Airport Transfer Guides & Travel Tips

Transport for London raised the Congestion Charge from £15 to £18 per day, effective 2 January 2026. If your airport transfer route passes through central London (Zone 1) during charging hours, this is the fee that applies to any vehicle driving through the zone that day.

Here's the part that catches people out: the daily charge covers unlimited crossings for that vehicle on that day, not a single trip. Because most private hire operators only pass on the portion of the charge that applies to your specific journey, you'll often see it billed as a smaller "per leg" amount rather than the full £18 — that's not a discount, it's just how a shared daily charge gets split fairly across the journeys that actually use it.

At Express Airport Cars, we add £9 per leg to your quote automatically whenever your route falls inside the zone during charging hours (07:00–18:00 Monday to Friday, 12:00–18:00 weekends). You'll see it as its own line item — never bundled invisibly into the fare.

If your pickup or drop-off is entirely outside Zone 1, or your journey falls outside charging hours, you won't see this charge on your quote at all.

Heathrow is the busiest airport in Europe, split across five terminals — and landing at the wrong terminal in your booking is one of the most common (and avoidable) causes of transfer delays. Here's a quick reference so you enter the right one.

Airlines occasionally move terminals, especially after schedule changes, so always check your boarding pass or airline confirmation rather than relying on memory from a previous trip.

When you book with us, enter your terminal number along with your flight number — we track the flight in real time, so if it's delayed or the terminal changes, your driver adjusts automatically at no extra cost.

Late December is the single busiest travel period of the year for London airports, and private hire availability tightens fast — especially for early morning pickups and larger vehicles.

• Standard bookings: at least 24 hours ahead, any time of year.
• School holidays, Christmas, Easter: book as early as possible — availability for popular time slots can fill up 1–2 weeks ahead.
• 8-seater minivans: book 48 hours ahead minimum, longer over the holidays, since we run fewer of these vehicles.
• Early morning pickups (before 6am): book early — fewer drivers are on shift and slots fill first.

One thing to know: a 50% surcharge applies on four dates only — 25 December, 26 December, 31 December and 1 January. Every other day over the holidays, including other bank holidays, is charged at standard rates.

Booking early doesn't cost anything extra — you can still modify the time, address or vehicle type free of charge up to 24 hours before pickup.

London is unusual in having six airports serving it, spread in almost every direction. If you're choosing a flight and have options, distance from your London base can make a real difference to your journey time and cost.

If you're based in east London or the City, London City Airport is usually your fastest option by a wide margin. If you're in west London, Heathrow's your natural choice despite being the busiest. For south London or Brighton-area trips, Gatwick often makes more sense than fighting cross-city traffic to Heathrow.

Flying into the "wrong" airport for your side of London can easily add 30–45 minutes each way — worth checking before you book flights, not just transfers.

"Meet & Greet" gets used loosely across the industry, so here's exactly what it means with Express Airport Cars, step by step.

• Before you land: we're already tracking your flight, so we know your real landing time even if it changes.
• After landing: you have 60 minutes free to clear immigration and collect luggage — the clock starts from actual landing, not scheduled time.
• In arrivals: your driver waits inside the arrivals hall with a name board. At Heathrow and Gatwick this is Meet & Greet inside the terminal; at Luton and Stansted, pickup is just outside the terminal building.
• Confirmation: you receive your driver's name, photo, phone number and vehicle registration by SMS and email before you land, so you know exactly who you're looking for.

After the free 60 minutes, a waiting charge of £15/hour applies — this covers situations like exceptionally long immigration queues, not typical journeys, which almost always clear well inside the free window.

For non-airport pickups — hotels, offices, home addresses — the free waiting period is 15 minutes rather than 60, since there's no landing-time uncertainty to account for.