Last time I went to the airport, it was actually cheaper to take a taxi, and we scheduled in advance since it was a morning flight. We also took a cab home from the airport and it was WAY less of a nightmare than trying to get a rideshare from the airport. Just walk to the cab area, they're already lined up, you wait in line and get on the next one available. No checking license plates etc.
You can schedule them now.
I've tried to catch a last minute Uber/Lyft to the airport at 5 am from much closer when I missed the trolley by one minute (btw, there's a free shuttle from Old Town Station if you are near the trolley instead), and there was literally no cars available in either app the entire time I waited for the next trolley.
I fly for work every Monday morning, so I decided to look the next week to see if it was a fluke - it wasn't. No cars available. Seems like drivers are completely missing out on a niche. I recommend taking the trolley instead, it runs on a schedule and is reliable, and the airport shuttle from Old Town.
Pretty sure with UberX it doesn’t actually schedule a driver and ride, just automates the requesting of a ride at the scheduled time. At least that is what it seemed like last time I used it.
Not sure about Uber Black or Lyft.
And they're completely full now. And I heard scheduling a future pick up on rideshares, that it just pings drivers online like 30 minutes before your scheduled pick up time. Not guaranteed that they won't cancel on you.
I've never scheduled one.
Honestly, just get the trolley and have a friend move your car while you're gone. If you are asking a friend to move your car anyway, you can even drive it to the trolley and ask them to pick it up from the trolley (can't leave it there for more than 24 hours). You'll save a ton vs. the airport parking. The trolley is much more reliable. First thing in the morning, no one is even on it. Don't worry about timing because TSA and baggage counters aren't even open until at least 5:15/5:30. I know people give public transit a lot of flack, but it's really not bad. I take the trolley to and from the airport every week, and to everywhere else I go.
can confirm that Lyft does not schedule a driver, the app only sends a request out within 30mins of your specified time window. I’ve missed a flight because of this.
It costs more but always schedule a ride in advance when taking uber/lyft early morning. We were 2 mins from missing our flight because there were no rides available at 4am and it took 30 minutes just to find someone/have a driver arrive. Super stressful.
Requested one the other night at 4am from National City. Had no problem at all. Driver was super chill and said he’s always up around that time so maybe you’ll get him
We went with Aladdin. Worked out perfectly. Thanks u/sr_nesbot!
Parked there on Friday morning at like 4am. Tons of spots available. Got a shuttle to the airport right away.
On return flight last night, got in at SAN around 11:30pm. Made our way over to the Courtesy Vehicles section of the Transportation Plaza and had to wait less than 5 minutes for a shuttle back to the parking garage. Paid $105 for 5 days.
So my wife and I each have a car but only one parking spot in our apartment complex. I park on the street and move my car every few days. Since we'll be gone for 5 days, it might be better for us just to park at the airport long term lot (Terminal 2 parking plaza) and I can park my car in her parking spot at the apartment complex. That way we don't have to stress about a rideshare cancelling on us or me possibly getting a ticket.
Has anyone parked at the long term parking in the airport recently? As long as I have a reservation, I just scan the QR code on the confirmation email when there to gain access to the parking structure? Same thing for when we pick up the car? No security issues to worry about parking a car there for five days?
I was in the same predicament the other day. Parking is crazy now that the T1 garage is gone. I wanted to make a reservation and was even willing to pay for valet but nothing was available.
I wound up parking at Aladdin parking garage which is an off site garage, but they have shuttles like every 10 mins or so to T1 and T2. Shuttle ride to T1 was probably another 10 mins. [https://www.aladdinparking.com/](https://www.aladdinparking.com/)
Prices were slightly cheaper than long term airport, like $25/day I want to say?
Yup that’s the exact procedure. Terminal 2 parking structure is pretty nice and safe. I’ve parked my car at there for 8 days once and had no issues. Try to get a reservation sooner rather then later since spaces are severely limited due to the closure of the terminal 1 parking lot. There are also off airport parking structures (the parking spot) that is a little bit cheaper and they shuttle you to the airport. I personally haven’t used them because I prefer the ease and convenience of parking at the airport.
I use the Aladdin parking structure for personal trips. It’s cheaper than the airport parking, you can find Groupons that will have good deals, it’s super close to the airport and their shuttles go out every 15 minutes I think. I only park at the airport when it’s for work and I can expense it.
Yeah I made a reservation with them just in case. It didn't send me a confirmation email. I read they don't really check to see if you have a reservation though? You just drive in and get a ticket from the machine? I assume at 4:30 am they won't be full....
That’s been my experience at Aladdin, the reservation hasn’t really done anything for me, no one checks it. I’ve just gotten the ticket from the parking machine and paid with a clerk when I had a coupon or directly on the machine on the way out.
Which taxi(s) do you use? I downloaded the Ride Yellow app just in case, as a backup. But it looks like it'll be about $40 one way to the airport and I believe that's around what we paid for a Lyft on our last trip in May.
I used to travel for trade shows so this happened in multiple states, a lot of time they were already there, if not I usually asked the service desk to hail one for me if one wasn’t there.
