From Palma airport to the resorts of Mallorca, three options are worth weighing: the bus, a taxi and a transfer booked in advance. On 7 October 2026 the A1 bus to Palma cost €5 (€3 by card), a metered taxi at least €16.95 under the official tariff, and a Comfort-class transfer €71 to Palma and Magaluf, €141 to Alcúdia and €170 to Cala Millor, per vehicle. The bus is cheapest but takes 1 h to 1 h 20 to Alcúdia or Cala Millor; if you land late, travel with children or heavy bags, or want the price settled before you leave, book the transfer at least 16 hours ahead. Trap no. 1: the “from” price on the route list is not the price of your class; only the figure shown in the booking form before payment counts.
The essentials in numbers
From Palma airport (PMI) there are three ways to reach the resorts: the scheduled bus, a taxi and a transfer booked in advance. Every price was read on 7 October 2026 on the pages cited, and prices move with the date, the season and demand. The airport handled about 4.8 million passengers in August 2026, roughly 155,000 a day on average (Aena, via Forbes España, 15 September 2026; the daily average is our own sum).
- Bus to Palma (EMT, line A1): €5 cash, €3 by contactless card; about 20 minutes.
- Bus to the resorts (AeroTIB A11, A32, A42): €6.75 to €13.50 cash, 40% less by card; from 40 minutes to 1 h 35.
- Taxi: metered at the official tariff, at least €16.95 from the airport; a higher tariff applies at weekends.
- Pre-booked transfer (Comfort, 4 people, 3 suitcases): €71 to Palma and Magaluf, €141 to Alcúdia, €170 to Cala Millor; price per vehicle.
- Trap no. 1: the “from” price on the route list is lower than the price of your class (Alcúdia: “from €113”, Comfort €141).
Rule of thumb: alone or as a couple, with hand luggage, heading for Palma or Playa de Palma, the bus wins. With four people, children, a late arrival or a destination in the north or east, the transfer is the calmer choice, even though it costs more. What your base means in driving time is covered in our guide to where to stay in Mallorca.
The comparison in one table
| Destination (distance per the page) | Pre-booked transfer (Comfort) | Taxi (our sum) | Bus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palma (10 km) | €71 · ~15 min | €19–21 (min. €16.95) | A1: €5 cash, €3 card · ~20 min |
| El Arenal (15 km) | €71 · ~25 min | €25–28 | A2: €5 cash, €3 card · ~32 min |
| Magaluf (29 km) | €71 · ~25 min | €42–47 | A11: €6.75 cash · Palmanova ~40 min |
| Peguera (37 km) | €113 · ~35 min | €52–57 | A11: €6.75 cash · ~1 h 10 |
| Alcúdia (62 km) | €141 · ~45 min | €82–91 | A32: €13.50 cash, €8.10 card · Port d’Alcúdia ~1 h |
| Cala Millor (76 km) | €170 · ~1 h 10 | €98–110 | A42: €13.50 cash, €8.10 card · ~1 h 20 |
| Cala Ratjada (82 km) | €240 · ~1 h 10 | €106–118 | no airport line |
On these figures the transfer is never the cheapest option. For four people to Alcúdia the bus costs 4 × €13.50 = €54 in cash (€32.40 by card, before any group discount), the taxi €82 to €91, the transfer €141. For the €50 to €60 extra over the taxi you get a price known before you leave, a driver at the arrivals exit instead of a queue, flight tracking and, if needed, a child seat.
Bus: EMT lines A1 and A2, AeroTIB lines A11, A32, A42 and A51
Buses stop opposite the public arrivals hall, at a shared TIB and EMT bus station opened on 8 August 2025. The A1 runs to Plaça d’Espanya: about 20 minutes, a bus every 12 minutes on average, last departure at 3:10 am according to palmaairport.info (another site says 2 am, so check EMT’s timetable on the day). The ticket costs €5 in cash or €3 by contactless card, accepted across EMT’s whole fleet since March 2026; you tap only when boarding. The A2 serves Can Pastilla, Playa de Palma and S’Arenal.
The AeroTIB lines A11 (the Calvià coast to Camp de Mar), A32 (Alcúdia, Playa de Muro, Can Picafort), A42 (Manacor, Cala Millor, Cala Bona) and A51 (S’Arenal, Llucmajor, Campos) run, according to the Govern, from early morning until midnight, with a bus every 45 to 50 minutes on average. With a bank card you must validate on boarding and again on leaving, otherwise €0.30 per person is charged; in cash, the driver takes banknotes up to €20 only. The amounts come from palmaairport.info; if in doubt, TIB’s fare calculator prevails. What the whole week costs is in our one-week Balearic budget.
The catch is the season: A32 and A42 are summer lines, replaced in winter by A33 (to Port d’Alcúdia) and A43 (to Manacor). The 2025/26 winter timetables began in late October or on 1 November 2025; we did not find the 2026 date. For Playa de Muro, Can Picafort or Cala Millor in late October or November, check the timetable before you go.
Taxi: the official tariff and worked examples
Taxis wait outside the arrivals hall. Mallorca has an official reference tariff (resolution of 25 June 2025, published in the BOIB on 28 June 2025): €2.50 flag-fall and €1.20 per kilometre from Monday to Friday between 7 am and 9 pm, €2.85 and €1.35 per kilometre at night, on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. On top come a €4.65 airport supplement and, from the airport, a minimum fare of €16.95 (flag-fall, supplement and 7 kilometres); €3 more for 5 or 6 passengers, €6 for 7 or 8. The official list has no luggage supplement.
