Thinking about ordering last minute car service at Heathrow Terminal 3 on iPhone -- Questions

Original post deleted as it proved useless

Heathrow already has sorted this out :
https://www.heathrow.com/arrivals/meeting-points

I emailed Simply Airports earlier today long before I started this thread, joe. I'm still waiting to hear back.

My flight arrives at 07:50 on Friday.

The more I think about it, the more I think I really do need to take car service from Terminal 3 because of my disability.

Simply Airports emailed back and said that if I book at my 1st access to WiFi at Heathrow, there would be a minimum two hour wait. So I will have to book before I leave home.

My concern is being charged for wait time in case there are wheelchair, passport control or baggage claim delays. I emailed back to ask about maximum wait time before extra charges are accrued.

Do you or anyone have any recommendations for another minicab or car service? I’m curious to see what other companies are doing by comparison. Just Airports is much more expensive so I am not considering them.

Thanks.

Quick question, Emma. When you had to transfer from wheelchair to buggy last month, was there a place for you to sit? I ask because when I arrived at Heathrow in March from JFK, I had 5 different transfers from jetway to exit. At each transfer, there was either one bench which was already filled with seated disabled passengers or no bench at all. Hence, I was forced to stand for 10-15 minutes at some of those transfers. Has that been corrected? I am happy to hear that it was a quick process for you.

Thanks for your advice.

This won’t help if it’s THIS Friday but do know for the future you can take the Heathrow Express ( book way in advance cut costs) to Paddington, then a 10 minute train ride to Ealing Broadway, and then the 607 bus to Ealing Common. Only reason I know this is because I stayed in Ealing in January.

American Passport holders get E Gates, so it's like 10-15 minutes. Picking up baggage, etc., is a separate wait.

We used Blackberry cars in June. When you book with them, you give them your flight info, so they actually track it (the Heathrow app is pretty good). We had great service from them.

I’ve used Blackberry Cars for a number of years. Here is a link to their pricing from Heathrow to Ealing:
https://www.blackberrycars.com/london-area-to-heathrow/taxi-ealing-heathrow-airport/

Their customer service has been excellent, and friends who have used them had similar good experiences.

I thought the E gates were available to Americans and others who paid an annual fee for quicker time at passport control. I did not pay for it. Is that now open for all Americans? Since I will be in a wheelchair (just in the airport), it sounds like I might be in a separate line anyway

Claudia, I had thought about taking the commuter rail directly from Heathrow to Ealing Broadway. I have taken that train before and like it. The problem now for me is that I have a disability and would need to use a lift or escalator from the platform to the street. IIt has not been built yet. I cannot use stairs while I have luggage with me. Maybe when the Crossrail is completed, Ealing Broadway will have full accessibility. I am looking forward to that.

Thank you for the recommendation of BlackBerry. I will contact them.

Emma, it sounds like you had a very positive experience. That is good to hear.

I have to say, I am very excited even with this short trip. I am now getting my nails done as it is lunchtime here. I am all packed. All I have to do is arrange car service at Heathrow!

The eGates used to be more restricted, but in recent months they've opened them for use by more countries, especially those from the colonies, and so Americans and Canadians can now use them. I don't know if using an eGate would be faster than any special wheelchair route they may have, but they're certainly faster than the "foreigners" queue.

Blackberry emailed back to say that they needed to charge my credit card to a Paypal account to book transportation from Terminal 3 to Ealing because I will not be able to make/receive phone calls. I can receive texts in wifi and can be reached by Facetime/Whatsapp.

Is that typical of car service at Heathrow? It doesn't seem right to me. Maybe I'm wrong.

Yes, I can activate Verizon Travelpass but to do so is a $10 fee for 24 hours usage to make or receive one phone call. That to me is a waste.

Updated. I'll pay cash. Hopefully the driver will still meet me even if he/she can't call me. He or she could text.

Continental, when you arrive at Heathrow, would you be able to use your What’s App to call the dispatcher (main number on their website) to re-confirm? Nothing like person to person. I’ve had phone service, so this hadn’t come up for me with Blackberry.

