BlaakLane.com runs a limousine service in 500 cities. You can book a stretch limousine for up to 10 passengers, a sedan, an SUV, a Sprinter or a Rolls-Royce, as a one-way transfer or by the hour. The reservation engine shows the fixed fare for your addresses, date and vehicle before you book, and a 24/7 dispatch desk looks after the trip.
What does limousine service mean today?
The word has two meanings, and it helps to know which one you are searching for. In everyday speech, a limousine is a long stretch car with a partition and side-facing seats, the car of weddings, proms and big nights out. In the transport trade, and especially in North America, limousine service means any pre-booked, chauffeur-driven luxury vehicle: a sedan to the airport, an SUV for a family, a Sprinter for a team. Many airports even label their pre-booked car areas "limousine" pickup.
BlaakLane.com covers both. The limousine service on this page includes stretch limousines from our partner fleet and the full range of chauffeured cars in the fleet. What you book is the vehicle class; what arrives is that class, late-model, with a professional chauffeur. The Wikipedia article on limousines has a good history of how the term came to cover both.
How do I book a limousine?
- Open the reservation engine on this page or at /book/.
- Choose a transfer or hourly service. A transfer goes from one address to another. Hourly keeps the limousine and chauffeur with you, which is how most weddings, nights out and events are booked.
- Enter the pickup, stops and destination. Add the flight number for an airport pickup.
- Select the vehicle. The engine lists what can be confirmed for that city and date, including stretch limousines where a partner operator has one available.
- Review the fixed fare and confirm. No meter, no surge. The confirmation arrives by email, and the chauffeur's details follow closer to the day.
Multi-vehicle bookings, such as three stretch limousines and a coach for a wedding, or a fleet of sedans for a conference, are planned by a coordinator and confirmed in writing. Start with the engine or call the desk.
Which limousine is right for my trip?
| Vehicle | Passengers / cases | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stretch limousine (partner) | 8-10 / 4 | Weddings, anniversaries, nights out, concerts, birthdays | Little luggage room; long wheelbase is slow on narrow streets |
| Standard Sedan | 3 / 3 | Airport runs, dinners, single travellers | Three cases is the practical limit |
| Luxury Executive Sedan | 3 / 2 | Executives, VIP arrivals, a quiet ride | Smaller boot than the Standard Sedan |
| Executive SUV | 6 / 6 | Families, groups of four with luggage, winter roads | Ask for a third-row configuration if all six seats are needed |
| Sprinter Van | 14 / 14 | Wedding parties, teams, crews, group nights out | Not a party bus; standard forward-facing seating |
| Rolls-Royce, Maybach, Bentley (partner) | 3 / 2 | The couple's car, milestones, principals | Book early; few are available in any one city |
| Minicoach and motorcoach | 24-56 / large bays | Guests between hotel and venue, tours, conferences | Planned by a coordinator |
A useful rule: if the trip involves luggage, a stretch limousine is rarely the right car. Its length goes to the cabin, not the boot. For an airport arrival with a group, an SUV or a Sprinter carries the people and the cases.
What is included in the limousine price?
The fare shown is fixed for the trip as booked. It covers the vehicle, the chauffeur and any airport access charges the operator pays to collect you, while parking is passed on at actual cost. Airport pickups are flight-tracked, with waiting included from the actual landing: 60 minutes on international flights and 30 minutes on domestic ones. Other pickups include 15 minutes, and waiting beyond that is charged in 15-minute blocks.
Hourly limousine bookings have a minimum number of hours that depends on the city and the vehicle; the engine shows it before you confirm. Stops added on the day and time beyond the booked hours are charged at the booked rate. For planning, our rates page lists ranges by vehicle class, and the engine gives the exact figure.
Stretch limousines: how the partner fleet works
Stretch limousines are specialist vehicles, and in most cities they are run by operators who focus on weddings and events. BlaakLane.com books them from vetted partner operators in the LimousineWorldwide.Directory network, contracted to the same written standard as every other trip. The confirmation names the operator, so you know exactly who is providing the car.
Typical models are Lincoln, Cadillac or Chrysler stretches seating 8 to 10. Because some jurisdictions set specific rules for stretch vehicles, the operator must hold the licensing and passenger insurance that apply where it works. Our vehicle age rule applies in full: stretch limousines, like sedans and SUVs, must be four model years old or younger. Only Rolls-Royce, Maybach and Bentley are accepted up to seven.
Limousine service for weddings
Weddings are the most common reason people search for a limousine. The key facts to give us are the pickup addresses (bride, groom, bridal party), the ceremony venue, any photo locations, the reception and the time the evening ends. From those, the booking can be built as one hourly block or as separate transfers. Many couples book a Rolls-Royce or a stretch limousine for themselves and a Sprinter or a coach for guests. The dedicated wedding limousine page explains timings, decorations and how far ahead to book. In the northern hemisphere, Saturdays from May to October fill first, so book as soon as the date is set.
