subject: When I Arrive At The Airport, When Should I Call To Be Picked Up? [print this page] Ensuring that you will have transportation when you are traveling is an important part of getting around in any new city. Experienced travelers that are familiar with any given city or those that are backpacking and living on the cheap might prefer to just try and find public transportation like a bus or a subway. However, for those that are on a tighter schedule or who are carrying luggage with them wherever they go, it is more practical to find better transportation. That is where taxi services come in.
When you're trying to take public transportation, there is always the confusion of trying to learn the routes in an unfamiliar city, and trying to juggle luggage in crowded mass transit vehicles. Instead, it is much easier to call a taxi and have it to come pick you up. When traveling into a new city via air though, the question comes about how soon in advance you're going to need to call a taxi in order to have it come meet you.
This completely depends on what city that you are flying into. This is why it can be useful to read local guidebooks and learn about what the local transportation advice is. In cities like New York and Toronto, the major airports tend to have standing taxis outside the airport at all times, and all you have to do is go out to the taxi stand and hail a car. In other cities, like L.A., it can be much more difficult to get a ride in this fashion.
In these cities, it's usually a good idea to call for a cab shortly after you land. If you're only carrying checked baggage, you should place your call as soon as you're allowed to turn your cell phones back on. It doesn't usually take long to clear customs and get outside, which means that you should get the cab on its way as soon as you can. If you checked bags though, you do have much longer to wait. In that case, you could always call your cab once you see others from your flight start to pick up their bags.
There is another option as well that you could always use if traveling to another city. Find a good cab company in that city and call in advance to book your car under your name. That way, you can have a car that is waiting for you when you arrive.
