Before Boarding at Heathrow

Flying out for a trip away is an exciting prospect, but before you can really get your holiday started there are a few unavoidable things you have to go through at the airport first. Starting from the beginning, the first thing you’ll need to deal with is parking your car at the airport. This can be made considerably easier if you have pre-booked online with Airparks, as a space will be reserved and waiting for you, cutting out the need to search busy car parks when you get to the airport. On top of this, when you pre-book Heathrow Airport parking, you benefit from discounts off the on-gate price.

Getting to the Check-In Desk

Once you’ve safely parked your car, you will probably need to catch a transfer bus from your car park to the airport terminals. Some car parks are within walking distance from the terminals, eliminating this requirement, or you can book an Airparks’ meet & greet service. Transfer buses are regular, efficient and driven by friendly professional staff. On-airport car parks benefit from shorter transfer times than off-airport car parks.

At the Check-In Desk

Having been taken to the airport terminal, next up you will have to check your luggage in at the check-in desk and have your airline tickets swapped for boarding passes. Some airlines nowadays give you the option of checking in online before you leave, and will provide an e-mail which you are to print off and use as your boarding pass, making this process slightly quicker, especially if you are only travelling with hand luggage.

Passport Control and Security

Passport Control comes is the next step; simply follow the signs and show your passport to the passport control official. Immediately after this you will need to walk through a metal detector and your hand luggage will be scanned in an x-ray machine to ensure you don’t have any forbidden items with you, such as knives, corkscrews, nail files etc. In recent years, it has become necessary to limit the amount of liquid passengers can take on-board a plane. You may only take up to 100ml of liquid in your hand luggage or on your person, and this has to be sealed in a plastic bag, which will be provided at the security point.

The Final Countdown

The serious side over with, you can now make your way to your departure lounge and gate, which will be well signposted. At the departure lounge, simply present your passport and boarding staff to the airline staff at the desk, sit down and await the call to board.

Enjoy Your Flight

There is a lot to think about when going through the airport, which is why Airparks aim to minimise the stress of the bit we control; your airport parking. So you can travel without fretting over the safety of your vehicle, we have safe, secure car parks with features such as CCTV, high security fencing, well-lit parking bays and regular security patrols in place.