my experience taking uberBLACK to lax

I'm a fan of uber.  After years of terribly inconsistent and unreliable service from taxis in the Los Angeles area, it is refreshing to be able to get a car easily and reliably at a push of a button.  It's also nice to have the payment (and tip) handled behind the scenes so you don't have to fumble with cash at the end of your ride.

When I'm in town, I will usually use uberX which is cheaper than the more premium versions of uber (i.e., uberBLACK and uberSUV).  uberX is essentially a rideshare service where the drivers are not professional drivers (but do go through some sort of background check by uber).   However because they are not professional drivers, they are not technically allowed to drive customers to and from the airport (or at least that is what I understand from articles I've read on the subject matter).  Therefore, in order to utilize uber for airport transportation, one must utilize uberBLACK or uberSUV - which have flat rates for airport transportation.


On June 27, 2014, I tried my first uberBLACK airport ride.  The website said the ride would be at a flat rate of $69.  I hit my uber button and it told me my ride would be at my house in 4 minutes, and in 4 minutes, my ride was there.  Awesome.  We got to the airport in about 25 minutes taking local routes.  When I checked my email later, it actually said my ride was only about $53 so I guess he didn't charge me the flat rate after all.  Even better. 

When we returned from Italy on July 19, 2014, I checked if there was an uberBLACK car near the airport and there was one available but it was 14 minutes away!  Since that was longer than I wanted to wait, my husband and I opted for a cab.  (Cost with tip was about $45.)  

I guess this is the downside of trying to use uber for a ride from the airport since they can't actually wait at the airport.  Hopefully they will work these kinks out soon since it would be nice to be able to easily use uber to and from the airport.

I'm curious as to other people's experiences using uber for airport transportation.  Please comment below if you've used uber to or from the airport.