At a glance
- Meet and greet
- Name board at the agreed arrivals point
- Flight tracked
- 15 minutes of complimentary waiting
- Fixed at booking
- DBS-checked chauffeurs available 24/7
The night-before plan
At Terminal 5, follow one arrivals exit, find one name board and confirm one onward address.
- 40min
- from Reading
- 36min
- from Wokingham
- 46min
- from central London
Road times are live-traffic estimates for a weekday morning; your quoted price uses your exact addresses.
01 — The terminal handover
Where the chauffeur meets you at Terminal 5
Your chauffeur waits in the agreed Terminal 5 public-arrivals meeting point: north opposite Travelex or south near Costa Coffee. The booking message repeats that location before travel, so the passenger has a named public point to follow after baggage reclaim and any border formalities. The relevant exit is the customs exit into the ground-floor arrivals concourse. The chauffeur holds a name board and keeps the passenger contact available if the hall is busy or the party emerges by a different door.
For a departure, the car uses the charged Terminal 5 departures drop-off on Level 5, approached from Wayfarer Road. The final approach is via Wayfarer Road on the western airport approach, following current Terminal 5 drop-off signs. Set-down lanes are for unloading, so the chauffeur helps with the booked luggage and completes the handover without treating the lane as waiting space. From the car, the passenger makes a short covered crossing from the set-down lane into the check-in hall. Airport signs and staff directions always govern the exact lane in use on the day.
02 — Four points to save
Terminal 5 handover details
- Set-down
- Charged departures drop-off, Level 5
- Current signs and staff directions govern the lane.
- Meeting point
- North opposite Travelex or south near Costa
- Follow the signed route from baggage reclaim.
- Waiting
- 15 minutes
- Complimentary airport waiting is included; longer clearance is handled through the supplied contact.
- Return
- Terminal 5 Terminal Parking
- For an in-hall meeting, both walk back to the chauffeur’s parked car.
03 — The return collection
Landing time starts the arrivals plan
FCET tracks the booked flight and adjusts the chauffeur's timing when it lands early or late. Landing is not the same as reaching the public hall: baggage, border formalities and the walk from the aircraft still sit between the runway and the meeting point. The chauffeur therefore works to the live flight and the agreed arrivals instruction, then makes contact at the name-board point.
The booking includes 15 minutes of complimentary airport waiting. For an in-hall name-board meeting, the chauffeur parks in Terminal 5 Terminal Parking before walking to the north or south public-arrivals meeting point named in the booking. Passenger and chauffeur then walk back to the parked car with luggage assistance. Heathrow does not permit pickup or waiting on the departures forecourt.
04 — Passenger and luggage
Park first, then meet in public arrivals
Terminal 5 Terminal Parking, formerly Short Stay, gives the chauffeur a place to leave the car before walking into the public hall. The booking specifies the north or south meeting point; after greeting, the party returns together to the parked car. Heathrow prohibits pickups and waiting on the departures forecourt. The historic drop-off photo is not current lane guidance.
05 — Routes and terminals
Continue planning for Heathrow Airport
06 — Compare the handover
Terminal 5 and another airport handover
| Features | Set-down | Walk | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terminal 5 | Charged departures drop-off, Level 5 | Covered crossing into check-in | North opposite Travelex or south near Costa |
| Terminal 4 | Its own departures forecourt | Direct route into departures | Separate southern airport approach |
Use the terminal or facility named on the booking; airport-wide directions are not interchangeable.
07 — From Berkshire and London
Planning the road journey to Terminal 5
The planning guide from Reading is 26.2 miles and 40 minutes; from Wokingham it is 23.4 miles and 36 minutes. From central London, allow around 19.6 miles and 46 minutes as a broad route guide. The precise collection address, traffic and terminal approach can change the time required, so the booked pickup is set against the requested terminal arrival.
Give us the flight, facility, pickup address, passenger mobile and substantial luggage. The journey cost is confirmed at booking for that itinerary. FCET is available 24/7, uses DBS-checked chauffeurs and has provided chauffeur-driven travel since 2004. A return sector carries its own flight and meeting instruction, so the outward set-down note is not used as the arrivals collection plan.
FCET service assurances
Airport meet and greet with a name board · Flight tracking for airport arrivals · DBS-checked chauffeurs · Chauffeur-driven travel since 2004
What clients ask us
Frequently asked questions
24/7, 365 days · 100 Berkshire Place, Wharfedale Road, Winnersh, Berkshire, RG41 5RD