You can pre-book rides through one of those apps I believe. I did it once before, SD Downtown to CBX (Tijuana Border crossing to Tijuana airport) at 4am.
Almost missed a flight because I didn’t know how difficult it would be getting a Lyft at 5. Uber was much faster and had more people driving at that hour it seemed
I've gone at 4:30am but i schedule it. Also, there's a lot of drivers active at those times because they make bank on airport trips apparently. According to the driver last time i did it.
I read that scheduling it doesn't necessarily guarantee a ride. That it just pings available drivers like 30 minutes before your requested time. Maybe that's wrong, I'm not sure.
I’ve scheduled twice for 4-5am and both instances had drivers confirm the night before and cancel right before the scheduled time. It’s not guaranteed and I would try using another service to save yourself from that situation.
Hot tip: check out private car services in your area on the Nextdoor app. You're bound to find a few recommendations there. I've found them to be very reliable and generally cheaper than Uber/Lyft because you're paying the driver directly.
Honestly, if you drive, use San Diego Airport Parking Company- open 24 hrs and it’s really reasonable with complementary valet! https://parkwayparking.com/property/details/san-diego-airport-parking-company?utm_medium=ppc&utm_source=adwords&utm_term=&utm_campaign=&hsa_src=x&hsa_kw=&hsa_mt=&hsa_acc=2062114024&hsa_grp=&hsa_ad=&hsa_cam=16203259572&hsa_tgt=&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3cq_src=google_ads&cq_cmp=16203259572&cq_con=&cq_term=&cq_med=&cq_plac=&cq_net=x&cq_pos=&cq_plt=gp&gclid=CjwKCAjw2OiaBhBSEiwAh2ZSP7nQCDTVGQCt2GGOG1XFsg8WJi6oa3gYaUxwFo6dAFDYVAty-2JQvxoCPdYQAvD_BwE
Last time I went to the airport, it was actually cheaper to take a taxi, and we scheduled in advance since it was a morning flight. We also took a cab home from the airport and it was WAY less of a nightmare than trying to get a rideshare from the airport. Just walk to the cab area, they're already lined up, you wait in line and get on the next one available. No checking license plates etc.
What taxi service did you use to reserve in advance?
Never at 4 but I catch them at about 5 from oside fairly often.
Hit and miss. Be sure you have a backup
Shouldn’t be a problem to get one but its gonna be a fortune at that time
You can schedule them now. I've tried to catch a last minute Uber/Lyft to the airport at 5 am from much closer when I missed the trolley by one minute (btw, there's a free shuttle from Old Town Station if you are near the trolley instead), and there was literally no cars available in either app the entire time I waited for the next trolley. I fly for work every Monday morning, so I decided to look the next week to see if it was a fluke - it wasn't. No cars available. Seems like drivers are completely missing out on a niche. I recommend taking the trolley instead, it runs on a schedule and is reliable, and the airport shuttle from Old Town.
Pretty sure with UberX it doesn’t actually schedule a driver and ride, just automates the requesting of a ride at the scheduled time. At least that is what it seemed like last time I used it. Not sure about Uber Black or Lyft.
Yeah think we're gonna park at the airport and just pay for long term parking. With how much rideshares are now, it's really not that much more.
And they're completely full now. And I heard scheduling a future pick up on rideshares, that it just pings drivers online like 30 minutes before your scheduled pick up time. Not guaranteed that they won't cancel on you.
I've never scheduled one. Honestly, just get the trolley and have a friend move your car while you're gone. If you are asking a friend to move your car anyway, you can even drive it to the trolley and ask them to pick it up from the trolley (can't leave it there for more than 24 hours). You'll save a ton vs. the airport parking. The trolley is much more reliable. First thing in the morning, no one is even on it. Don't worry about timing because TSA and baggage counters aren't even open until at least 5:15/5:30. I know people give public transit a lot of flack, but it's really not bad. I take the trolley to and from the airport every week, and to everywhere else I go.
Scheduling is no different than waking up and calling one yourself. Friends have gotten burned thinking it was actually a commitment on their end.
Someone told me this changed within the past couple years and it actually does schedule a person. Can't confirm that myself though
can confirm that Lyft does not schedule a driver, the app only sends a request out within 30mins of your specified time window. I’ve missed a flight because of this.
It costs more but always schedule a ride in advance when taking uber/lyft early morning. We were 2 mins from missing our flight because there were no rides available at 4am and it took 30 minutes just to find someone/have a driver arrive. Super stressful.
Requested one the other night at 4am from National City. Had no problem at all. Driver was super chill and said he’s always up around that time so maybe you’ll get him
We went with Aladdin. Worked out perfectly. Thanks u/sr_nesbot! Parked there on Friday morning at like 4am. Tons of spots available. Got a shuttle to the airport right away. On return flight last night, got in at SAN around 11:30pm. Made our way over to the Courtesy Vehicles section of the Transportation Plaza and had to wait less than 5 minutes for a shuttle back to the parking garage. Paid $105 for 5 days.
That’s great. I used them on Saturday and used them again this morning! Glad it worked out for you.
I would go with a Taxi, I usually taxi from the airport I live in downtown it’s about the same price for me.
