Gatwick Airport help, please

[Spinney]

Off on a Norwegian cruise shortly, but the night before I need to pick up my sister at Gatwick Airport station. I will be in the car.
Now the airport blurb says there is free pick up (but no waiting) on both North and South Terminal forecourts. The south terminal is closest to our overnight hotel.
But it isn't very clear on google maps where exactly it means by this. The closest I have got is below, but it appears to be only a bus stop. I don't want to get moved on, have to find somewhere to park to phone her to make another rendezvous!

The website also says there is an Express pick up point in the Orange Short stay, but google doesn't know where that is either, and the maps don't seem to have the colour codes for the car parks on them.

Help!

 

[vickster]

http://www.gatwickairport.com/to-and-from/picking-up-dropping-off/

You may need to pay to pick up. 30 mins in short stay is £3.50. It's very hard to pick up at any of the London airports, you'll get moved on immediately pretty much

Or... To pick up passengers you need to park in one of our car parks. We offer two hours free parking in our long stay car parks with a fast, direct bus service to the terminal. Alternatively you can park in the short stay car parks.

The station is at the south terminal, but there's a monorail to the north

 

[Spinney]

Thanks, I'd seen that, but I was trying to match up what it said with what google showed of the roads. Looks like forking out for half an hour in a car park is the easiest option.

 

[vickster]

Thanks, I'd seen that, but I was trying to match up what it said with what google showed of the roads. Looks like forking out for half an hour in a car park is the easiest option.

Less simple but there's the free for two hours long stay option, but it'll take a minimum of 15-30 mins each way waiting for/using the bus

You can drop off quickly, but you can't pick up

Does your overnight hotel not offer some sort of shuttle if it's an airport hotel?

 

[Spinney]

Less simple but there's the free for two hours long stay option, but it'll take a minimum of 15-30 mins each way waiting for/using the bus

You can drop off quickly, but you can't pick up

Does your overnight hotel not offer some sort of shuttle if it's an airport hotel?

It's a hotel and car park package, so the shuttle is from the long stay car park the next morning - but I will ask about that, thanks for the idea.

 

[Tim Hall]

While picking up, as the wise old elf says, is officially a thing of the past, if you get your sister to call you from the train when she's a suitable distance out, then jump in your motor, presumably from your hotel. Get her to walk to passenger drop off (out of station, along the travelator, down a level). Swoop by in your car, pull in, pick her up. There is no waiting allowed, so you've got to be sharp and ideally she needs to be there before you arrive.

 

[swansonj]

So a related question. I am picking my wife up from Heathrow T5 on Friday. The signs in the drop off area say £40 fine for picking up. If we coordinate perfectly by mobile so that she is waiting and I barely stop - what are the chances of getting away with it versus getting caught?

 

[Tanis8472]

Anpr

 

[vickster]

So a related question. I am picking my wife up from Heathrow T5 on Friday. The signs in the drop off area say £40 fine for picking up. If we coordinate perfectly by mobile so that she is waiting and I barely stop - what are the chances of getting away with it versus getting caught?

They have a lot of people patrolling, I'd say a good chance of getting done. Again, think it's £3.50 for half an hour, £7 for an hour (I picked my patents up a couple of weeks ago)

Taxis used to do it near the Sofitel, but they've stopped that now based on recent pick ups

 

[Beebo]

Wait in the Tesco car park along with all the other uber drivers. Then go to the drop off. It is what my dad does when he picks me and the kids up. But you have to coordinate the pick up via mobile phone.

 

[Mark Grant]

So a related question. I am picking my wife up from Heathrow T5 on Friday. The signs in the drop off area say £40 fine for picking up. If we coordinate perfectly by mobile so that she is waiting and I barely stop - what are the chances of getting away with it versus getting caught?

My mate picked us up from T5 a month or so ago, from the drop off point with no probs. We were ready & waiting to jump into his car.
I picked up my daughter from T4 in Feb, again from the drop of point without issue.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

You may need to pay to pick up. 30 mins in short stay is £3.50. It's very hard to pick up at any of the London airports, you'll get moved on immediately pretty much

FTFY

 

[srw]

think it's £3.50 for half an hour

£3.80 on Sunday this week, or £4.00 once the taxi driver had rounded it up.

From somewhere in the Surrey area you can sit at home with your feet up watching the internet until the plane had landed, and still arrive at Costa before the plane passenger.

 

[Chromatic]

It cost me £3 to drop someone off at Bradford airport a couple of months ago and I didn't even turn the car engine off, robbing gits.

 

[vickster]

£3.80 on Sunday this week, or £4.00 once the taxi driver had rounded it up.

From somewhere in the Surrey area you can sit at home with your feet up watching the internet until the plane had landed, and still arrive at Costa before the plane passenger.

Gatwick need to update their website then