Passengers have found themselves stuck in queues for up to two hours to snag a taxi at a major Spanish airport.
Transport chiefs in Spain are searching for solutions to shorten wait times for holidaymakers landing at Alicante-Elche, which is the closest to sunny resorts such as Benidorm.
Last Sunday around 200 people were stuck in a queue, anxiously waiting for taxis to ferry them to their hotels and accommodations. Many spent two hours waiting to get in a cab and away from the airport.
The waits are a long-standing issue that are being fuelled by record flight and passenger numbers.
The longest waits are taking place late into the night, with a whopping total of 182 flights slotted to hit the tarmac between 11pm and 1.15am over the course of one week. Transport bosses have put their heads together to find a solution, organising talks with Spain's Ministry of Transport, local councils, and cab operators to brainstorm a solution to keep these wait times at bay.
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The Valencia government says it will look into providing bus services to try to remedy as much as possible the problem of passengers "trapped" at the Alicante-Elche airport .
The Hotel and Tourism Business Association of the Valencian community (Hosbec), says the repeated scenes are "embarrassing" and is calling for "extraordinary measures" to solve the problem.
Alicante Airport is close to Benidorm (Getty Images/iStockphoto)The lack of transport is also causing "outrage" among the dozens of passengers at what happens as soon as they land.
"This situation is being repeated more and more in recent weeks," said a spokesperson for Hosbec.
Taxi drivers say the situation is not their fault and blame the scenario on several planes arriving at the same time, especially if some of them have been delayed. The most common trips are made to the holiday resorts of Elche, Alicante, Benidorm or Torrevieja.
For British globetrotters planning a trip to Alicante, getting ahead of game by booking their transfers in advance could spare them a taxing wait time at the airport. The British Foreign Office has urged travellers to go for registered or licensed cabs, reports Birmingham Live.
It warned passengers against flouting rules using dodgy services they could end up lighter in the wallet, fined up to a daunting 600 euros (about £507).
According to the Foreign Office: "Only use official registered or licensed taxis, or reputable transport companies you recognise. Licensing regulations differ across Spain and in certain cities, pre-booking is required. Passengers caught using unlicensed taxi services are liable for fines of up to 600 euros. Make sure you book your taxi or airport transfer through a licensed firm."
Illegal transport companies, often found in the nation's tourist hotspots, pose as legitimate entities, making it tricky to discern which are trustworthy. Should a transfer service suggest a meeting point other than the official airport pick-up zone outside arrivals, it's a red flag that they might be unregistered. Moreover, these unlicensed vehicles won't carry passenger liability insurance for accidents.
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