Barbara, I have only been able to use WhatsApp on my mobile calling another mobile that has WhatsApp.

I just tried now and it didn’t work. It looks like one can only call another device that has WhatsApp.

that is true about both Facetime and WhatsApp. Only other Apple users can use Facetime, only WhatsApp members can make or receive WhatsApps.

I learned later yesterday that cash won’t work either. For international travelers or anyone whose phones are not set up to make or receive phone calls, Blackberry requires credit card payment in advance.

In that emailed notification to me, they included a US phone number which forwards directly to their offices. The area code was from New York City which made me smile. So I called to inquire about the credit card requirement and the agent said they had been burned many times by passengers who reserved car service yet didn’t show up. The drivers use their own phones and BlackBerry doesn’t know if they have smart phones with Wi-Fi coverage so their policy is for drivers only to call clients once at the airport. Wouldn’t calling a North American mobile phone still be expensive?

So the risk is on me to pay upfront that the driver will be there but their reviews are stellar so I did.

E gates opened to Americans in May 2019.

Blackberry drivers probably have international plans; as soon as I pulled my phone off airplane mode (I have T Mobile, so overseas calls, etc, are automatic), I got a text from Blackberry advising my driver info, phone, car type and a photograph. I was running a few minutes late to the meet up point so I phoned him (he was running a few minutes late as well, so all was good).

Spend the $$ so they can contact you. It's cheap insurance.

Seems like you have it all handled. By speaking to them directly, hopefully they will update your record with the details about your using the chair service. Have a great flight and be sure to let us know how the transfer goes. And you do have the Verizon fallback if needed.

Thanks. I think I do. I probably will touch base here during my trip.

I feel VERY FORTUNATE that I am leaving tonight as opposed to last night which was my original date. We had a bad rainstorm with wind last night in New York and the 7:30 PM flight had been delayed 5 hours to a 12:30 AM departure. After midnight, the flight was canceled. I was following it.

I feel very good about getting car service as I spent a good part of my trip in March with significant back pain that I believe was due to my stubbornness to take public transportation upon arrival. Literally, I don’t want to be penny wise but pound foolish. 😉

The Blackberry driver was not waiting for me today at the arrivals area specifically in front of Boots. I had to wait an additional 35 minutes. The wheelchair operator was wonderful and called Blackberry for me. The agent didn’t give him an answer as to why the driver wasn’t there. He told me the agent seemed surprised that somebody else would call for me and didn’t have any response as to where the driver was.

The driver arrived, he was very nice and had a very comfortable car. He then told me that the dispatcher instructed him to come 70 minutes after my flight arrived. He showed me the instructions. The agent didn’t say a word about that.

It was a comfortable ride with a very competent and kind driver.

Thank you everybody for your assistance.

Glad that it worked out.

I guess you made it out to the curb much earlier than the 70 minutes that they had decided to allow? Did you end up using the e-gates?

Anyway a little bit of wait is annoying but not horrible, and I am glad you made it in comfort. I hope you have a nice day today!

Actually, no. I didn’t use the e-gates because there was a line — not a long one though. I was taken to the wheelchair line which was empty. The passport control agent did not stamp my passport. That was a first for me.

The agent answering the phone at Blackberry was aggressive saying that I had specified that I wanted the driver to arrive 70 minutes after my plane landed. I never said anything like that and when I told her, she didn’t want to hear it. She also didn’t manage my expectations as to tell me when to expect the driver.

The driver was very nice and explained to me that the office knew exactly where he was and said that he has heard many complaints from passenger he picks up because he of course is the first person from Blackberry passengers see.

I told him upfront that I didn’t blame him for any of this. He can only do what he is instructed and again, he could not have been nicer.

I received an email from BlackBerry this morning suggesting I use them again en route to Heathrow and was given a £3 discount if I do.

I will instead take the car service recommended by my hotel and keep their information for when I return to London next.