Quick Summary
Gatwick has two terminals and a different meeting point in each. A pre-booked LondonAirport-Taxi.com driver meets you inside arrivals with a name board: at the North Terminal by the Information Desk at the foot of the escalators, and at the South Terminal at Costa Coffee opposite the main exit, by WHSmith. You get 60 minutes of free waiting timed from when your flight actually lands, and the £10 forecourt charge is already inside your fixed fare. Black cabs queue outside; app cars collect from a separate area.
Gatwick is the trickiest of the London airports to be collected from, for one reason: the two terminals are two and a half miles apart and connected by a shuttle. Arrive at the wrong one and you are ten minutes and a train ride from your driver. This guide covers exactly where a pre-booked driver waits in each terminal, what happens if your flight is late, and how collecting someone yourself compares.
Where Taxis Pick Up at Gatwick Airport
There are three different answers, depending on how you are travelling:
- A pre-booked taxi or transfer meets you inside the arrivals hall, on foot, with a name board. No forecourt, no queue, no phone call.
- A black cab joins the taxi rank outside arrivals at each terminal. No booking, metered fare.
- Uber and other app cars collect from a designated pickup area rather than the terminal door, which usually means a short walk.
The rest of this guide is about the first of those, because it is the only one where somebody is waiting for you before you land.
North Terminal: The Information Desk by the Escalators
Come through baggage reclaim and customs into the North Terminal arrivals hall. The escalators bring you down into the main concourse, and the Information Desk sits at the foot of them. Your driver waits there with a board showing your surname.
North Terminal is used by easyJet, British Airways, TUI and Norwegian among others. It is the larger and busier of the two, so the concourse can be crowded at peak arrival times — the Information Desk is the fixed landmark that does not move, which is why we use it rather than a shop that might be closed.
South Terminal: Costa Coffee Opposite the Main Exit
In the South Terminal, the meeting point is Costa Coffee, directly opposite the main exit and next to WHSmith. It is visible from the arrivals doors, so you do not need to navigate the concourse to find it.
South Terminal handles Vueling, Wizz Air, Emirates and the bulk of the long-haul traffic. It is also the terminal connected directly to Gatwick railway station, which is worth knowing if anyone is meeting you by train.
If You Land at the Wrong Terminal
It happens, usually when a flight is redirected or a booking was made from an outdated schedule. The two terminals are linked by a free inter-terminal shuttle that takes a few minutes and runs frequently. If you realise you are in the wrong building, take the shuttle and tell us — your driver will move to meet you. Because the free waiting hour runs from your landing time, a shuttle transfer normally fits inside it comfortably.
What Happens If Your Flight Is Delayed
Nothing, from your side. We track the flight and the pickup is despatched against the actual landing time, so a delay simply moves it. There is no charge for the delay itself.
The 60 minutes of free waiting starts when the aircraft lands, not when it was scheduled to, which is the difference that matters at Gatwick: passport queues and baggage at the North Terminal can absorb a good part of an hour on their own. Most operators offer 30 minutes; the extra half hour is there because Gatwick regularly needs it.
Collecting Someone Yourself: The £10 Forecourt Charge
If you are driving to collect someone rather than booking a car, the forecourt is no longer free. Gatwick charges £10 for up to 10 minutes at both terminal forecourts — a 43% rise from £7 introduced on 6 January 2026, the largest single increase at any UK airport.
The zone is barrierless and read by ANPR cameras, so nothing stops you driving in; you pay online or by phone by midnight the following day, and missing that deadline triggers a £100 penalty (£60 if you pay within 14 days). The free alternative is the Long Stay car park, which gives up to two hours free, with a shuttle to the terminal.
Full detail, including how to pay and the exact time limits, is on our Gatwick drop-off charge guide. When you pre-book a transfer with us, the charge is inside your fixed fare and your driver deals with it.
Pickup Tips That Save the Most Time
- Give the flight number when you book. It is what makes the tracking work; without it, the pickup is tied to a clock rather than your aircraft.
