[Inquisitive]

All modern airports have arrival and departures at separate levels, departures are normally upper level. Hence there is no mixing of cars. In UK, unfortunately very few things are modern due to heritage – hence architects of new airport terminals also design the system in old ways. T2 probably will have same issue.

[MartynSinclair]

Perhaps BT could clarify this with SO18 (Aviation Security). Happy to PM details of the contact to Editorial Staff.

[canucklad]

When I first started to commute , when I arrived at T1 I used to make my way to the lower level pick up point to meet my car, driver waiting inside—ignition off!!

About 2 or 3 years ago the process changed and the driver met me in the terminal and then off we went to the car in the car park…..where he had to pay to get out the multi storey car park.

I’m afraid Martyn, it’s just a money making ruse.

As it is at EDI….£1 for all cars to drop off, and if you’re a taxi you have to pay a premium to be allowed to drop off at the terminal…, Picking you up, they now wait until 15 minutes until the flight has landed before driving in .…ultimately saving you cash….

As I’ve mentioned on other posts, its akin to Tesco or Sainsbury’s charging you to enter their store , allowing you to purchase their goods!!

[TiredOldHack]

Martyn – that’s just crazy.

Incidentally, I had to drop one of my kids at the LHR bus terminal adjacent to T3 last week. No car access. Well, OK, it’s for buses. But I couldn’t see where to drop her.

Luckily, there’s a sort of lay-by immediately after the bus station entrance, on the one-way system. It looks only temporary, as part of some building work, but it did the job. I’m sure now I’d have been liable to some fine or other if spotted.

Bah humbug.

[barnacles]

These are timely postings. I was waiting at T4 Departures yesterday to pick somebody up (unaware of latest developments), parked correctly in a bay, on the phone, when I was interrupted by a ‘support officer’ and told to move. I explained that I would when I had finished my call, but this didn’t satisfy her . . . I hope I avoided a remotely-generated £40 fine (which she mentioned), but my language, which moved from incredulous to abusive, may have done for me.

As WoburnMan suggests, this is merely another irritating cash-generating wheeze dressed up as a necessary security measure. Of course one wishes to avoid the kind of vehicular chaos outside the terminal as you see somewhere like MNL (to take an especially grim example), but on days and at times like yesterday, when there were only half a dozen or so other cars in sight, the behaviour of these kind of jobsworths makes one blood boil. Why can’t they do something useful, and genuinely supportive, with their time?

[DavidGordon10]

It’s not just Heathrow, Martyn, Manchester introduced something very similar.

The worst example I know is Stansted, where the original vision in the architect’s drawings, of a seamless passage from car to plane, all at one level, has been completely perverted by drop off points that are either expensive, or too far away to walk.

[IanFromHKG]

It just occurred to me that having denigrated LHR for charging to pick up, my beloved local airport is just as bad. There is no pick-up area, so one needs to use a car park. I failed to think about this before because the only time this would affect us is in Heathrow (in HK, we either take the wonderful Airport Express train service or have a car/driver where the cost is rolled up in the transfer fee so it is invisible to us, or we are collecting family members so we always arrive early to wait in th e arrival hall and so have to park anyway). Perhaps, on reflection, failing to provide a pick-up area – which would soon get snarled up as a free short-term car park – is understandable? I would still like to see a free provision, don’t get me wrong, and imposing a time limit for being stationary would seem more effective than an arbitrary pick-up vs drop-off distinction

[MartynSinclair]

Ian – if the BAA is providing a gratis drop off zone, a similar pick up zone should also be provided.

I agree, that public transport to and from the airport would ease the burden, but unless you are coming from central London the links are poor.

Whats very intereting outside T3, it there is more money being spent on allowing smokers to stink the place – never have I been to such a smelly open air space than outside T3. I tried to throw away an emptu coffee cup and could only find giant ashtrays but no bins (apart from 2 plastic bags by one of the doors).

I wonder how the new T2 is going to be designed regarding drop off / collection..

[IanFromHKG]

Martyn, I think the distinction, from the airport’s perspective, is that people dropping off don’t tend to hang around waiting for people to get out of the car. If a free pick-up point is provided it will become, very quickly, an unpaid short-term car park

[NTarrant]

Most of these restrictions have been introduced as a result of the attack by driving a vehicle into the terminal building a few years ago at Glasgow. Clearly from Ian’s post it is not confined to the UK airports.

I have no sympathy for those that wait to collect someone in a clearly marked drop off or set down section and then play the victim when they are confronted.

Pick up restrictions and the use of car parks are a pain and time consuming, but the cost is lower than the fine. The reality is that if it is abused everyone will end up in a car park

[TiredOldHack]

DavidGordon10 – I must say, since I discovered the express X26 bus service (costs me £1.40 and takes 75 minutes to get me from home, SM1 postcode, to the Heathrow bus terminal), I haven’t used any other way to get to LHR.

As a diehard motorcyclist, what I do appreciate are the free bike parks under or adjacent to just about every airport terminal in the SE. Certainly Heathrow, Gatwick, Luiton and Stansted. Rock up, chuck bike gear in the panniers, unstrap hand luggage from back seat, walk into terminal. Brilliant.

[lloydah]

TiredOldHack – re bike parks

+1 to the power of n.

[DavidGordon10]

TOH – when I am in London I am usually heading for LHR from Kentish Town, which has no express bus like yours, alas – but an excellent and inexpensive minicab firm, BeeGee, 02072673333.

However, my favourite way, by miles, is a Taxybike from Addison Lee (I know there are other firms as well) – a wonderful reminder of the thrills of one’s youth.

[HarryMonk]

NTarrant
You may be correct in stating some of these restrictions are brought in due to security reasons but it seems like it has now become very convenient for airports and airlines to introduce new procedures due to security concerns when they can become revenue generators, such as having to use a car park to pick up, charging for plastic bags for liquid & gels, the overpricing of items which cannot be carried through security but are for sale airside etc.
As far as a pick zone goes, as long as the driver simply pulls in for a waiting kerbside passenger, loads up and goes then I don’t see it being any more of a security issue than a drop off zone, if anything probably less so, waiting and loading restrictions are just as easily enforceable as for drop off zone. Some airports in the US provide an off airport site where the one can park while waiting for a call from an incoming passenger to collect them from the pick up zone, a relatively simple solution if the airport want to restrict waiting traffic and provide genuine convenience for its ‘customer’ who has already paid for the privilege of using the airport.

[NTarrant]

Harry – in principle I agree with you, but the reality is that people just don’t do that, pull in pick up and go. You will find that the amount of space in front of terminal buildings is now reduced to reduce the impact of any further Glasgow type attacks. So that is why it is restrited to drop off only.

I don’t think you an even drop off at SOU now unless a taxi, I only ever park in the car park or arrive by train, so could not be sure.

[Author]

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