Where to meet outside Heathrow T3?
Although I am not travelling, I expect this question to benefit other travellers, and that's why I am asking this in Travel SE!
So where can I meet my family at Heathrow T3? They would be coming in by EK5101 Emirates operated by Qantas at T3, and I would come from central London in the Piccadilly line.
I really don't want to travel all the way from central London to Heathrow a day or two beforehand to study the landscape.
- My family will not be having their UK sim cards - I have the sim cards
- Is there a public meeting area immediately outside T3, or does T3 directly connect with the Piccadilly line?
- Is it more easy to designate one of the T3 arrival gates to be our meeting area, or designate the tube's ticket-barriers as our meeting area?
- Do all the arrival passengers leave from one single T3 gate, or several gates over vast distances?
- Google Maps and even the interactive map is really confusing! Can I go into the "Arrivals Public Area" from the Piccadilly line, or is that only accessible to arrival passengers?
Similar question: Where to meet another traveller at Heathrow T5
Best Answer
What you probably want to start with are the official Heathrow Airport maps
From those, you'll see that terminals 1, 2 and 3 are arranged in a semi-circle, with the underground + bus station + railway station in centre between them.
I really wouldn't suggest meeting by the tube gateline. It can be quite busy at times, and there's no-where to really to sit or wait.
Instead, as you'll see from the Terminal 3 map if you scroll to the end for the arrivals level, you'll see there's an AMT Coffee cafe very close to where arriving passengers come out having cleared customs. Tell them to meet there, first group to arrive buys the coffees for the others. There's also a pub there too, if your family would rather something alcoholic rather than caffeine based!
(Another option is to meet at the cafe in the Central Bus station, which is directly above the tube, IIRC it's a Caffe Nero. More sunlight, and closer to the tube, but might be busier and would be more of a walk for the arriving passengers)
Pictures about "Where to meet outside Heathrow T3?"
Where do you pick up passengers at Heathrow Terminal 3?
Heathrow Terminal 3 Exit Arrivals. Take the lift opposite Caff\xe8 Nero to Level 1. Cross the walkway into Car Park 3, Level 1. Pick-up point is sign-posted and marked on the ground in the car park.Where is meet and greet Terminal 3 Heathrow?
On your return, make your way to the Official Heathrow Meet & Greet reception located on Level 1 of Short Stay Car Park 3. Here you will be given your keys and shown to your vehicle. Please email valetparking@heathrow.com to let the Meet & Greet team know about any changes to your arrival time.How do I pick someone up from Terminal 3?
Please note that the terminal forecourt is for drop-off only. Waiting isn't permitted for security reasons. Please use the official car parks if you're picking up passengers. You can use the long stay car park for free for up to 30 minutes.Heathrow - Terminal 3 (T3) - Picking Up Your Passengers and Parking Your Car
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Images: Wesner Rodrigues, Wesner Rodrigues, August de Richelieu, Askar Abayev