- Check which terminal you are actually landing at, not which one you departed from. They are frequently different on a return.
- Walk to the meeting point before calling. The driver is already there; a phone call from baggage reclaim rarely speeds anything up.
- Tell us if you clear customs unusually fast. On an early landing the driver may still be completing the run to the airport.
Gatwick Compared With the Other London Airports
Gatwick is the only London airport where the meeting point genuinely depends on which terminal you land at. Heathrow has four terminals but the rule is the same in each — the arrivals hall of your terminal. Stansted, Luton, London City and Southend each have a single arrivals hall, so there is nothing to get wrong. If you are flying into Luton next, the equivalent guide is where taxis pick up at Luton Airport.
For what a Gatwick journey costs by vehicle size, see our Gatwick taxi prices, or read how airport transfers work if you have not booked one before.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do taxis pick up at Gatwick Airport?
Pre-booked drivers meet you inside the arrivals hall; black cabs queue outside at the rank.
In the North Terminal a pre-booked LondonAirport-Taxi.com driver waits at the Information Desk at the foot of the escalators. In the South Terminal the meeting point is Costa Coffee, opposite the main exit and next to WHSmith. Your driver holds a name board and carries your luggage out to the car, so you never queue on the forecourt.
Where exactly does my driver meet me at Gatwick North Terminal?
At the Information Desk, at the bottom of the escalators down from arrivals.
We use the Information Desk rather than a shop because it is staffed, fixed and open whatever time you land. Come through customs into the main concourse, take the escalators down, and your driver is waiting there with a board showing your surname.
Where is the meeting point at Gatwick South Terminal?
Costa Coffee, directly opposite the main exit from arrivals, next to WHSmith.
It is visible from the arrivals doors, so there is no need to cross the concourse looking for it. The South Terminal is the one connected to Gatwick railway station, which is useful to know if anyone else is meeting you there.
How long will the driver wait at Gatwick?
60 minutes free, timed from when your flight actually lands.
Not from the scheduled arrival time — from the moment the aircraft is on the ground. That covers immigration, baggage reclaim and the walk into the arrivals hall, which at the North Terminal can take a large part of an hour on its own. Most operators allow 30 minutes. Waiting beyond the free hour is charged by the minute.
What if I land at the wrong Gatwick terminal?
Take the free inter-terminal shuttle and tell us — the driver moves to meet you.
The two terminals are about two and a half miles apart and the shuttle takes a few minutes, running frequently. Because the free waiting hour runs from landing, a shuttle transfer normally fits inside it without any extra charge.
How much does it cost to pick someone up at Gatwick?
£10 for up to 10 minutes on either terminal forecourt, if you drive yourself.
That is a 43% rise from £7, introduced on 6 January 2026. The zone is barrierless with ANPR cameras: pay online or by phone by midnight the next day or you face a £100 penalty, reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days. The Long Stay car park is free for up to two hours with a shuttle. A pre-booked transfer includes the charge in the fixed fare.
Is there a black cab rank at Gatwick?
Yes, immediately outside arrivals at both terminals.
No booking is needed and the fare is metered, so the final figure depends on traffic and the queue can be long after a bank of flights lands. A pre-booked transfer is the alternative where the price is agreed before you travel and somebody is already waiting when you clear customs.
Can my driver help with luggage at Gatwick?
Yes — that is part of meeting you inside rather than at the kerb.
Because your driver is in the arrivals hall rather than circling a forecourt, they can take the bags from the moment you come through and walk you to the car. It is the main practical reason people book a meet-and-greet transfer for a family or a long-haul arrival.
Final Thoughts
Gatwick rewards one small piece of preparation: knowing which terminal you land at and which meeting point goes with it. North is the Information Desk at the foot of the escalators; South is Costa Coffee opposite the main exit. Book with your flight number, walk to the point, and the rest — the waiting, the forecourt charge, the luggage — is already handled. Get a fixed-price quote for your Gatwick journey.
