I meet the overnight flights from Hong Kong, here's what I'd tell you
It's the long one, about thirteen hours nonstop from Hong Kong, and most of you take the overnight and land in the London morning. Cathay Pacific and Virgin come into Terminal 3, British Airways into Terminal 5. Whichever it is, I'll have tracked the flight through the night and I'm at the barrier when you clear customs, so a long flight ends with the easy part.
The flights, plainly
Small things worth knowing
- London is seven hours behind Hong Kong in summer, so the overnight flight lands you here mid-morning with the day ahead.
- Fares are fixed and I'll quote them in Hong Kong dollars or pounds. Cards only, no cash to sort out.
- Hong Kong passport? You'll need a UK ETA now, £20 on the official app, usually approved in a day. Do it before you fly.
How you'll find me
I'll know your terminal from the flight, Cathay and Virgin at Terminal 3, British Airways at Terminal 5, and I'm at the barrier there as you come out of baggage reclaim, your name on a board. I carry the cases from there. After a night in the air the last thing you want is to hunt for a car, so I make sure the car finds you.
How the fare works
The fare is fixed before you fly and it stays fixed: not for a late flight, not for traffic, not for the time I wait at the barrier. I'll quote it in Hong Kong dollars or pounds once you tell me the flight and where you're staying. Card or account, nothing to settle in the car.
What Hong Kong clients actually book me for
A lot of business, this being the finance run it is: the overnight in, then straight to meetings in the City or at the Wharf with the car kept on and the bags held until check-in. Beyond work it's family trips, the September drive to school or to Oxford with a term's luggage, and the long weekend with dinners booked tight. Tell me the shape of the trip and I'll build the car around it.
Before you book
I land early and cannot check in yet, can you help?
Yes. I'll hold the bags, and we can go straight to breakfast, an early meeting, or a first stop while the hotel readies your room. Plenty of Hong Kong arrivals do exactly this, and it's all inside the one fixed fare.
Which terminal will I come into?
Cathay Pacific and Virgin Atlantic land at Terminal 3, British Airways at Terminal 5. Give me the flight and I'll be at the right barrier, name board up.
What if the flight is delayed overnight?
I track it through the night. However the flight moves, I'm at the rail when you clear customs, and the fixed fare covers the wait, so a delay costs you nothing extra.
What car will I get, and how much luggage fits?
A Mercedes S-Class takes three and their cases; the V-Class takes up to seven with room for the bags. Tell me how many of you there are and how many cases, and I'll send the right one.