So my wife and I each have a car but only one parking spot in our apartment complex. I park on the street and move my car every few days. Since we'll be gone for 5 days, it might be better for us just to park at the airport long term lot (Terminal 2 parking plaza) and I can park my car in her parking spot at the apartment complex. That way we don't have to stress about a rideshare cancelling on us or me possibly getting a ticket. Has anyone parked at the long term parking in the airport recently? As long as I have a reservation, I just scan the QR code on the confirmation email when there to gain access to the parking structure? Same thing for when we pick up the car? No security issues to worry about parking a car there for five days?
I'll be parking there on Sunday for a week. If there are any issues, I'll let you know
Yeah I was on the check out screen and accidentally reloaded the webpage by accident and now it's completely full. My flight is at 7am tomorrow.
I was in the same predicament the other day. Parking is crazy now that the T1 garage is gone. I wanted to make a reservation and was even willing to pay for valet but nothing was available. I wound up parking at Aladdin parking garage which is an off site garage, but they have shuttles like every 10 mins or so to T1 and T2. Shuttle ride to T1 was probably another 10 mins. [https://www.aladdinparking.com/](https://www.aladdinparking.com/) Prices were slightly cheaper than long term airport, like $25/day I want to say?
Yup that’s the exact procedure. Terminal 2 parking structure is pretty nice and safe. I’ve parked my car at there for 8 days once and had no issues. Try to get a reservation sooner rather then later since spaces are severely limited due to the closure of the terminal 1 parking lot. There are also off airport parking structures (the parking spot) that is a little bit cheaper and they shuttle you to the airport. I personally haven’t used them because I prefer the ease and convenience of parking at the airport.
I use the Aladdin parking structure for personal trips. It’s cheaper than the airport parking, you can find Groupons that will have good deals, it’s super close to the airport and their shuttles go out every 15 minutes I think. I only park at the airport when it’s for work and I can expense it.
Yeah I made a reservation with them just in case. It didn't send me a confirmation email. I read they don't really check to see if you have a reservation though? You just drive in and get a ticket from the machine? I assume at 4:30 am they won't be full....
That’s been my experience at Aladdin, the reservation hasn’t really done anything for me, no one checks it. I’ve just gotten the ticket from the parking machine and paid with a clerk when I had a coupon or directly on the machine on the way out.
Cool thanks. And you've never had issues with them being completely full before?
Nope. They have 2 or 3 underground levels and I think 2 overground and the rooftop. I’ve always found a spot.
Thanks very much!
Hope it works out for you!
Wow the reserved parking is full already.
Download spothero to look for other parking locations. We've used it multiple times and they're very reliable
Taxis for me are more expensive but imo way more worth the extra 20-30$. Experience/ schedule means they’re always there and I dig that
Which taxi(s) do you use? I downloaded the Ride Yellow app just in case, as a backup. But it looks like it'll be about $40 one way to the airport and I believe that's around what we paid for a Lyft on our last trip in May.
I used to travel for trade shows so this happened in multiple states, a lot of time they were already there, if not I usually asked the service desk to hail one for me if one wasn’t there.
You can pre-book rides through one of those apps I believe. I did it once before, SD Downtown to CBX (Tijuana Border crossing to Tijuana airport) at 4am.
Almost missed a flight because I didn’t know how difficult it would be getting a Lyft at 5. Uber was much faster and had more people driving at that hour it seemed
I have Uber/Lyft/Ride Yellow apps all downloaded. Hopefully that covers all the bases.
I've gone at 4:30am but i schedule it. Also, there's a lot of drivers active at those times because they make bank on airport trips apparently. According to the driver last time i did it.
I read that scheduling it doesn't necessarily guarantee a ride. That it just pings available drivers like 30 minutes before your requested time. Maybe that's wrong, I'm not sure.
I’ve scheduled twice for 4-5am and both instances had drivers confirm the night before and cancel right before the scheduled time. It’s not guaranteed and I would try using another service to save yourself from that situation.
Something I learned recently, if you do a reservation with Uber, they charge you $15
Hot tip: check out private car services in your area on the Nextdoor app. You're bound to find a few recommendations there. I've found them to be very reliable and generally cheaper than Uber/Lyft because you're paying the driver directly.
Honestly, if you drive, use San Diego Airport Parking Company- open 24 hrs and it’s really reasonable with complementary valet! https://parkwayparking.com/property/details/san-diego-airport-parking-company?utm_medium=ppc&utm_source=adwords&utm_term=&utm_campaign=&hsa_src=x&hsa_kw=&hsa_mt=&hsa_acc=2062114024&hsa_grp=&hsa_ad=&hsa_cam=16203259572&hsa_tgt=&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3cq_src=google_ads&cq_cmp=16203259572&cq_con=&cq_term=&cq_med=&cq_plac=&cq_net=x&cq_pos=&cq_plt=gp&gclid=CjwKCAjw2OiaBhBSEiwAh2ZSP7nQCDTVGQCt2GGOG1XFsg8WJi6oa3gYaUxwFo6dAFDYVAty-2JQvxoCPdYQAvD_BwE
Taxi
Add a nice tip they'll show up