Booking Related Information

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What is the difference between a private and a shared transfer?

Private Transfers are for customers who want the most hassle-free solution of getting to resort. Simply arrive at the airport, pick up your bags, and you will be met in arrivals by a Ski-Lifts representative and taken straight to your accommodation. No waiting for other people to arrive, you will have the minibus to yourself!

Shared Transfers are for the more cost-conscious customer who is willing to save a little money by sharing a minibus (each minibus seats up to 8 people plus luggage).

Ski-Lifts will always try to offer shared transfer customers a minimal waiting time by allocating minibuses with people on similar (if not the same) flights, and at peak times this waiting time should be less.

The average waiting time for a shared transfer is around twenty minutes. Maximum waiting time for shared transfers is one hour.

The larger the size of your group, the less waiting time there is likely to be. For example a group of 5 is much less likely to have to wait than a group of 1 or 2 people.

Ski-Lifts will occasionally take customers in the same minibus that are going to different resorts. This may involve a customer having to change minibuses en route. Ski-Lifts use specified hubs to do this, and this will only happen when the amount of people booked for travel in a set minibus is low. If this is necessary then your journey time will not be increased by more than 30mins (including the one hour waiting period - so the overall time limit for shared transfers will not be affected). The larger the size of the group, the less likely it is that this will need to happen.

I require a transfer from Geneva Train Station of a Hotel within Geneva?

You must book a private transfer and explain in the notes exactly where you would like to be picked up from. If you book a shared transfer then you will need to make your own way to Geneva Airport in order to meet the Ski-Lifts representative (most hotels offer a free shuttle service, and there are trains every 10minutes from the station to the airport)

I require a transfer from the French side of Geneva Airport – how should I make my booking?

You must book a private transfer and explain that you are arriving on the French side of the airport in the notes. If you book a shared transfer then you will need to make your own way to the Swiss side of the airport in order to meet the Ski-Lifts representative

Different members of my group are arriving on different flights – how should I make my booking?

The answer to this question depends upon whether you all want to:
(1) wait for each other and share a minibus, or:
(2) each member of the group prefers to leave as soon as possible after their flight arrives.

(1) Since you all wish to travel in the same minibus, please enter the flight details of the LAST flight to arrive as your primary flight. Then please enter all details of other flights into the ‘any other information’ box on the booking form.

(2) Since you wish to leave as soon as possible, please make a new booking for each group that wishes to leave separately (again using the LAST flight to arrive as the primary flight).
N.B. If you have different people arriving AND departing on different flights (and require separate arrival AND departure pickup times), then you will need to make separate bookings for each set of people.

If this all gets a bit too complicated, feel free to contact us and we will help you to make the booking.

How do Private and Shared Transfers work for groups of over 8 people?

For example, you are a group of 10 people.

If you book a private transfer, all 10 of you will leave in two private minibuses as soon as you arrive, and be picked up for your return trip at exactly the same time.

If you book a shared transfer for 10 people, 8 of you will leave straight away upon your arrival in a private minibus, and 2 of you will be treated as standard customers on a shared transfer.

On your shared departure, the private group of 8 may leave at a slightly different time to the shared group of 2, however you will be notified of this in advance of the transfer.

N.B. If we do have extra space in the 2nd shared minibus, then there is the option for the group to be split differently (i.e. 7 in the private minibus and 3 in the shared) for the same cost – but this is dependent upon availability.

How much notice do I need to give in order to book online?

The deadline for booking transfers online is 18:00 (French time) three days before the date you which to travel (i.e. you must book by 18:00 on Wednesday for a transfer on Saturday). After this time please contact us by email or telephone to book.

General Pricing Information

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What resorts do you go to, and what are the different costs?

All of this information is available from the quote generator on our homepage www.ski-lifts.com. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us on info@ski-lifts.com or  give us a call.

Are there any extra charges on top of the published prices? Are these included in the price that you receive from the quote generator?

No, there are not any extra charges on top of our published prices. The price the quote generator quotes is the total price that you pay.

Arrival Related Questions

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How do I find Ski-Lifts at the airport?

There will be a Ski-Lifts representative waiting for you as you come into arrivals. They will be holding up a sign with your name on it.

What do I do if I can’t find the Ski-Lifts representative at the airport?

