Help please, have to park car at Heathrow tomorrow to collect

[HeathrowQuestion]

hello folks, I have to collect my kids from Heathrow tomorrow unexpectedly and can’t fathom where to park, whether I need to pay I advance or whether I can just rock up and pay by the hour.

has anyone done similar recently? The Heathrow website is useless and seems to want to charge me either £30 to park on some off site place for 3 hours, or £80 for onsite. Which seems insane.

flight lands just before 8am, but given the issues with delays and air traffic disruption I need to plan for several hours parking just in case …

Just turn up and park in the short stay. You pay at the machine before leaving for how long you have stayed.

If the kids aren’t old enough to make their way to pick up parking, park in short term. If they are old enough, I would park up maybe in Pinner/Slough ask them to text you when they are through security and tell them to make those way to pick up. Tell them you will be 30 minutes :)

Great, thanks so much, that’s what I’d presumed but it was not evident anywhere on the airport website

Old enough to travel onward but will be very tired as long haul so I will go to arrivals to meet them

Track the flight on flight radar so that you know when to turn up. Use the short stay car park when you arrive. Or just send a taxi.

Taxi is insanely expensive and one is only 12 so I need to collect them.

God I love mumsnet for stuff like this. Thank you so much for responding.

I love flight radar! I’ve got quite addicted to watching it when they are flying somewhere without me. I never worry about flight safety usually…

Definitely track their plane!

@Dotcheck i will. I will need to wake up early doors, as if they are arriving promptly anyway, but flight radar will save me sitting around for hours if they are delayed or paying the nutso fees for parking

These were the short stay charges earlier this year. It won't be cheap if they are delayed so if you can estimate when they will be through immigration and in the baggage hall that's the time to arrive!

Don't forget about ULEZ if your car isn't compliant.

Thanks again, luckily my car is ULEZ compliant which is a miracle given age. Those spot prices are still lower than what was shown on the Heathrow website but yes, I will definitely time my arrival carefully. It’s criminally expensive isn’t it? Airport parking and taxis seem to be caught in a price spiral, not long ago a trip to heathrow or gatwick in a cab was about £60 or £70, now it seems to be £120 plus. Insane, it takes 35 mins from here. Parking for a week is similarly ridiculous

You could park in Hayes and Harlington and get the Elizabeth line to Heathrow it's very quick

Which terminal ?

Apologies if I have missed this info, it makes a vast difference about where to park.

Terminal 3 apparently

The short stay is very close to T 3 - connected via a walkway. I'd park nearby and track the flight. Passport control and baggage collection can take some time as well, probably half an hour at least, plus all the walking.

Short term is £16 for two hours-you can walk the two mins to the terminal and meet them there

If you are only 35 mins away, just get them to text when they land. By the time they’ve got off the plane, got through immigration and picked up any bags you’ll still be there to meet them in good time ( park in short term).

You’re all brilliant. Thank you so much.

Track flight on flight radar. After touchdown it prob takes up to 30 mins plus to get into immigrations queue and bag pick up, I'd add 60 mins from touchdown to arrivals at least.
I'd wait somewhere off A4 close to tunnel like in Mc D's ( lots of drivers hang around there too ) and get kids to call when they are in arrivals. Then get them either to walk to car park via connecting glass bridge from T3 ( lift is opposite cafe nero in arrivals ) or park and fetch them inside . T3 car park gets crazy busy and isn't the biggest/ expensive, you def want to spend min time in there.
You could also pull up outside departures passenger drop off at T3 ( middle 2 lanes ) , £5 fee , not sure if it gets monitored for private drivers as ubers /cabs etc not allowed to collect there.
Cab drivers have to collect from car park, hence why so busy.

The last time I flew into Heathrow it took 90 minutes to get off the plane!
First there was another plane on our stand that had to be moved and then there were no steps.
Get them to text you when they get into the terminal.