Arrivals

If you are meeting somebody that is flying into London Heathrow - this is the place to be.

Meeting people arriving at London Heathrow Airport is a simple matter of being in the right place at the right time. If Heathrow Airport is new to you then knowing where the right place is and how to get to it can be a bit of a worry. These pages are intended to ease that worry.

Getting to the correct terminal is generally a matter of leaving the motorway system at the correct junction

For detailed information about getting to the various terminals, by road, please see the ‘Routes’ pages.

Getting into the correct car park with the minimum of hassle is a simple matter of being in the right lane, at the right time.

For detailed information about getting to the car parks at the various terminals, please see the ‘Parking’ pages.

Arrival times There is a delay between the stated arrival time and the actual time people leave the customs area. Under normal circumstances this is about 40 minutes. This is quite convenient as getting into the airport from the outer reaches of the perimeter can take 30-40 minutes. With a bit of luck you could contrive to arrive in the Arrivals Hall only a few minutes before your friends/clients.

Flight arrival times do change on the day due to many factors not least of which is wind speed and direction. If you have access to Teletext then check out expected arrival times before leaving home. Obviously, if the flight time is shorter than your drive time there is little you can do.

If the ‘plane is early it is not safe to assume that they will clear customs ahead of the original time nor that they will be late. The only ‘reasonable’ assumption is that if it is on time, it will take around 40 minutes. If the ‘plane is late it is unlikely to be a fast trip though customs.

Where to meet in which terminal? For information on where to meet at each of the terminals please select the Terminal page on the menu above.

Short term parking at London Heathrow Airport can be / is VERY expensive. If you have lots of time to spare you might want to consider finding somewhere to ‘park up’ and take a breather rather than pay for hours of expensive parking.