Taxi Driver Online

Hi all,

First post on the forum so nice to meet you all. I've had a look round already, great content about on the forum.

I just wanted to pick the brains of drivers that meet their passengers inside the arrivals terminal.

How do you know when to arrive at the airport? Get there too early and you have big car parking fees and get there too late and you have an unhappy customer. Any apps that you use to help get around this would be useful to know. Or do you find that the airport websites are good enough?

What happens if the plane is early or late? Anyway to track this? I know generally speaking, planes are typically on time but sometimes 20-30 minutes either way can have a big impact on waiting times or arriving late (because passenger arrive early).

How do you spend your time if there is a big delay on the flight, say anything from 2-5 hours?

Appreciate any answers directly from these questions or in this space in general. Cheers

1. Always check on the flight before you set off and time your arrival with them coming out with their cases.
2. Always have somewhere to park up if the flight is delayed.
3. Buy a Tablet or an iPad with a 4g sim card so you can watch TV while you are waiting, you can also keep tabs on the flight.
4. Beware of extortionate airport parking charges, I got stung last night at Manchester.
5. Flights can show they're on time, you'll arrive at the airport to find it's delayed 30 minutes to an hour.

When you go to certain airports there's always a petrol station nearby where if you go in and buy a coffee they'll let you park off the forecourt, the Esso garage near Birmingham does this, I found out today when I called in for some fuel, he asked me if I was going to the airport? I said yeah the flights delayed by 30 minutes. He shown me where to park up down the bottom of the forecourt out of the way.

Thanks Nidge, much appreciated.

I heard Gatwick police are clamping down on drivers waiting in places around the airport but I guess its quite a hard thing to manage in reality.

What are you using to keep tabs on flights?

Edit: added 'police' after Gatwick so it made more sense

It's not usually the police at Gatwick but the airports' own gestapo even when you are obviously unloading they often come up to you and hastle you but the TFl stickered cars seem to get left alone !!!!

_________________
lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

I just go onto the Airport websites mate and look at the arrivals page, it's auto refreshed every 5 minutes so it's pretty accurate. Bear in mind though that its only a guide until the plane is on approach.

Another thing to watch for especially with Heathrow is Aircraft being held in a stack or on the tarmac because they are early and the airport isn't ready to accept them

_________________
lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

I do this but i also track the plane on flightradar24.

_________________
Grandad,

Flightradar 24 is the one I use, though the Version I had on my Android phone was better than the version I currently have on my Windows Phone...but still works, and to confirm arrival I Check online the Airports live Arrivals and Departure web page which is handily kept in my Phones Bookmarks..this usually tells you when Luggage is on the belt.

Google the flight number



Dont arrive early

_________________
Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

Spent many an hour at MacDonalds there, never ever a problem in 25+ years.

You need to educate your punters. If they want to pay parking and extra waiting time, then meet them in arrivals. If they don't then get them to meet you outside exactly where you dropped them.

_________________
IDFIMH

Google, Flight stats and the airport's own app.

I was in McD's at LHR the other day and stayed 1.75 hours because the ETA kept moving. I was most disappointed not to get a PCN from my friends at Met Parking for overstaying their 60 minutes.. I'll have to make it 2 hours next time!!

Don't do airport runs, there's no profit in them is the easy answer.

1. Always check on the flight before you set off and time your arrival with them coming out with their cases.
2. Always have somewhere to park up if the flight is delayed.
3. Buy a Tablet or an iPad with a 4g sim card so you can watch TV while you are waiting, you can also keep tabs on the flight.
4. Beware of extortionate airport parking charges, I got stung last night at Manchester.
5. Flights can show they're on time, you'll arrive at the airport to find it's delayed 30 minutes to an hour.


1. tell them where you are parked ( designated pick up points )
2. if the lazy clunts are , well, to lazy to walk to the designated pick up points fook em
3. don't take return booking ( just tell them to ring when they get off the plane, by the time they get sorted, baggage etc , you are nearly there anyway )
4. if they do book you , just put the parking charges you have on the fare ( not your fault its late, they booked it & you were there )
5. YOU ARE A TAXI DRIVER !! NOT A SLAVE !!

Then don't do them cheap.

_________________
IDFIMH

Old chinese proverb


good no cheap, cheap no good

_________________
Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most