Nights out, concerts, birthdays and proms
For an evening with several stops, hourly limousine service is the simplest plan: the chauffeur waits outside the restaurant, takes the group to the venue and is there at the end of the night. Concerts and sports events can mean long queues of cars at the exit, so agree a pickup point with the chauffeur before you go in; he or she will message you the exact spot. For proms and graduation nights, parents usually book, and it helps to put a parent's mobile number on the booking as well as the students' names.
What happens on the day of a limousine booking?
The day before, the confirmation is updated with the chauffeur's name and mobile number and, where the operator has assigned it, the make, colour and plate of the car. On the day, the chauffeur arrives ahead of the booked time and sends a message on arrival. At a private house the limousine waits at the door; at a hotel it usually stands at the main entrance or the taxi bay the hotel nominates; at a church or a venue, it parks wherever the venue's rules allow and the chauffeur tells you where.
For an hourly booking, the clock starts at the booked pickup time, not when you come out of the door, so it pays to be ready. The chauffeur follows the plan in the booking, and if you want to change it, for example an extra stop for photographs or a detour to collect a guest, simply ask: the change is logged with dispatch and charged at the booked rate. At the end of the booking, the receipt arrives by email once the trip is closed. If anything is not as it should be, tell the 24/7 desk while you are still in the car, when it can still be put right.
Limousine service to and from the airport
For airport work, the limousine is usually a sedan or an SUV rather than a stretch, simply because of the luggage. Pickups are curbside at the airport's designated commercial or pre-arranged pickup area as standard. A chauffeur waiting inside the arrivals hall with a name board is the meet and greet add-on, and add-ons are only available in selected locations. Full detail for each airport is in our airport guides, and the airport transfers page explains flight tracking and included waiting.
Corporate limousine service
Companies book limousine service for roadshows, board meetings, client entertainment and staff events. A corporate account adds monthly invoicing, cost centres, booker and traveller profiles, duty-of-care trip data and a named coordinator. For day-to-day business travel, the black car service and executive chauffeur service pages go into more detail, and conferences are covered on the event transportation page.
Limousine service in six busy cities
Limousine work looks different from city to city. The table shows the arrival airports and the local realities in six of the cities where stretch and sedan limousines are booked most. Drive times are typical ranges.
| City | Airports | Typical drive | Local notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | JFK, Newark, LaGuardia | JFK to Midtown about 45-75 min | For-hire vehicles in the five boroughs are licensed by the city |
| Las Vegas | Harry Reid International | Airport to the Strip about 10-20 min | Resort drop-off lanes on the Strip can back up on fight and concert nights |
| Los Angeles | LAX, Burbank, Van Nuys for jets | LAX to Beverly Hills about 30-60 min | LAX pickups for pre-booked cars follow the airport's ground transport rules |
| Miami | Miami International, Fort Lauderdale | MIA to South Beach about 20-35 min | Art Basel Miami Beach, usually in December, fills cars early |
| Chicago | O'Hare, Midway | O'Hare to the Loop about 35-60 min | Winter weather can double drive times |
| Toronto | Pearson, Billy Bishop | Pearson to downtown about 30-60 min | Home dispatch area; Niagara Falls is about 130 km, 1.5-2 h |
Local guides: New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago and Toronto. In New York City, the Taxi and Limousine Commission licenses for-hire vehicles and their drivers; in Nevada, limousines are regulated by the Nevada Transportation Authority; in Toronto, the City of Toronto licenses vehicle-for-hire operators.
How far ahead should I book a limousine?
For an ordinary airport run or dinner, a few days is usually enough, and same-day bookings are accepted where a car can be confirmed. For a stretch limousine or a Rolls-Royce on a Saturday in wedding season, on New Year's Eve, or during a city's biggest event week, book as early as you can: there are only so many of these cars in any market. If the class you want is not offered for your date, the engine will show what can be confirmed, or the desk can suggest an alternative.
Cancellations and changes
The same policy applies to every limousine booking:
- More than 72 hours before pickup: no charge.
- 72 hours or less: 10 %.
- 48 hours or less: 50 %.
- 24 hours or less, or a no-show: 100 %.
For a wedding, it is worth confirming final timings a week before; changes of time or address are repriced in the engine before you accept them.
Checks worth making with any limousine company
Whoever you book, ask who operates the car and check it matches the confirmation on the day. Make sure the operator is licensed where it works and carries commercial passenger insurance. Count the seat belts against the guest list. Be wary of unmarked vehicles offering rides at airports or venue exits. How we vet our own partners is set out on the safety and standards page, and limousine companies that want to join the network can register.
