Are you undecided about whether to take an airport shuttle or a taxicab that offers service to the airport? Each style of travel has its advantages and disadvantages depending on what your personal preferences are when it comes to airport transportation.

First off, let’s discuss the advantatages of taking a shuttle bus to the airport. A shuttle has comfortable seats and a good view out the window. However, the disadvantage is that a shuttle may make several stops before going to the airport. It may not be the quickest option as it may stop at several locations to pick up other passengers that are going to the airport with you. Once you’ve made a reservation for a service and gotten an approval from the shuttle company, all you need to do is simply board the vehicle and pay the shuttle driver directly. Having the exact fare amount in cash is a good idea if you want to get through the process of boarding and paying for a shuttle service with as little fuss as possible.

If you don’t like riding on possibly crowded shuttles then taking a taxi service to the airport may be better for you. However taxis usually can only hold about four people safely (with some exceptions in cases of taxi vans), so if you are traveling with a crowd it is best to take a shuttle service or even rent a stretch limo.

Still taking a taxi is a familiar and trusted form of airport transportation mainly because, unlike a shuttle, you can enjoy a more personal experience with the driver and even ask him to take a certain route if needed. Keep in mind that some cab drivers may only accept cash and not credit cards. You cannot pay for a taxi in advance, however you can with a shuttle to an airport.

Some airport shuttle service companies operate their shuttle service from the airport by using many small vans. These vans are held in a lot nearby and as soon as enough passengers (six to ten of them) have bought enough tickets to justify a trip from the airport into the city or attraction destination then the van is released from the lot and people are picked up. If the airport is really busy then you may be picked up by the shuttle service very quickly. If you have arrived at a slow time for air travel, then you may end up waiting on the curb for a while for the shuttle van to get going.

One of the biggest and most inconvenient drawbacks of taking a shuttle from the airport is that because you are sharing the space with other passengers your luggage allocation may be smaller and you may not be able to take on as much luggage with you. Therefore if you have a lot of luggage you may also be forced to wait until there is room for you in the van. However these cases happen quite rarely and usually when the airport is very busy.

There is no real standard about the on-going rates for each type of airport transportation as the price mostly depends on the distance traveled, paid road or bridges taken, and the number of passengers going to a particular location. But in most cases it would be pretty safe to assume that the average rate for a taxi services would be significantly higher then shuttle service over the same distance.