Airport Transfers for Families

Landing at 23:40 with two children who should have been asleep four hours ago, a pushchair somewhere in oversized baggage, and two hold cases to get onto a train, then a Tube, then a ten-minute walk in the rain. Or the 04:30 start at the other end of the trip, when everyone is up in the dark and the taxi you booked has not arrived and the app is showing a surge fare.

These are the two moments that make family travel harder than it needs to be, and both are solved the same way: a vehicle that is the right size, booked at a price agreed in advance, waiting for you regardless of when you actually land.

Most of what we do differently for families is not glamorous. We ask how many bags there really are and allocate accordingly rather than sending a saloon and hoping. We fit child seats properly and do not charge for them. We track the flight, so a two-hour delay does not become a rebooking problem at midnight with children in tow. And we quote one number that covers the whole family, which is usually where the comparison with per-person rail and coach fares stops being close.

Get London Transfer has run family airport transfers since 2000 under a TfL Private Hire Operator licence. Every driver is licensed and enhanced-DBS checked — a check specifically designed around working with children and vulnerable people — and every vehicle is inspected and insured for private hire.

All child seats are free. There is no per-seat charge and no charge for fitting, on any booking, in any vehicle. Tell us the ages of the children at booking and we bring the right seats and fit them before we arrive so you are not standing in a car park sorting straps.

Rear-facing infant carrier — roughly 0–15 months. Suitable from birth. If you are travelling with a newborn, say so and we will allow extra time at pickup.

Forward-facing toddler seat — roughly 9 months to 4 years, with a full harness.

Booster seat — roughly 4 to 12 years, or until the child reaches 135cm. UK law requires a child to use an appropriate restraint until they are either 135cm tall or 12 years old, whichever comes first.

What we need from you. The age of each child, and their approximate height and weight if a child is unusually large or small for their age — seat suitability is set by size, not birthday. If you would rather use your own seat, that is completely fine; the driver will fit it or you can, and there is no difference in price.

How many seats. Every child needs their own appropriate restraint, which affects vehicle choice. Three children in seats will generally need an MPV rather than a saloon, simply because three child seats across a rear bench rarely works in practice even when the passenger count technically allows it. Tell us the ages and we will tell you the vehicle.

A note on private hire law. Licensed taxis and private hire vehicles have specific exemptions under UK child seat regulations. We do not rely on those exemptions. We provide and fit proper seats because a licensed exemption is a legal position, not a safety one, and it is not what any parent actually wants for their own child.

Pushchairs and buggies. Tell us at booking whether it is a compact fold or a full travel system, because the difference is roughly one large suitcase of boot space. Double buggies effectively require an MPV as a minimum. If the pushchair goes into the hold on the flight, remember it comes out at oversized baggage, which is a different carousel and often a longer wait — our 60 minutes of free waiting is measured from actual landing precisely because of situations like this.

Travel cots and car seats you are bringing. Both take real space. Count them as luggage when you tell us the bag count. If you are bringing your own car seats for the destination as well as needing seats fitted here, mention it — that is a common combination and it affects vehicle size.

The luggage count that people get wrong. Families consistently underestimate. The reliable test: count everything that will not sit on a lap. Hold cases, cabin bags, pushchair, travel cot, car seats, the bag of snacks and coats that materialises at the airport. If the total sounds like a lot, book the MPV — the cost difference is small and the alternative is a genuinely bad ten minutes at the kerb.

Late arrivals with children. A high proportion of family flights land late in the evening. The car is dispatched against your actual landing time, the driver meets you inside arrivals with a name board rather than making you find a rank, and the luggage is loaded for you. Children can be carried straight from the terminal into a waiting car rather than onto a platform.

Early departures. For a 06:00 flight, pickup is usually somewhere between 03:00 and 03:45 depending on the airport and your bag-drop deadline. We confirm the address and driver mobile number the evening before and the driver arrives a few minutes early. If you would rather he waited quietly outside without ringing the bell and waking a sleeping toddler, say so — we will note it.

In the car. Climate control, USB-A, USB-C and Lightning charging on every seat, and complimentary water. Eating and drinking in the car is fine — we would rather a child had a snack than a meltdown. If there is an accident, tell the driver; it happens regularly and nobody minds.

Assistance and accessibility. If a family member needs extra time, step-in assistance or has mobility requirements, tell us at booking. We allocate a suitable vehicle and schedule unhurried time at both ends rather than treating it as a delay.

Train. Fast and often the sensible choice for one adult with a cabin bag. With a family it changes character: fares are per person, so a family of five pays five times, and the journey involves getting to a platform, luggage on and off, usually a change onto the Underground, and a walk at the far end. From Luton it is worse still, because the railway station is at Parkway and requires the DART people-mover to reach the terminal. Children under five travel free, which helps — but the luggage does not care.

Coach. The cheapest option and genuinely fine for some journeys. Slower, with fixed drop points rather than your address, limited luggage handling, and no flexibility if a flight lands late. Hard work with young children at the end of a long day.

Rideshare apps. The vehicle you get is whatever is nearest, which is a problem when you have five people and six cases. Child seats are rarely available. Surge pricing peaks exactly when families travel — school holidays, evening arrival banks, bad weather — and you find out the multiplier at the worst moment.

A pre-booked family transfer. One vehicle sized to your actual party and luggage, one price agreed in advance regardless of how many of you there are, child seats fitted before you arrive, the driver meeting you inside arrivals, and delivery to your front door. The honest comparison: for one adult travelling light, take the train. From about three people upwards, and particularly with children and hold luggage, the car is usually both easier and cheaper.

Enhanced-DBS checked drivers. Every TfL private hire driver licence requires an enhanced DBS check — the standard designed around working with children and vulnerable people — plus a DVLA Group 2 medical and a topographical assessment. Drivers are contracted to us directly, not sourced from an app.

Child seats free, fitted properly. Not an optional extra, not a surcharge, and not a legal exemption relied upon. Proper seats, correct for the age, fitted before we arrive.

The vehicle matches the luggage. We ask what you are actually carrying and allocate accordingly. Nobody should discover at the kerb that the boot is too small.

The price covers everyone. One fixed fare for the whole family, not per person. No surge at half term, no night rate on a late arrival, no surcharge on Christmas Day.

Flight tracking with 60 minutes free waiting. Measured from actual landing. A delayed flight with tired children is stressful enough without also managing a car booking from the baggage hall.

A UK phone number answered by a person. 020 8888 9988 at any hour. When a flight diverts or a child is unwell, you want a controller, not an in-app form.