How do you get from the airport into the city, and how much will it cost?

The answer is probably on the internet, somewhere, but this little book quickly and conveniently answers this and many other travel related questions on 456 airports all around the world.

Salk International's Airport Transit Guide The traveler's bible, updated annually
	This pocket sized little book is crammed full of information. It helps you plan your trip before you go and manage your travels while you're on the road. Recommended.

This $9.95 book has already saved me more than $50.  I wanted to get from the Munich train station to the Munich airport, and without this book would have simply hopped in a taxi, not knowing how else to get to the airport.

Happily, the book told me how to find and take a train or bus to the airport, saving me about €40 ($50) in the process.

Chances are it will help your travels, too.

What the Book Contains

This small sized paperback book measures 4" x 6" (regular paperbacks are about 4½" x 7").  It is just over ¼" thick and weighs a mere 3 ounces.  As such, it can conveniently fit in your pocket or carry-on bag when traveling.

The book has 144 pages, all crammed full of text.  It is printed in black with no extra color, and has no pictures or illustrations.  'Just the facts, ma'am' seems to be its motto.  No piece of white paper is wasted; all pages are full of helpful information.

After some explanatory notes at the beginning, it then offers a non-stop alphabetical detailing of 456 airports around the world.

The book is updated annually, and is currently in its 23rd year.  The edition I'm using, published in November 2004, claims to have thousands of changes from the 2003 edition.

The Airport Listings

Listings vary in size.  Large airports, just as New York's three airports, may have up to 1.5 pages of information.  Smaller airports, such as Topeka, KS, or Tortuga, BVI, might have only 3 or 4 lines of information.

For each airport, some or all of the following information is provided :

• City, State, Country

• Time Zone

• Airport Name or names, and airport three letter identifier

• Distance from the city center, and direction from city

• Airport information phone number

• Airport website

• Taxi, limousine, shuttle bus, regular bus, train, light rail, helicopter, and rental car information

• Airport parking and rates

There are 456 airports detailed.  This seems to comprise just about every airport most of us are likely to travel to.  Most of the airports I have traveled to or will soon be traveling to were listed.  Two exceptions were Rotorua in New Zealand being omitted (although Queenstown and Dunedin were listed), and Moscow's Domodedovo (DME) airport.  Although Moscow's Sheremetyevo (SVO) is still the major airport, with airlines like BA using DME, and smart travelers generally preferring DME over SVO, this is an omission that hopefully will soon be addressed.

Details of Travel Options

Within each listing, you're told varying amounts of detail for each travel method.

Taxis

A typical listing will tell you taxi fares and travel times, and if the airport is in a foreign country, will also give guidance on tipping.  More detailed listings may also give information on where taxi stands are, extra information on licensed and unlicensed taxi service, and even complaint numbers if you have a problem with a taxi.

Extra information on flat fares, surcharges for groups or luggage, and even what the meter should show at flag fall may also be given.

Shuttles and Limos

Listings can sometimes provide wonderful information on your various choices of limo services and shuttle bus services, enabling you to price compare before you travel, and even book your travel needs before you leave, although the book also fairly notes that there are likely to be additional options available at the airport not written up in the book.

If there are different fares for one-way and roundtrip, you'll be told about that, and the book even tells you which services are airconditioned.

Public Transport

Bus numbers, train lines, travel times, hours of operation, frequency of service, fares, and other helpful comments and notes all provide helpful data.

This information told me everything I needed to confidently find a suburban train line from Munich's main railway station to the airport, and by comparing the fares and travel times to those of taxis, I could see that it would only take me a few more minutes by train, while saving me substantially, and so did exactly that.  Thank you, Ron Salk, for saving me over $50 and encouraging me to travel slightly more adventurously.

Other Information

A few airports have helicopter service.  I saw, to my surprise, that even my home airport of Seattle offers this - something I'd been unaware of.

Helpful information on parking is also offered, including approximate rates and parking alternatives.

Summary

At only 3 ounces, this book is almost literally worth its weight in gold.  Happily, it costs a whole lot less - a mere $9.95.  If your experience is at all like mine, the book will pay for itself several times over with your first use.

It can be found in some book stores.  Strangely, Amazon claims it to have a list price of $11.95 and sells it for $10.16.  The book is also available through Magellan's at its regular list price of $9.95.

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Originally published 15 Jul 2005, last update 30 May 2021