Do you get a taxi to/from the airport or do you ask a friend/family for a lift ?

[Thefakeone]

If stupid o'clock and/or airport is miles away then assuming taxi.

My friend will always ask me for a lift, regardless of what airport. I think this is a piss take and if you are going away then you need to factor in the cost of a taxi ?

Neither. Drive our own car and pay £70 for a weeks parking. Depending how far you live from an airport you need to factor in that cost for a holiday. A taxi would cost us £80.

I don’t have much sympathy I’m afraid. I would simply say ‘No can’t do it this time.’ Say it every time, she’ll soon get the message.

Always drive, and park the car long stay.
If an early start, drive and stay in a hotel overnight.
If I didn't have a car, I would always get a taxi - either on the day, or the night before (+ hotel).
I don't even ask my husband for lifts to the airport, so I certainly wouldn't ask anyone else! I think if someone can afford to fly, then they can afford a taxi - it's just part of the cost of the holiday, and should be factored in.

My DH lived very near an airport before he met me. It was a given that his siblings and mother and step father stayed overnight at his were taken to the airport and collect ed even at stupid o clock! This had been the case for many years before I came on the scene. He got a taxi to the airport,as did the both of us. This continued after we married,had DK s, until,he got ill getting up in the night, I actually worked nights nursing and one of his siblings expected me to leave my shift and collect them.. needless to say almost 17 years NC!

We get the train to the airport. If it was at a silly hour, I'd get a taxi or drive and pay for parking. It wouldn't occur to me to ask anyone to take us. I think that's pretty cheeky.

You're being a fool - just say no. Who cares if it upsets or she doesn't like it - you're not her chauffeur

We drive ourselves.

Taxi / train / drive and pay extortionate parking. The one thing we never ever do is expect favours from anyone

Train and/or taxi. It's my responsibility.

I get the train. If it's a very early flight, which I avoid because they wipe me out, I stay in an airport hotel the night before. They are usually quite cheap.

Trains are nice and quick and cheap.

We drive and park (and sometimes get the car valeted!). DH gets a taxi for work trips as obviously I need the car! I’ve given a lift to a friend before. Wouldn’t really occur to me to ask for a lift for a family holiday or something.

But if they’re actually your friend you’d just say ‘it’s literally never gonna happen love 😂 so stop asking!”

We would typically drive and park. Have never asked a friend for a lift (unless travelling together on the flight). Just keep saying no OP.

It’s an easy 15 minute drive for us BUT to drop off or pick up you need to pay extortionate charges. So if I was a friend offering a lift I’d expect friend to pay those. I’d also never agree to an airport drop off or pick up between the hours of 11pm and 7am. Husband sometimes flies and if he leaves or arrives at night he gets a taxi, no questions asked.

We get a taxi or drive ourselves.

Not sure I have ever asked someone to pick me up from the airport apart from DH (and that was before we had DC).

Oh and if I needed a lift I’d ask my dh, if he couldn’t, I’d get a taxi or maybe a bus. I can’t imagine asking a friend unless I knew (s)he was heading that way at that time

If you can't outright say 'no', then say 'Oh I can't, I'm busy then'. If she persists and wants to know what you're doing you can either go jokey- "I could tell you but I'd have to kill you"- or firm "None of your business".

If she still persists, say "Why do you keep asking what I'm doing? I've said no to the favour you're asking, just leave it at that." or "What I'm doing is irrelevant. I can't do this favour for you."

Or you could make up increasingly bizarre reasons:

I'm in the first round of an international Tiddlywinks tournament.
I've promised to feed someone's alpacas.
I have to put a go faster stripe on the car.
It's my aunt's neighbour's hamster's funeral and I'm doing the flowers.

Would never occur to me to rely on anyone else to get me to the airport. Drive for short haul, taxi for long haul. I remember my parents expecting a lift when I had just passed my test and before sat navs were a thing, I was probably about 19, I had to get them to the airport and then get myself to work, I took a wrong turn and got horrendously lost. By the time I started work at 9am Id been driving for about 3 hours in total.

if you were due to pick up from the airport at a reasonable time eg 4pm, but the flight was delayed and was then due in at stupid o'clock eg 1am, would it be unreasonable to then then message your friend to say ''sorry the new pick up time is now too late for me and I can't come and get you. Can you get a cab''

It’s a wrong approach. You just say: No, Susan, it’s not convenient for me. Go by train/ bus/ taxi we always do this !!!!
and be very very surprised that she, a grown up woman can’t managed such a simple task

" how do you say no and then give the weak reason ..." Don't bother with the weak reason. Just say 'sorry, can't do that'. If she asks why reply 'it doesn't work for me'. Repeat as necessary.

"would it be unreasonable to then then message your friend to say 'sorry the new pick up time is now too late for me and I can't come and get you. Can you get a cab''' It wouldn't have been unreasonable to expect her to get herself home at the original time. For the later time simply message 'that's too late for me. You'll have to get a cab'. Again, any pushback just repeat, preferably using the exact same words over and over. (My record, in a different situation, but same pushback, is seven repeats. After a while it stops sounding a bit odd and becomes empowering.)

In reply to your original question we always drive and park or use public transport, depending on which airport and departure and arrival times.

Taxi . I don't want to inconvenience people because I'm not that close to airports . If flights are delayed I'd feel less guilty in a paid taxi

This

A taxi. Sadly it seems your friend thinks you're one. But you can just say no

Two family members asked me for a lift home from the airport (they were on the same holiday). I was 8 months pregnant, had had to finish up work due to discomfort and the drive would have been a two and a half hour round trip minimum for me. The taxi would have taken them 25 minutes.
I said no as I actually had my work leaving do that evening. One of them was not impressed. I'm still upset about that ten years later.

I never ask anyone for a lift.

Well actually, my FIL collected us from an airport literally ten minutes from his house after a year away. That's the only time.

I'm cross with myself for being a doormat. All I keep hearing at the moment is the time someone said to me " how exciting you are going on holiday tomorrow to a fantastic place" my lift-friend chipped in "I've been there. There's nothing fantastic about it"

I was going to India for 3 weeks. My first time there.

Your "lift friend "sounds totally miserable.