Aylesham to Heathrow: how the airport transfer works, from the A2 to Terminal 5

The road from Aylesham to Heathrow

The car leaves the village for the A2 and heads north-west, round Canterbury on its bypass, to the M2 at Brenley Corner. From there it is the M2 towards London and then the M25 west to the airport.

For Heathrow, Express Travel Kent publishes 2 hours to 2 hours 30 minutes from Canterbury along that route. There is no figure for Aylesham itself. Your trip covers the same road plus the A2 between the village and Canterbury, so allow longer than the Canterbury range by that stretch; the pickup time is settled with you when you book.

Planning a long-haul departure

Check-in and bag-drop deadlines differ by airline and by flight, and long-haul ones can close well before departure. Find your airline's deadline first, then work back: the deadline, minus the drive, minus a margin.

The margin deserves thought. The M25 is the longest part of the run, and a Friday afternoon or the opening days of a school holiday can put another 30 to 45 minutes on it. Night-time roadworks on the M2 and M25 are frequent too, so a pickup in the small hours does not promise an empty road.

Flying out on the first Saturday of the summer holidays? Say so when you book. An earlier pickup costs nothing extra, because the price belongs to the car and the journey, not to the hour.

• Your airline's check-in or bag-drop deadline
• Minus the drive: Canterbury's 2h to 2h 30m, with the A2 from Aylesham on top
• Minus a margin for the M25, roadworks or a holiday weekend
• What is left is the pickup time to agree with us

Terminals 2, 3, 4 and 5

Heathrow has four passenger terminals. Terminal 2 also goes by the name of the Queen's Terminal; Terminal 3 is home to Virgin Atlantic and more than 20 other airlines; Terminal 4 has been refurbished; and Terminal 5 is British Airways' main base at Heathrow.

Your airline booking tells you which one you need, and Heathrow's online terminal finder confirms it from the flight. Give the terminal when you book. Flying out of one and back into another is common: just give both.

Being dropped off at the terminal

Each Heathrow terminal has a drop-off zone, and the airport charges every time a vehicle drives into one. If the charge is paid after the visit, it is due by midnight the next day. People with a valid UK or EEA Blue Badge can register for a full discount. Dropping off at Heathrow's Park & Ride car parks is free, with a free bus on to the terminals.

Car park fees and tolls met on a journey can be added to a fare when the route involves them. Ask at booking how an airport charge is handled for your trip, so there is nothing to sort out on arrival.

Coming home: why the car waits in Terminal Parking

Heathrow does not allow pick-ups or waiting in its drop-off areas. Collections have to happen in the Terminal Parking car parks, which used to be called Short Stay, or at Park & Ride.

So your driver parks there and walks in to find you. We keep an eye on the flight, the collection moves with its real landing time, and the driver is in the arrivals hall with your name on a board, then takes you and the luggage out to the car.

International arrivals get 45 minutes of free waiting, counted from landing. If passport control or the baggage hall keeps you longer, the extra time is charged at the standard rate, which you can ask about when you book.

Choosing a car for long-haul luggage

Long trips mean big cases, so count them before you choose. Two large cases and four people fit a saloon; three suit the executive car; three or four need an estate. A family of five or six, or four people each with a large case and hand luggage, belongs in an MPV, which seats six with room for four or more cases.

Child seats come on request. Tell us the children's ages and the right seats are fitted before the car sets off for your house.

Back to Aylesham after a long flight

The return runs the M25, the M2 and the A2 back past Canterbury to your address in Aylesham or one of the villages. There are no trains from Victoria to think about, and no car that has been sitting in a car park for three weeks.

The return is priced when you book it, just like the outward trip, and it holds if the flight lands at 5am or the M25 crawls. Extra charges arise only from what changes the trip itself: waiting past the free period, stops nobody booked, a big change of route on the way, or car park fees and tolls along the road.