How airport transfers actually work (and how to pick one)

If you've just booked a flight and tried to figure out how you'll get from the airport to your hotel or resort, you've probably noticed the same thing I did: there are way more options than there should be, and almost none of them compare nicely against each other.

Broadly, an airport transfer falls into one of four buckets: public transport (train or bus), a shared shuttle, a private transfer, or a taxi. Each one trades cost for convenience in a slightly different way.

Public transport is almost always the cheapest, but it works best when you're travelling light and your destination is close to a station. Shared shuttles split a minibus between several passengers — cheap and reliable, but you'll usually wait for the bus to fill and stop at other hotels along the way. Private transfers are a car booked just for you and your group, with a driver waiting at arrivals. Taxis are what you grab on the spot if you haven't pre-booked anything.

The right pick usually comes down to three questions: how many of you are travelling, how much luggage you have, and how late you'll land. Two people with carry-ons landing at 2pm have very different needs to a family of five with ski bags landing at midnight.

That's the whole reason ShuttleHunt exists — to put all four options side by side so you can pick based on real prices instead of guessing.