If you land on a Saturday or Sunday, the higher tariff applies. Our sum (flag-fall plus supplement plus the kilometres on the booking page, with no waiting time or traffic; not an official price) gives €42 to €47 to Magaluf and €82 to €91 to Alcúdia; mallorca.com quotes €80 to €95 by day and €95 to €110 at night or on a holiday for Alcúdia. One caveat: according to Humans of Mallorca (December 2025), outside the high season (1 June to 30 September) the older interurban tariff still applies to trips that cross a municipal boundary (by day €3.31 plus €1.16 per kilometre); we could not check this in the official text, and at 62 km the difference would be a few euros. Make sure the meter is running and ask for a receipt (“factura”). In July and August the rank can build a long line late in the evening when flights bunch together (palmaweekly.com, updated 13 June 2026).
The pre-booked transfer: what the booking page shows
A transfer is a private vehicle with a driver, priced per vehicle. On Kiwitaxi’s route pages on 7 October 2026, shown in euros, the Comfort class (4 passengers, 3 suitcases) cost the prices in the table. With four suitcases, take the Minivan (€91 to Magaluf, €141 to Alcúdia); for up to 7 people, the minibus (€99 and €170). According to the page, taxes and tolls are included, and the price “usually does not depend on the weekend or time of day”, except on major holidays or during big events. Extras may apply for an additional stop, a significant detour, longer waiting or a larger class. On timing, the provider quotes 15 to 25 minutes to central Palma, 30 or more on busy summer evenings, and 40 to 70 minutes to the resorts depending on traffic, season and address.
Three cautions when reading the page. The route list shows “from” prices that are sometimes lower than the form’s Comfort price because they show the cheapest class (Alcúdia “from €113” against €141), and neighbouring destinations do not always follow a logic (Playa de Palma, 5 km: €85; El Arenal, 15 km: €71). When we read it, the page defaulted to dollars (“from $84 (€71)”): check the currency and choose euros before paying. And the page’s prose contradicts itself: for Magaluf one text says “from €119”, another “from €47”, and the form €71. What counts is the form with your date, your address and your class, then the confirmation. The price and class for your route appear on the booking page for the transfer from Palma airport, before any payment.
When to book, how to pay and where the driver waits
Standard classes (Micro, Economy, Comfort, Minivan 4, Minibus 7) should be booked at least 16 hours ahead, Premium and minibuses of 10 seats or more 24 hours; with less time, an urgent request is possible, without a guarantee. Enter your scheduled landing time as the pickup time, with the flight number; a child seat, an extra stop and oversize luggage go in the comment field. Payment is online by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay, sometimes with a small deposit and the balance in cash. Cancellation is free, according to the conditions, up to 16 hours before (24 for higher classes); the airport page says 24 hours, and the deadline for your booking is in the confirmation e-mail.
According to the page, the driver waits at the exit of the arrivals hall, after passport control and baggage claim, holding a sign with your name. The conditions include 1 h 30 of waiting after the scheduled arrival time; one text on the same page speaks of an hour, the airport page of 90 minutes from landing, so check the figure on your voucher. If the flight is less than 30 minutes late the driver adjusts; beyond that, call the number on the voucher. According to Aena (notice of 21 February 2024), vehicles with a driver park in front of the terminal or in car park G depending on their contract: read the meeting point on the voucher and allow a few minutes’ walk.
With children under 135 cm, a child restraint is compulsory (DGT); the taxi exemption applies, according to the motoring club RACE, only in urban traffic, not on a trip out to a resort. The child seat is a paid option chosen at booking; by booking a transfer with a child seat, you see the extra charge before paying.
Can you rely on a booking made in advance?
On Trustpilot, Kiwitaxi stood at 4.3 out of 5 from 1,089 reviews on 7 October 2026: 78% five stars and 16% one star (3% four, 1% three, 2% two). Reviewers praise the simple booking, punctual drivers and clean vehicles; they complain of delays, missing drivers and channels that are hard to reach at busy airports. The company replies to 97% of negative reviews, according to the page. These scores cover the whole provider; its Palma page shows only two reviews about the airport, from 2017 and 2018. So save the driver’s number and know where the taxi rank is.
The traps and how to avoid them
- The “from” price. Check the class, the currency (euros) and the final price before paying.
- Taxis at weekends. Saturday, Sunday and public holidays use the higher tariff (€1.35 instead of €1.20 per kilometre).
- The wrong season. A32 and A42 are summer lines; in winter it is A33 and A43.
- Card not validated on leaving. On TIB, €0.30 per person; on EMT, boarding is enough.
- Another taxi instead of your driver. Getting in without a word puts the refund at risk, according to the provider.
- Pedestrian zones. If access is restricted, the driver drops you at the nearest accessible point.
Before you pay: the checks
- Route and address: town, street and number in full.
- Class: Comfort for 4 people and 3 suitcases, Minivan for 4 and 4, minibus up to 7.
- Currency and final price: euros, price per vehicle, child seat or extra stop included.
- Flight number and time: scheduled arrival; save the driver’s number from the voucher.
- Cancellation and plan B: 16 or 24 hours depending on the class; taxi rank and bus stop are in front of the hall.
If you pick up a car on the island later, the routes are in our one-week Mallorca road trip. And to check everything before paying: the route, class and final price of the Palma transfer appear on the booking page.
