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-   -   MDW 1 AM Arrival: Taxi to Airport Hotels (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/southwest-airlines-rapid-rewards/1963077-mdw-1-am-arrival-taxi-airport-hotels.html)

DarkHelmetII Mar 29, 2019 6:21 am

MDW 1 AM Arrival: Taxi to Airport Hotels
 
I land at MDW at 1 AM Saturday morning in early May. My objective is to minimize time on the ground waiting for transport to a hotel. My questions:

1) Will I have trouble getting a taxi cab for the very short ride to the nearby "cluster" of airport hotels between 65th and 67th (e.g. Holiday Inn, Courtyard, Hyatt Place etc...)?
2) Will Uber / Lyft be readily available?
3) Given my objective to minimize time waiting for ground transport, and that $$ is not an issue, is it a fair assumption that I should not wait for the hotel shuttle(s)?

Thank you.

spongenotbob Mar 29, 2019 6:33 am

If money is not an issue, just hire a car service (limousine) and they will be standing there waiting for you.

bobnchi Mar 29, 2019 7:05 am

Readily available, no problems with taxi/uber. Unsure about hotel shuttles at that time, a call to them to check availability wouldn't hurt.

Nirvana91 Mar 29, 2019 8:09 am


Originally Posted by bobnchi (Post 30942461)
Readily available, no problems with taxi/uber. Unsure about hotel shuttles at that time, a call to them to check availability wouldn't hurt.

I'm MDW-based and in full agreement with the poster above. 1am is a late-ish arrival but although I don't think there will be dozens of taxis waiting, you shouldn't worry at all. If for some reason there weren't any taxis, Uber/Lyft are very easy and available, that area of the city is ripe with rideshare in the surrounding neighborhoods.

I would avoid the shuttle situation although you might want to let your hotel know you'll be arriving late so they don't list you as a no-show, especially if your inbound flight is late.

lougord99 Mar 29, 2019 8:19 am

If you take a taxi, I would give the guy a big tip and tell him how much of a tip when I get into the taxi. It would not be fair to have him wait for however many hours he has waited and then get a fare going 2 blocks.

MSPeconomist Mar 29, 2019 9:05 am

I'd start by at least checking whether the airport hotels you're considering have 24/7 shuttle service and whether it's on a scheduled basis or available when you call at around 1 am. You might even be able to arrange for the hotel shuttle to be there at the time you specify in advance. Moreover, when the hotel isn't far, a phone call upon landing can result is the shuttle being there for you, assuming that you don't need to wait for checked bags. For all you know, there could be a scheduled shuttle at just the time you need.

A limo (car service) is likely to charge the same amount regardless of distance (within reason), so that it could be a very expensive ride for what it is.

DarkHelmetII Mar 29, 2019 11:26 am


Originally Posted by lougord99 (Post 30942698)
If you take a taxi, I would give the guy a big tip and tell him how much of a tip when I get into the taxi. It would not be fair to have him wait for however many hours he has waited and then get a fare going 2 blocks.

What's fair for the total amount? Maybe $30? $40? This is exactly why I asked the question in the first place (realizing now I could have asked differently). I totally get it that these drivers wait in line for a while and they would be, understandably, super-pxxxed if they have get an $8 fare or whatever.

lougord99 Mar 29, 2019 12:45 pm

I would say that $25 is fair, but he would not object for a higher total. Driving a taxi at 1:00 am is not a fun job.

Nirvana91 Mar 29, 2019 1:44 pm


Originally Posted by DarkHelmetII (Post 30943296)
What's fair for the total amount? Maybe $30? $40? This is exactly why I asked the question in the first place (realizing now I could have asked differently). I totally get it that these drivers wait in line for a while and they would be, understandably, super-pxxxed if they have get an $8 fare or whatever.

I'm no expert in this but MDW does not receive flights all night, and at 1am I don't think the taxi will have to wait in a very long line for fares like they do at ORD. It's like two miles to the Courtyard but there is a $5 airport pickup fee for a taxi. The overall fare should still be less than $20. If you threw on a $10 tip for the short ride that should be PLENTY nice, plus the hotel is close enough to MDW that the driver can get back there quite quickly. If for some reason I'm wrong and you sense that the driver has waited hours for you, you could be more generous, but I don't think that will be the case. I'm sure most of the time people are tipping $5 or less for these rides, no matter how long the driver waited.

nachosdelux Mar 30, 2019 11:32 am

this is exactly what UBER/LYFT was designed for. No worries about availability or how much to bribe the driver.

ursine1 Mar 31, 2019 8:59 pm

Lyft. You should have no problems.

MSPeconomist Mar 31, 2019 9:03 pm

Without traffic, IIRC a taxi fare From MDW to downtown (loop area hotels) would be about $30, so something close to that would make the driver quite happy. However, I haven't done this real recently so someone else here might want to update my recollection.

ursine1 Mar 31, 2019 9:38 pm

Reading comprehension is fundamental. ;)

The OP is asking about traveling from MDW to a hotel 2 miles away. It's a max 10 minute drive, about a $15 fare on Lyft. Rideshare at MDW is on the lower level, across from baggage claim, outside door 4 (unlike some airports who make it difficult). There's no good reason to use a taxi.

toomanybooks Apr 1, 2019 5:22 am

MDW is between 55th and 63rd, so this trip is closer to one mile than two, I’d say.l

8 streets per mile, normally.

ursine1 Apr 1, 2019 6:05 am

From, say, the TGI Friday's (basically the middle of the hotel area cluster) to Midway departures drop off is about a 1 mile drive. But the reverse trip from the arrivals area (where you pick up a ride share) down to the hotel area is closer to 2 miles, since you have to leave the airport heading north and then turn around to head south to the hotel. ;)

Either way, it's very short.


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