Heathrow pickup guide, terminal by terminal

Terminal 5 — British Airways and Iberia

T5 arrivals splits across T5A, T5B and T5C, but every passenger is funnelled into the single arrivals concourse in T5A after baggage reclaim. Your chauffeur waits there with a name board, in the seating area directly opposite the exit doors — there is only one, so there is nothing to get wrong.

Allow 25–40 minutes from wheels-down to the concourse on a long-haul arrival with checked bags, and 15–20 minutes on a domestic or short-haul flight with cabin baggage only. Border force queues at T5 peak between 06:00 and 09:00 when the overnight bank lands together.

Terminal 2 — Star Alliance

T2's arrivals hall sits on the ground floor of the Queen's Terminal, with a single exit from customs into a wide meeting area. The short-stay car park is directly connected, which makes T2 the fastest terminal for a meet-and-greet handover — usually under five minutes from meeting your chauffeur to being in the vehicle.

Terminal 3 — Virgin, Delta, Emirates and oneworld partners

T3 is the oldest arrivals hall on the site and the most congested at peak. Two exits feed the same public area; your chauffeur will stand between them near the coffee concession so either route works. Long-haul arrivals into T3 in the morning bank should budget 40–55 minutes to clear.

Terminal 4 — SkyTeam and long-haul carriers

T4 sits on the south side of the airport and is a 10–15 minute drive from the central terminal area, so a chauffeur repositioning between terminals is not instant. Arrivals exit into a compact hall with a single meeting point, and the Heathrow Express connection means the hall clears quickly.

Charges, wait time and what is included

Heathrow applies a drop-off charge to vehicles using the forecourt and a separate car park fee for meet-and-greet parking. In a SUV.LIMO booking both are inside the quoted fare — there is no post-trip line item for airport access, parking or the London Congestion Charge and ULEZ where they apply to the onward leg.

International arrivals include 60 minutes of complimentary wait time from the moment the aircraft lands; domestic arrivals include 30. Because the inbound flight is tracked from departure, a delay moves the pickup rather than eating the wait allowance.

Realistic drive times into London

Mayfair 45–70 minutes, the City 55–85, Canary Wharf 60–95. The upper bound applies on weekday mornings inbound and Friday afternoons outbound. The M4 is the default route; the A4 through Hammersmith is the fallback when the elevated section is closed.

For a departure from London to Heathrow, work backwards from your airline's check-in cut-off rather than the flight time: three hours for long-haul, two for short-haul, plus the drive.