In these cases, you should have already received an SMS message upon landing letting you know what is going on. When this hasn’t happened, please contact us and we will let you know their whereabouts.

How long will I have to wait after I come through into Geneva Airport arrivals until we set off to resort?

In the case of Private transfers there should be minimal waiting time (normally none).

In the case of Shared transfers there may be a wait of up to one hour. Ski-Lifts will always endeavour to minimise waiting times for our customers, and the waiting times given in the case of shared transfers are an absolute maximum (assuming you are not delayed by more than one hour).
Factors which can affect your pickup times:

Will the driver wait if our flight is delayed?

Yes, however if your flight is delayed by more than one hour it may affect your pickup time. In this case, Ski-Lifts reserve the right to pick you up in the next available minibus. You will not be charged extra if your flight is delayed – you have already had enough stress!

Ski-Lifts will always endeavour to do their best for the customer in these situations, but cannot 100% guarantee a maximum amount of waiting time.   

I want a specific pickup time from the airport – is this possible?

For a private transfer this not a problem. Simply enter the desired pick-up time and we will meet you as normal at this time.

If you specify a pick-up time for shared transfers you may have some waiting time. We will endeavour to keep this time to a minimum and it will not be more than one hour.

Can you pick me up from an Airport hotel instead of the airport?

Yes we can, although we limit the hotels that we offer pickups from to the following:
Holiday Inn Express – Geneva Airport
Crowne Plaza – Geneva Airport
In this case, please select the relevant hotel from the dropdown menu, and specify a pickup time.
We will do our very best to adhere to this pickup time, however in busy times you may have to be slightly flexible (up to a maximum of half an hour for private transfers, and up to an hour and a half for shared transfers). If the exact pickup time is very important to you, it may be beneficial to get a free transfer from the hotel to the airport, and we will then pick you as normal in the arrivals hall at the airport (in which case don’t specify the hotel you are staying at).

If you are staying at a different hotel, please arrange for the hotel to transfer you to the airport (this should be free of charge), and we will then pick you up from the arrivals hall in the airport.

Departure Related Questions

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Where will I be picked up from?

Assuming you have supplied us with your address in resort, we will pick you up directly from your accommodation.

What happens if the snow or road conditions are really bad, and the agreed pickup point is unaccessible?

In the event that we are unable to reach a customer for their pickup time due to bad weather/road conditions, the customer must attempt to make his/her own way to a suitable, safe pickup point. We will assist with advice in this matter if necessary and will try to give customers advance warning whenever possible. However if this situation causes a long delay in getting to the new pickup point at the agreed time, we may in some instances have to fit the customer into the next available transfer. This will be decided on a case by case basis, however prior thinking by both customer and Ski-Lifts on this matter should prevent this from happening.

What if I want to be picked up from a different location from where I was dropped off?

This should be specified at the time of booking in the ‘other information’ box. If this new location hasn’t been specified previously, contact our office and they will do they will do their best to accommodate your request.

What happens if I am late for my pickup time?

In the situation that the customer is not at a specified point at the arranged time (excluding flight arrivals), and Ski-Lifts have not previously been informed, the driver will not wait. If you have previously informed us, the driver will wait for a MAXIMUM of 5 minutes for shared transfers, and a MAXIMUM of 10 minutes for private transfers. Please try to be on time!

How long before my flight will I be picked up?

In general, Ski-Lifts aim to get customers to the airport in comfortable time before their flight (one and a half to two hours before) – and will allow ample time to do this.
Ski-Lifts will inform you of the exact time on the afternoon prior to your departure via an SMS message, although a fairly good idea of this can be gained from the following tables:

For shared transfers:

For private transfers we pick up at the following times, before your flight departure time:

Can I specify a drop off time for a departure transfer?

Yes you can. If you are booking a departure transfer but do not intend to catch a flight then please input a specific drop off time (the time you would like to be at the airport by). We will schedule your transfer so that you will arrive at the airport before this time. Please note our private and shared transfer rules still apply.

How will I find out my exact pickup time?

Ski-Lifts will send you an SMS message to your mobile phone the afternoon prior to your departure from resort.
Please ensure that the mobile phone you have specified as your contact number is switched on to receive this message. There is no need to reply to the SMS.
If you have not received this message by 17:00 (French time) the day before your departure, then feel free to contact us.

