Is my friend BU to ask me to pick her up from the airport at 2am ?

[Eggsandpickles]

She clearly wants to save money by not getting a taxi. There are no buses to our village at that time. A taxi would probably cost her around £85.
Thoughts ?

you clearly dont want to do it - so say no

(its ok for her to ask, and its ok for you to say no)

I would actually take it as a compliment to be asked. She thinks you are a generous and kind person and I'd be honoured to help. That said, I'd probably ask her to wait til 5am or something at the airport and hope she decides to get a taxi instead!

No she isn't being unreasonable to ask, and you are not being unreasonable to say no.

Or she thinks she's a mug...

Cynic? Moi?

John Worboys, for a start.

£85 is quite a drive. I live just over an hour from Gatwick and it £55 to get home last week.

No I wouldn't do it, and I wouldn't ask someone to do it for me either.

Honestly I think its really cheeky to ask anyone this, especially at that time.

Presumably its not just a quick drive out either if a taxi would be £85.

I think there’s a clear divide here. 2 types of people

those who would offer/help. They’ll be ok with putting themselves out a bit as it’s a nice thing to do. It’s normal for them so they both give and receive these types of favours. It all works out evenly in the long run.

those who would not offer, and see being asked as rude. They highlight that it would impact them and out them out, and see a request as being an attempt to take advantage.

im clearly in the first group. I think the second group see the world with themselves as being paramount and don’t feel they should help others. They see favours as being taken advantage of as they assume everyone else is also self centred.

Tbf there’s a middle group saying it’s ok to ask, don’t be offended, it’s also ok to not do it, and the asker shouldn’t be offended by that.

I live very close to the airport so would do it for a family member or a very good friend, but if I was any further away I probably wouldn't.

@wisherwood - the friend is with her 15-year-old dd. I am sometimes nervous of taxi drivers when alone, but the friend is accompanied.

It is awkward when someone asks a favour like this. Unless the friend is in a position to return this favour in some way I would say they are a cf.

Does she drive? How is she getting to the airport for outbound flight? She needs to pay for long stay parking.

When you cost up a holiday, costs like parking and transfers need to be added to the budget.

I wouldn't mind as long as I'm not working the next day.

A round of applause for @FloydPepper .

Your viewpoint is one of the reasons CFs get away with being CFs. The OP has clearly stated she has never asked for any type of favour, not that kind of relationship. And that her friend can afford to pay for one.

CF excuser - "But you dont know her circumstances, she may not be able to afford it"
Well then she shouldnt be going on a holiday with a 2am flight should she.

I am a very helpful person actually, but to people who don’t take the piss. No I don’t see the world with myself as paramount.

I just don’t think it’s fair to ask a friend to lose a night’s sleep just because you want to save taxi money.

Agree to disagree

@FloydPepper - you may be a lovely person and the rest of us selfish meanies, but I think I have lived long enough to work out who are nice people with whom to happily trade favours - or even unilaterally help out - and who are the cheeky f-ers who are happy to take, and take some more.

It's not unreasonable to ask, but I personally wouldn't go pick a friend up at the airport at 2am. If I was going on holiday, I'd book a flight for a time when I could get myself home/would drive and pay for parking/would get an airport hotel/wait in the terminal with a coffee til a reasonable hour.

Good point. Although I fail to understand how, once the first report was made, how he was able to keep his licence.

She’s not unreasonable to ask, but you’re not unreasonable to say no.

Then you just say no, don't you?

But why should the OP have to incur petrol and parking costs to save the friend from paying the taxi fare?

I can’t believe people are saying it’s not unreasonably to ask.

The kind thing to do would be to realise that it’s not fair to put someone in a position where they have to make the uncomfortable decision to say ‘No, I don’t want to lose a night’s sleep to give you a lift’, especially when that person is not a family member or a close friend and someone who has never asked for a favour from you.

#Bekind people.

Someone who asks you to miss a whole night's sleep to save themselves 85 quid for something they have completely chosen to do is not a nice person.

Airport Premier Inns are c.£35 per room, & taxi will presumably be £40-50 daytime, bus even cheaper.

Or, offsite parking (with shuttle bus) c.£60 p.w. & problem solved.