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Check-in, bag drop and security: how early to be at a London airport

How early to arrive at Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton and London City, what check-in cut-offs look like, and how we time your pick-up so you are not cutting it fine.

How early to arrive

Short-haul flights: airlines generally close bag drop 40-60 minutes before departure, so being at the terminal 2 hours before works for most people. Long-haul: 3 hours. Over Christmas and New Year add 30-45 minutes for security queues and festive road traffic. Online check-in the night before saves the first queue entirely.

Terminal and gate basics

Heathrow has four terminals (T2, T3, T4, T5) and your airline fixes which one; Gatwick has North and South; Stansted, Luton and London City are single-terminal. Tell us the airline and we drop you at the right terminal door. For pick-ups we meet you in that terminal's arrivals hall.

How we time the pick-up

When you book a home-to-airport journey we suggest a pick-up time that allows for the live traffic forecast, your airline's cut-off and a buffer. We confirm the driver by text the evening before. For airport pick-ups we track the flight, so an early or late landing simply moves your driver.

What a fixed-fare car costs

Destination	Heathrow saloon / 8-seater	Gatwick saloon / 8-seater	Stansted saloon / 8-seater	Luton saloon / 8-seater
Central London	£85 / £145	£107 / £167	£121 / £181	£113 / £173
Canary Wharf	£85 / £145	£90 / £150	£104 / £164	£99 / £159
Richmond	£85 / £145	£93 / £153	£114 / £174	£103 / £163

Fixed fares from our live rate card, per vehicle one way, tolls and airport charges included; exact fare confirmed before you pay. Christmas & New Year airport taxis · Book now

Get a fixed price 020 8888 9988 · WhatsApp

More travel help from Get London Transfer

Updated October 2026. Operated by Get London Transfer Ltd, TfL private hire operator licence 11588.

Check-in & security timing: airport by airport (Christmas 2026)

Add your door-to-airport journey time (shown on every route page) to the airport’s own arrival advice, plus 20 minutes in the festive period, and that is the time to leave home. Every route page on this site now shows this “leave by” figure for each airport.

Airport	Short-haul / check-in opens	Long-haul	Bag drop closes	Fast Track security	Drop-off charge
Heathrow	Heathrow advises arriving 2 hours before flights within the UK or Europe	Heathrow advises arriving 3 hours before long-haul international flights	Set by your airline (BA: be at the gate at least 20 min before departure)	Fast Track security from £12.99 per person, 06:00-21:00	£7 each time a vehicle enters a terminal drop-off area source
Gatwick	Arrive at least 2 hours before; check-in opens 2h (UK/Ireland) or about 3h (Europe) before departure	Check-in normally opens about 4 hours before departure; arrive at least 2 hours before	Not stated by Gatwick; confirm with your airline	Fast Track security from £6	£10 for 10 minutes, +£1/min up to 20 min, max £30; pay by midnight next day source
Stansted	Desks open 2h before for most airlines (easyJet/Ryanair domestic); Ryanair international, Jet2 and TUI 3h; be at security 2h before	Emirates check-in opens 4 hours before departure; be at security at least 2 hours before	Not stated by Stansted; contact your airline	Security FastTrack from £6.49 per person, open 04:00-20:00	Express Set Down: 15-minute period; price not shown on the airport page (reported at £10 up to 15 min) source
Luton	Not stated by Luton; check your airline. Twilight bag drop the night before for easyJet/Jet2/Wizz flights before 09:00	Not stated by Luton; check your airline	Check information screens and your airline	Fast Track from £4 online in advance, from £8 at airport kiosks; 04:15-20:00	Drop Off & Pick Up Zone £9 for 12 minutes, then £1/min, 30-min max source
London City	Not stated by the airport; terminal hours Mon-Fri 04:45-22:00, Sat 04:45-13:00, Sun 10:30-22:00	Not stated by the airport	Check your airline	Not offered	£8 per visit for the first 5 min, then £1/min; max stay 10 min source
Southend	Arrive at least 2.5 hours before departure; check-in opens 2.5 hours before	Same advice: at least 2.5 hours before; terminal opens 3h before first departure	Check your airline	Fast Track pre-book from £8 per person; open from 2h before each departure	Express Pick-up & Drop-off £8 per visit, up to 10 minutes; pay online by midnight next day source

Facts as published on the airports’, operators’ and venues’ own sites, seen 15 Oct 2026 – each entry links to its source. Entries marked “2025 dates” are last season’s and will be updated when 2026 dates are announced.