Your flight is delayed. What happens to your transfer?
Flights to Barcelona run late. A summer thunderstorm over the Pyrenees, a delayed inbound aircraft, a slow queue at passport control - the reasons vary and none of them are your fault.
This article explains what happens to a booked transfer when the schedule slips, what it costs, and when you need to do something about it.
The driver follows the aircraft, not the clock
When you give a flight number at booking, the pickup stops being tied to the time you typed in. The system reads the live flight status and moves the pickup with it.
| Situation | What happens | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Flight delayed by 30 min | Pickup shifts by 30 min | Nothing |
| Flight delayed by 4 hours | Pickup shifts by 4 hours | Nothing |
| Arrives at a different terminal | Driver moves to the correct terminal | Nothing |
| Diverted to Girona or Reus | Booking has to be rebuilt | Message support |
| Flight cancelled | Booking cancelled or moved | Message support |
The first three rows are the common ones and they need nothing from you. The last two need a message, because the route itself changes.
The 60 minutes start when the wheels touch
Free waiting at the airport is 60 minutes, counted from the actual landing time rather than the scheduled one. This matters more than it sounds: if your flight lands two hours late, the free hour starts two hours late as well.
What normally fits inside that hour at Barcelona:
- taxiing to the stand and disembarking: 10 to 20 minutes
- the walk through the terminal: 5 to 15 minutes, T1 is large
- passport control for non-Schengen arrivals: 10 to 40 minutes depending on the hour
- baggage reclaim: 15 to 30 minutes
For a Schengen arrival with hand luggage only, you are usually out in 25 minutes. For a long-haul arrival with checked bags at a busy hour, the full hour can be used up.
If you go past 60 minutes, message the driver through the app. The driver stays. The extra waiting is charged at the rate shown in your booking, and you see the amount before it is applied.
The price does not change because of a delay
This is the part people ask about most. A delay does not make the transfer more expensive.
The fare is fixed when you book: it does not float with traffic, time of day, or how long the aircraft sat on the tarmac. There is no night surcharge and no peak-hour multiplier.
Two things are charged separately and both are visible before you confirm: waiting beyond the free hour, and road tolls where the route uses them.
When you do need to write to us
The flight is cancelled. Message support as soon as the airline tells you. The booking is cancelled without a fee, or moved to your new flight if you already have one.
The flight is diverted to another airport. Girona and Reus are the usual alternates for Barcelona. The transfer can be rebuilt from the new airport, with the price recalculated for the distance. From Girona to central Barcelona is 96 km and about 1 hour 30 minutes.
You will be more than an hour in the terminal. A missing bag or a long queue at border control. One message keeps the driver in place.
Booking in advance is what makes this work
A transfer arranged before you fly has your flight number in it. That single field is what allows the tracking to work at all.
A car found on the spot after landing has none of that context: you negotiate a price at the kerb, at night, after a delay, with the meter still to come. Which is exactly the moment when a fixed price agreed in advance is worth the most.
Frequently asked
Am I charged extra if my flight is delayed? No. The pickup shifts automatically with the live flight status, and the fare stays as booked.
How long does the driver wait for free? 60 minutes from the actual landing time, not the scheduled one.
What if baggage takes longer than an hour? Message the driver through the app. They stay, and the extra waiting is charged at the rate shown in your booking.
What if my flight is cancelled? Message support. The booking is cancelled without a fee, or moved to your new flight.
What if we are diverted to Girona? Write to support. We rebuild the booking from Girona: 96 km to central Barcelona, about 1 hour 30 minutes, at a price recalculated for the new distance.
Is there a surcharge for a night arrival? No. The price is the same at three in the morning as at midday.
When is the money taken? The amount is held on the card at booking and charged when the ride starts. A delay does not trigger an early charge.
Can I cancel because of a delay? A scheduled transfer can be cancelled free of charge up to 24 hours before pickup. Inside that window, contact support and we look at the situation.
If you want the delay handling built in, book an airport transfer to central Barcelona with your flight number: fixed at 64 €, 60 minutes of free waiting, no night surcharge. For arrivals at the other airports there are direct routes from Girona airport and Reus airport as well.
All destinations are in the transfer catalogue.