If you are reading this in a terminal, the useful thing to know first is that your next move is probably not a taxi. It is the airline. Missed connections and missed departures are routine for carriers in a way they never feel routine for passengers, and the rebooking desk is where the outcome gets decided. Once you know where you are flying from and when, we can move you there on a fixed fare. Before that, we would just be driving you somewhere you might not need to be.
The problem
Do the airline first. Genuinely.
Go to the transfer or ticketing desk for your airline before you book any transport. If the missed flight was a connection on a single ticket, the carrier is generally obliged to rebook you and the cost of doing so is not yours. If it was a separate ticket, or you simply arrived late, the position is weaker but not hopeless — same-day rebooking fares and standby exist, and they are cheaper the sooner you ask. What you should not do is book a long expensive journey while the question of which airport you are flying from is still open. We have driven people to Gatwick who turned out to be rebooked from Heathrow, and there is no version of that we feel good about.
How it works
The airport-to-airport run
Once the airline has rebooked you, the most common outcome in London is that you are departing from a different airport. That transfer is a genuinely awkward journey — Heathrow to Gatwick crosses the entire city on the M25, Stansted to Heathrow is worse, and public transport between London airports is slow and involves changes with luggage you are already tired of carrying. We run these on one fixed fare, both directions, any hour. Give us the new flight and we will work backwards from its check-in cutoff rather than its departure time.
What it costs
The hotel run, and the run home
If the rebooking is for tomorrow, the two remaining questions are where you sleep and how you get back. Airport hotels are close but not walkable with bags, and the shuttle buses stop earlier than people expect. If home is the better option, that is a normal fixed-fare journey at whatever hour it turns out to be — there is no night rate and no surge, which matters more than usual on a day that has already cost you money. We can also hold the return for the morning at the same agreed price, booked now while you still have the energy.
Who books it
What we will not do
We will not quote you a speed we cannot deliver in order to get the booking, and we will not encourage a dash to another airport on the theory that you might make something. If the numbers do not work we will say so, even though saying so loses us the job. Missed-flight passengers are unusually easy to sell to — stressed, time-pressed, not price-checking — and that is precisely the reason to be careful rather than the reason to take advantage.
Related pages
If the flight has not gone yet
Different page, different urgency. If you are still in with a chance, last minute Heathrow and same-day Gatwick cover getting there in time, and both work backwards from the check-in cutoff. For short notice that has nothing to do with a flight, see last minute taxi.
Included
What every fare includes
- Fare fixed and confirmed in writing when you book
- Driver allocated at booking, not found on the day
- One price at any hour, every day of the year
- Saloon through to 8-seater, quoted on the journey
Questions
Before you book
Should I book a taxi before or after talking to the airline?
After. Until the airline has rebooked you, you do not know which airport you are flying from or when — and that determines the entire journey. Speak to the desk first, then send us the new details.
Do you run transfers between London airports?
Yes, all combinations, on one fixed fare in either direction and at any hour. Heathrow to Gatwick is the most common; Stansted and Luton runs are equally covered.
Will you wait while I sort out the rebooking?
Tell us the situation when you book and we will build waiting into the arrangement rather than starting a clock. We would rather hold the car than have you rush a conversation that decides your next two days.
Is there a premium because it is urgent?
No. The fare describes the journey, not your circumstances. Missed-flight passengers are the easiest people in transport to overcharge, which is exactly why we do not.
I have missed the last train home from the airport. Can you help?
Yes. That is a standard fixed-fare journey to any address, at any hour, with no night rate. If it is very late, booking it now rather than at the taxi rank will usually be calmer and cheaper.