

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Juan
Airport shuttle, limo and coach services in Spain.
http://www.aerocity.com

Thanks Juan! Suerte with your efforts. I am SURE the Barajas authorities and Madrid authorities will continue to defend the rights of the taxistas to cheat tourists shamelessly!!! See you in January (I will make a reservation)