Short-stay pickup · why we use it
Why Heathrow short-stay pickup beats kerbside.
Forecourt enforcement, the 10-minute limit, and the £15-25 cost of name-board meet & greet make short-stay the rational choice. You walk 6-8 minutes from arrivals; the driver pulls in within 5 minutes of your call. Total: 11-13 minutes from customs to vehicle door.
Walking to short-stay
6–8 min
Driver to kerb
≈5 min
Forecourt limit
10 min
Name-board extra cost
£15–25
Why don't drivers wait on the kerbside?
Heathrow's forecourt enforcement moves cars on after 10 minutes. Officers patrol the forecourt areas constantly; staying longer triggers move-on instructions, and beyond move-on, automatic fines.
Even with the £7 drop-off charge paid, the forecourt time is hard-capped at 10 minutes. If your customs queue takes 25 minutes (normal for international flights), kerbside waiting becomes operationally impossible.
Why not a name-board meet & greet inside the terminal?
It requires the driver to park in short-stay anyway, then walk into the terminal — adding £15-25 to the cost without speeding up the pickup. The actual customer-to-vehicle time is similar: phone-call pickup ≈ 11-13 minutes; name-board ≈ 15-20 minutes once you account for the walk back from arrivals to short-stay together.
Operators who charge £15-25 for "meet & greet" are charging for the impression of a better service — not for faster delivery. The phone-call pickup is faster, cheaper, and works at every terminal.
How much does Heathrow short-stay cost?
£5 for the first 30 minutes — usually enough for a pickup. Beyond 30 minutes, additional half-hour increments at £4. The driver pays this directly; it's not passed to the passenger.
Note: the £7 forecourt drop-off charge is separate from the short-stay parking fee. Short-stay is paid for parking time; the £7 covers airport-area access regardless of where the vehicle stops.
Can mobility-restricted passengers be collected from the door?
Yes — kerbside collection on request. The 10-minute forecourt window is plenty for a known mobility transfer where the driver knows when to arrive. Mention at booking; we'll coordinate with you on the day.
For wheelchair passengers, we can also arrange disability-aware vehicle access. The estate car has standard rear-door access; for full wheelchair-accessible vehicle (WAV), we partner with a local WAV provider — let us know in advance.
What if it's full?
Heathrow short-stay car parks are sized for the terminal volume — they rarely fill during off-peak periods. During Christmas weeks or peak holiday Saturdays they can run high; if your terminal's short-stay is full, drivers use the alternative short-stay at an adjacent terminal (T2/T3 share a short-stay block).
In practice we've never had a customer wait extra time because of a full short-stay — operations adjust in real time.
Phone-call pickup, fixed fare