Quick answer: When you land at Gatwick with a pre-booked transfer, your driver tracks the flight, waits for you to clear passport control and baggage reclaim, and meets you at an agreed point. That’s either inside the arrivals hall with a name board (meet and greet) or at the pickup area outside, with the driver messaging or calling you when you land. The fare is fixed when you book.
This guide covers the arrivals side of a Gatwick transfer: what happens after you land, where you meet your driver, and how to make the pickup quick even after a delayed or late-night flight. For booking, prices and every route we cover, see our main Gatwick airport taxi page.
What happens from landing to leaving the airport
- Your flight lands. Because you gave us your flight number, the driver already knows the actual landing time, not just the scheduled one.
- You go through passport control and collect your bags. This is the part nobody can predict. It can take ten minutes or well over an hour depending on queues and how quickly bags come through.
- You switch your phone on. The driver will contact you, or you can call or message them using the details in your confirmation.
- You meet the driver at the agreed point, either inside arrivals or at the pickup area.
- The driver helps with luggage and walks you to the car.
Where your driver meets you
Meet and greet in the arrivals hall
With meet and greet, the driver waits in the arrivals hall holding a board with your name, or a company name if you asked for one. You walk out of customs and look for your name. It’s the easiest option if you’ve never been to Gatwick, you’re travelling with children or a lot of luggage, or you’re collecting a visitor. More on our Gatwick meet and greet page.
Kerbside or car park pickup
Without meet and greet, the driver waits nearby and tells you exactly where to go once you’ve collected your bags. This works well for regular travellers who know the airport and want to get moving quickly.
North Terminal or South Terminal arrivals
Gatwick has two terminals, and you’ll arrive at whichever one your airline uses. The driver meets you at the terminal your flight actually lands at. Giving the flight number takes care of this. If your airline changes terminal, the driver still goes to the right place. The two terminals are linked by a free shuttle train, but you shouldn’t need it for your pickup. For terminal-specific details see our North Terminal and South Terminal pages, or check your airline in our North or South Terminal guide.
Delays, early landings and long queues
Arrivals are where plans change most. This is how a pre-booked pickup deals with it:
- Delayed flight: the driver follows the live flight status and adjusts the pickup time, so there’s nothing for you to rearrange.
- Early landing: the same tracking works the other way. The driver plans for the real arrival time.
- Slow passport control or baggage: let the driver know if you’re held up. A quick message saves both of you waiting in the wrong place.
- Diverted flight: contact us as soon as you can. We’ll work out the best option with you based on where you’ve landed.
What your booking confirmation should tell you
Before you fly, check your confirmation has everything you’ll need when you land. Once you’re in the terminal, tired and juggling bags, it’s the one thing you’ll want to hand:
- The pickup date and the flight number the driver will track
- Whether meet and greet is included, and the name on the board
- A contact number for the driver or our team
- Your destination address and any extra stops
- The vehicle type booked and the number of passengers
- The agreed fixed fare
If anything looks wrong, contact us before you travel. It’s much easier to fix a booking a day ahead than at the arrivals door.
Arriving with reduced mobility or special assistance
If you’ve booked special assistance with your airline, airport staff can help you from the aircraft through passport control and baggage reclaim to the arrivals area. Let us know when you book so the driver can plan to meet you at the right point and allow enough time. Tell us too about wheelchairs, walking frames or anything else that needs to go in the vehicle, so we send a car with the space for it.
Late-night and early-morning arrivals
Plenty of Gatwick flights land late in the evening or very early in the morning, when public transport is thin and rank queues can be unpredictable. We run 24/7, so a pre-booked car is waiting whatever time you land. For night arrivals it helps to keep your phone charged and a copy of your confirmation offline, in case you lose signal in the terminal.
Arriving with a family or a group
Travelling with young children, extra suitcases, a pushchair or sports equipment changes what you need at arrivals. Tell us when you book:
- How many passengers there are, including children
- How many large and small bags you have
- Any bulky items: pushchairs, golf bags, skis, wheelchairs
We’ll match you with a vehicle that fits, such as an estate, people carrier or 7 or 8-seater, so nobody’s wedged in next to a suitcase after a long flight.
Where you can go from Gatwick arrivals
We collect from Gatwick and take you door to door across London, the South East and beyond. Popular arrivals journeys include Gatwick to Central London, onward flights via Heathrow and Gatwick transfers, and trips home to towns across Surrey, Sussex and Kent.
Pre-booked transfer vs finding a taxi on arrival
| Pre-booked transfer | Taxi rank on arrival | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Fixed when you book | Found out on the day |
| Waiting | Driver waits for you | You queue for the next car |
| Delayed flights | Tracked automatically | Not relevant, but late-night queues vary |
| Vehicle size | Chosen in advance for your group and bags | Whatever is next in line |
| Meeting point | Agreed in advance, or name board in arrivals | Follow signs to the rank |
If you want to know more about the rank itself, read our Gatwick taxi rank guide.
First time arriving in the UK?
If Gatwick is your first stop in the country, a few things are worth knowing:
- Traffic drives on the left. Your driver will load your bags and seat you. Just follow them to the car.
- Mobile data may take a minute to connect. Save the driver’s number and your confirmation before you fly, in case your phone is slow to find a network.
- Journey times depend heavily on traffic. A trip into London takes much longer at rush hour than late at night, but your fixed fare stays the same either way.
- Keep your destination address to hand. A postcode is the quickest way to confirm exactly where you’re going.
Checklist before you fly home
- Your transfer is booked for the correct date. Overnight flights land the day after they leave.
- Your flight number is in the booking.
- You’ve chosen meet and greet if you want a name board.
- The driver’s contact details and your confirmation are saved on your phone.
- The home address and any extra stops are correct.
Frequently asked questions
How long will the driver wait if my flight is delayed?
If your flight number is in the booking, the driver follows the flight and plans around the actual landing time, so a delay doesn’t mean a missed pickup.
Where exactly will I meet my driver at Gatwick?
With meet and greet, in the arrivals hall with a name board. Otherwise the driver tells you the exact pickup point when you land.
What if I can’t find my driver?
Call or message the number in your confirmation. The driver will guide you to them.
Do I pay more if passport control takes a long time?
Your fare is fixed at booking. Let the driver know if you’re held up so they know where you are.
Can you collect me after midnight?
Yes, we operate 24/7 for Gatwick arrivals.
Landing at Gatwick soon? Use the booking form at the top of this page for a fixed-fare quote, or visit our main Gatwick airport taxi page for every journey option.