What "meet and greet" actually means
Meet and greet is the premium airport pickup service tier. Your pre-booked taxi driver arrives at the airport before your flight lands, parks in the short-stay car park, and walks into the arrivals hall holding a printed surname placard at chest height. By the time you clear immigration and baggage reclaim, the driver is already inside the area waiting to meet you. They take your luggage trolley, walk you back to the car (typically 3-5 minutes), settle the short-stay parking fee themselves and drive you out.
For inbound flights, the driver tracks your aircraft on the live aviation feed from the moment it departs origin. The meet point is timed against actual touchdown — not the published schedule — so a delayed inbound never costs you waiting time charges.
What "curbside pickup" means
Curbside (or kerbside) pickup is the basic-tier service used by ride-share apps and budget minicab operators. The vehicle waits at the airport's designated pickup zone (drop-off area, short-stay roundabout, or designated ride-share staging area). You exit arrivals, find signs to the pickup zone, walk out to find the assigned vehicle — usually identified by registration plate via the app. The driver does not enter the arrivals hall and does not help with luggage from arrivals to the vehicle.
This works fine for light travellers with carry-on only and good airport familiarity. It's not ideal for international long-haul arrivals with checked baggage, families with children, elderly travellers, mobility-impaired passengers, or international visitors unfamiliar with London airports.
Side-by-side: meet & greet vs curbside
| Feature | Meet & greet (us) | Curbside (ride-share) |
|---|---|---|
| Where the driver waits | Inside the arrivals hall with surname placard | At the pickup zone outside arrivals |
| Help with luggage from arrivals to car | Yes | No |
| Walk to vehicle through arrivals | Driver walks with you | You walk alone |
| Short-stay parking fee | Included in fixed fare | Not applicable (no entry) |
| Heathrow £7 drop-off fee | Included in fixed fare | Charged separately or added at app |
| Live flight tracking | Yes — meet timed to actual touchdown | App-based, schedule-based |
| Free waiting time after touchdown | 45 minutes | 5-10 minutes typical |
| Cost premium | None — included free | £15-30 add-on if available |
| Best for | International long-haul, families, elderly, mobility, business class | Carry-on only, frequent flyer, light luggage |
Meeting points at each London airport
Heathrow Terminal 5 (BA)
Inside arrivals at the meeting point opposite the immigration exit. After a BA long-haul (Singapore, Tokyo, Cape Town) the driver is positioned at the standard T5 meeting zone with surname placard before your aircraft is on the stand. See our Heathrow T5 transactional page for the full T5 routing detail.
Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3 (Star Alliance, Virgin, Oneworld)
T2 Queen's Terminal: arrivals near the M&S information desk. T3: central exit between the two immigration channels. Both terminals share the M25 J16 + central tunnel routing. See our Terminal 2 taxi page and Terminal 3 taxi page for fixed prices.
Heathrow Terminal 4 (SkyTeam)
Standalone southern perimeter terminal. Meeting point is the arrivals exit near the M&S Food shop. Drivers access via the dedicated J14 perimeter spur. See our Terminal 4 taxi page for fixed prices.
Gatwick North & South Terminals
Terminal-specific based on your carrier — North for easyJet, Norwegian, TUI long-haul; South for BA short-haul, Virgin Atlantic Caribbean. Surname placard at the arrivals exit.
Luton, Stansted, London City
Luton: inside arrivals to the right of the gate exit — we skip the DART shuttle bottleneck. Stansted: inside arrivals after the baggage carousels — we skip the taxi rank queue. London City: at the dedicated business-traveller meeting zone near the DLR exit. See our dedicated Luton pickup, Stansted pickup and LCY pickup pages.
When to choose meet & greet vs curbside
Choose meet & greet if you're arriving long-haul with hold luggage, travelling with children or elderly relatives, on a business trip with hand-luggage plus laptop bag, arriving for the first time at an unfamiliar airport, returning from a charter holiday with multiple cases, or simply value the convenience of someone waiting inside arrivals when you walk out. Also better for night arrivals when the airport is quieter and finding the right pickup zone is harder.
Curbside may be sufficient for frequent business travellers on hand luggage only, day-trip return flights from familiar London airports, late-evening returns when you're tired but airport-familiar, or budget-conscious solo trips. Just note that "cheaper" is relative — ride-share surge pricing often makes the curbside fare more expensive than our fixed meet-and-greet fare, especially at peak hours.
The bottom line
Meet and greet isn't a luxury upgrade — it's the standard for any pre-booked airport taxi worth booking. We include it on every London airport transfer at no additional charge because it's the table-stakes for the kind of service we want to deliver. The £15-30 you pay elsewhere for the same thing is the cost of separating the booking from the meet point. Build it into your pre-booked fare and the trade-off goes away.