As a Private Hire Taxi driver based in the South of England, a lot of my business is made up of fares to Heathrow. British domestic and many European flights come into Terminal 1 – definitely the easiest to negotiate in every respect: excellent drop-off zone, good parking adjacent to the terminal, and a ‘compact’ arrivals hall. I thought I’d share some tips for meeting and greeting, as Airports can seem so daunting to the occasional visitor! As a driver, I’m assuming that you are driving in to Heathrow, either to drop off or meet a friend or associate. When you come through the tunnel go into the short stay car park (left hand lane after the lights) if you have to meet someone, and if it’s a drop off and you don’t want to park, then go up the ramp in front of you after the lights.

At the top of the ramp the right hand lane goes straight on if you’re a bus or black cab, otherwise turn left and you can stop on one of the three concourses for a few minutes – enough time for hugs and goodbyes or receipts and thankyous! Just don’t leave your car unattended at ANY time – OK? Your passenger is then on the right level for check-in / departures, and it’s only a few yards walk into the terminal. If you’re entering the car park, a good tip is to use a credit card at the entry barrier rather than pressing for a ticket – this saves time when you leave, no queuing at the ticket machine, and one less piece of paper to hold on to: just use the same card at the barrier on exit and it’ll automatically give you a receipt.

Warning – these machines will let you in with a Switch / Solo card, but they won’t let you out again – to be sure, use a Credit card only for this operation! When you get into the Terminal 1 Short Stay car park, don’t be tempted to go up, unless you’re going to Departures with family or friends – go down, there are usually plenty of free spaces on that level, and it’s far more convenient for Arrivals. The area for meeting people at T1 Arrivals is quite small, and there are always a lot of people there. Unless you know the person you’re meeting, then join the crowd of people with a ‘welcome’ sign – best thing is something distinctive and A4 sized – a logo maybe, but definitely something eye-catching and colourful. Make it easy on the person you’re meeting – most signs have names and flight numbers on – make yours different!

Stand somewhere prominent – where you’ll be seen as soon as your passenger emerges through the sliding doors! You could pre-arrange to meeting under the ‘Meeting Point’ sign, of course. Always check the monitors when you enter this area – a good rule of thumb is that your passenger will come through T1 Arrivals about twenty minutes to half an hour after landing – but always watch the screen for the ‘Baggage In Hall’ indication – this is usually a reliable indicator of their imminent emergence! If you have a mobile phone contact number, then a quick call or SMS message can help keep track of your passenger to let them know where you are, and reassure them that you’re there and waiting – takes away one more anxiety for the traveller. Once you’ve got your passenger, get out of there quick smart – the car park is expensive! Oh, and please drive carefully and considerately on the way home!

Andrew operates a private hire vehicle in South Wiltshire, UK, specialising in airport transfer work, for more information on the services offered visit the Let’s Talk Taxi website.