A calm airport transfer: the checklist we use

An airport transfer has more moving parts than any other journey we run, and almost all of the failures are avoidable. Here is the checklist our reservations team works through on every airport booking, in the order it matters.

1. Give the flight number, always

A flight number is what turns a fixed pickup time into a monitored one. With it, a delayed landing moves your pickup automatically and costs you nothing. Without it, we are guessing, and a two-hour delay becomes an awkward conversation about waiting charges.

2. Confirm the terminal, not just the airport

Dubai International has three terminals and they are not close together. Zayed International, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah each have their own arrangements for arrivals and departures. Confirming the terminal at booking is the difference between being met at the exit and a phone call from the wrong side of the airport.

3. Understand the waiting window

• Airport arrivals should include a generous complimentary wait measured from touchdown, not from a scheduled time
• Immigration and baggage reclaim vary enormously by time of day and by flight
• A fifteen-minute window is fine for a hotel pickup and completely unrealistic for a long-haul arrival

4. Decide how you want to be met

A meet and greet inside the arrivals hall with a name board is the calmest option, particularly for first-time visitors, families and anyone arriving late at night. A kerbside pickup is quicker for frequent travellers with cabin baggage only. Both work, but they need to be decided in advance rather than improvised on landing.

5. Plan departures from the check-in deadline

For a departing flight, the useful number is not the drive time. It is your check-in deadline, minus a sensible allowance for the corridor at that hour, minus the time it takes to get from the drop-off to the desk. We work that out with you and confirm the pickup window rather than asking you to guess it.

The best airport transfer is the one you stop thinking about the moment you book it.