Meet and greet has become a familiar phrase, but the experience behind it varies enormously. A properly managed meet and greet should feel like being looked after by someone who has been quietly preparing for your arrival.
The arrival you should expect
A good meet and greet begins long before you land. Your flight is monitored. Parking and access are planned. The driver knows your name, your luggage, your onward plans and any quiet preferences you have shared.
When you arrive, they are already there. Not waiting visibly in your line of sight, but ready — usually in arrivals, often with a discreet name board, sometimes simply at an agreed point.
What actually happens, step by step
The flight number is logged at booking and tracked against live arrival data, so the driver sets off based on when the aircraft actually lands, not the printed schedule.
Once the aircraft is on stand, the driver parks in the short-stay area and waits inside the arrivals hall — not circling outside, and not asking you to find them.
Allowance is built in for immigration and baggage reclaim, so if those run long the waiting arrangement holds. If a flight is diverted or heavily delayed, the journey is re-planned rather than cancelled, and whoever needs to know is updated.
Terminal meet and greet versus kerbside pickup
A kerbside pickup puts the work on you: find the right exit and the right vehicle, within a short window before the driver has to move on.
A terminal meet and greet reverses it. The driver finds you, takes the bags from reclaim, and walks you to the vehicle at your pace — which matters most when you are tired or somewhere unfamiliar.
When assistance needs to go further
For travellers with mobility or healthcare needs, meet and greet is often what makes the rest of the journey possible — meeting at the aircraft door, coordinating with airport staff, or arranging a suitable vehicle in advance through our wheelchair accessible transport service.
Agree these details at booking rather than on the day. The same principle applies when choosing a reliable airport transfer — the questions you ask beforehand tell you most of what you need to know.
What sets premium meet and greet apart
- A real person inside the terminal, not a phone call from the kerb.
- Calm assistance with luggage, offered rather than imposed.
- A short, unhurried walk to the vehicle.
- A driver who has been briefed on your journey and your preferences.
- Communication with family or colleagues at your request, never automatically.
When meet and greet matters most
- After a long-haul flight, when discretion and calm are worth more than speed.
- For senior leadership, clients and international guests.
- For families travelling with children or older relatives.
- For passengers with mobility, accessibility or healthcare needs.
- For anyone arriving into an unfamiliar airport or city.
The quiet hallmark of a managed service
A premium meet and greet is rarely loud or showy. There is no rush, no announcement, no sense of being processed. There is only a calm welcome, a familiar face and the feeling that the next part of the journey is already taken care of.
That is, in the end, what meet and greet is meant to be.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What does airport meet and greet actually include?
- A properly managed meet and greet begins before you land: your flight is monitored, parking and access are planned, and the driver knows your name, luggage and onward plans. You are met by a real person inside arrivals, often with a discreet name board.
- Is meet and greet different from kerbside pickup?
- Yes. Kerbside pickup means a phone call and a vehicle waiting outside. Meet and greet means a real person inside the terminal, calm assistance with luggage offered rather than imposed, and a short, unhurried walk to the vehicle.
- When is meet and greet most worth arranging?
- After a long-haul flight, for senior leadership, clients and international guests, for families travelling with children or older relatives, for passengers with mobility or healthcare needs, and for anyone arriving into an unfamiliar airport or city.
The National Transfer Editorial Team