Private or shared airport transfer: which suits you?

What counts as a shared airport transfer?

"Shared" covers three different things at German and Danish airports, and they work in different ways.

• Airport coaches run on a set route and timetable. The Lufthansa Express Bus between Munich Airport and Munich's main station is one; the Midttrafik airport bus between Billund Airport and Aarhus is another.
• Pooled rides are booked in an app, and several passengers going a similar way share one car or minibus. German law calls this pooled on-demand transport and, under § 50 of the Passenger Transport Act, it may only carry trips booked in advance. Hamburg Airport, for example, lists MOIA ridesharing among its ways into the city.
• Shuttle minibuses collect passengers from several flights and drop them at several hotels along one route.

A private transfer is the opposite of all three: one car for your party, from the airport to your door, with no other passengers and no other stops. In Germany it is usually run as private hire, which may only carry bookings that reached the operator first, so it is always arranged in advance.

What does a shared option cost, and what do you get?

Take the Munich airport coach as an example. The Lufthansa Express Bus takes about 45 minutes from the terminals to Munich's main station and runs every 20 minutes. One adult pays €12.50 online or €13.50 from the driver. Each passenger may bring two bags and one piece of hand luggage free, and every extra bag costs €7. The last departure from Terminal 2 is at 22:25.

In Denmark, one adult on the airport bus between Aarhus and Billund Airport pays DKK 166 each way.

Rail can be shared too. In Frankfurt, a group day ticket for up to five people costs €22.50 on the S-Bahn between the city and the airport.

The city pages for Munich, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Aarhus set the train or bus from the airport beside a private transfer, with the source and date of each fare.

These prices are per seat or per group ticket, and they end at a station or a coach stop. For one traveller they are hard to beat. For four people on the Munich coach, the fare is four times €12.50, plus extra bags, plus the taxi or the walk from the main station to the address you are going to.

What do you gain with a private transfer?

• Your timing. The car is arranged around your landing, not a timetable. A coach that leaves for the last time at 22:25 does not help with a flight that lands at midnight.
• One stop, your stop. There is no detour to other hotels and no change at the main station with your luggage.
• Room for what you carry. You give passengers and suitcases in the request, and the quote is for a car that takes them. Mention prams, skis or sports bags, and they are part of the quote.
• A price for the car, not per seat. You see it and approve it before anything is booked.

With Reserviox, the airport transfer and chauffeur booking service in Europe and the UAE, you send one request for the trip. You approve the price, nothing is booked until you agree, and a local transport operator drives.

When does a shared option make more sense?

Choose a coach, a train or a pooled ride when:

• you travel alone or as two, with luggage you can manage on steps and platforms;
• your hotel is close to a coach stop or a main station;
• you land in the daytime, when coaches and trains run often;
• the lowest price matters more to you than the time the trip takes.

When does a private transfer make more sense?

Choose a private transfer when:

• you are three or more, or travel with children, older relatives or a lot of luggage;
• you land late, after the last coach, or very early;
• your address is outside the city or far from a station;
• you have a meeting, an event or a train to reach at a set time;
• you would rather not share a car with strangers after a long flight.

For a larger party, such as guests arriving for an event on several flights, send one request with the arrival times and the number of people on each. Larger groups are quoted personally.

How do you compare the two fairly?

1. Multiply the shared fare by the number of people travelling.
2. Add extra-bag charges and the last leg from the coach stop or station to your door.
3. Check the timetable against your landing time, and allow for a delay.
4. Ask for a private transfer quote for the same trip, then compare the totals side by side.

A few minutes with these four steps tells you more than any general rule. Two travellers with a backpack each landing at noon will usually do well on the coach. A family of four with six suitcases landing at 23:30 has a different answer.

There is no payment to send a request for a private transfer, and nothing is booked until you agree. So you can price both options for your actual flight and decide once you see the figures.

What should you ask before you book either?

• For a shared option: where it stops, when it leaves for the last time, and what the luggage allowance is.
• For a pooled ride: how many stops the trip may include, and whether your luggage fits the shared space.
• For any option: whether the price is per person or per vehicle, and what extra luggage costs.
• For a private transfer: where you meet the driver, what happens if your flight is late, and what the quote includes, such as tolls, waiting and night surcharges.