Can I be dropped off at an airport hotel?

Yes, Ski-Lifts will drop customers off at either of the following hotels:
Holiday Inn Express – Geneva Airport
Crowne Plaza – Geneva Airport
Any other airport hotels should offer a free transfer service from the airport, so Ski-Lifts will drop you off at a suitable location to find this service.

Can I be dropped off at Geneva train/bus station?

Ski-Lifts can only provide private transfers to Geneva train station or bus station.
For shared transfers there is a train station adjoining Geneva airport which provides easy access to the main train and bus station in the city centre. Please see www.geneva.ch/rail.htm
There is also a very good tram service that has a hub at the airport. Please see www.tpg.ch.

Children / Babies

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Do Ski-Lifts offer any discount for young children/babies?

Ski-Lifts offer fares on a per-seat basis, so unfortunately do not offer customers any discount for younger customers. We will however supply child/baby seats when requested at no added charge to the customer.

I have a child who requires a special seat for travel – can Ski-Lifts arrange this?

Yes, simply enter the amount of baby seats and the amount of child seats you require for the transfer from the dropdown menus and Ski-Lifts will make sure that the relevant seat is there on the transfer.

Ski-Lifts use 2 types of child seats (both of which comply with European standards): One of which is a baby seat and is suitable for children between the weights of 0-19Kg The other is a child/booster seat which is suitable for children weighing over 19Kg. Please let us know what you need based upon the approximate weight that you think your child will be on the date of travel. If you have any doubts, please bring your own seat, since Ski-Lifts will not be held accountable for any difference in opinion on this subject. There is no charge for this service.

How do I know whether my child needs a child or baby seat?

Ski-Lifts use 2 type of child seats (both of which comply with European standards): One of which is a baby seat and is suitable for children between the weights of 0-19kg The other is a child/booster seat which is suitable for children weighing over 19Kg. Please let us know what you need based upon the approximate weight that you think your child will be on the date of travel. If you have any doubts, please bring your own seat, since Ski-Lifts will not be held accountable for any difference in opinion on this subject.

Please note - For safety purposes we highly recommend that baby or child seats are provided for all children under 12 years or upto 135cm (whichever they reach first).  

Transfers To Avoriaz

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I am staying in Avoriaz. Should I book a transfer to Avoriaz or Avoriaz cablecar?

The Avoriaz cablecar offers more convenient access to the lower end of the Avoriaz resort, so if you are situated in that area it may be better for you to be dropped off there rather than at the main Avoriaz dropoff/pickup point (right at the top of the resort).

There is a cost for the cablecar (around 6 Euros per person), however you will have to pay for transport from the top of the resort to your accommodation in the lower part of the resort if you get dropped off at the main dropoff/pickup point (the total transfer time is also around 15 minutes less if you go via the cablecar).

If you are situated in the top end of the resort, you are likely to be best to choose ‘Avoriaz’ as your dropoff/pickup point.  

Please check exactly where you are staying in the resort and ask the advice of the accommodation provider if you are unsure of what to do.

N.B. Prodains cablecar shuts between 9pm – 7:15am Monday to Friday, and 12:00am – 7:15am Saturday and Sunday, so if your flight arrival/departure time means that you are going to miss these hours then book to go to Avoriaz (or else you will be stranded at the bottom of the cablecar until it re-opens!).

If I have booked a shared transfer to go to Avoriaz cablecar, and there are people going to Avoriaz in the same transfer as me – where will we stop first?

We will try to avoid this situation, however in the case of shared transfers, if we have different groups of people in 1 minibus that are booked to go to both Avoriaz cablecar and Avoriaz resort, then the minibus will go to Avoriaz cablecar  first.

Avoriaz transfers – what happens in the case of poor weather and road conditions?

Due to it’s high altitude and the fact it only has one thin road that allows access to it, Avoriaz can occasionally be very difficult to access by road.
In the case of severely adverse weather/road conditions going up to Avoriaz from Morzine, Ski-Lifts Ltd reserve the right to explore other suitable transport options for our customers to reach Avoriaz from Morzine (or vice verca). This will only ever be done where it is felt there is a substantial risk involved in attempting the journey.

Any extra cost involved in this will be payable by the customer, which can then subsequently be claimed back from your holiday insurance company (Ski-Lifts will supply documentation to aid this process).