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What time should I leave to collect someone from Cardiff?
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Collecting at Cardiff
Twenty free minutes in Car Park 2
Cardiff names Car Park 2 for collecting as well as dropping off, and gives you 20 minutes free there. It is a short walk to the terminal, open around the clock, with disabled bays and a pedestrian ramp.
£4.50 every ten minutes at the door
The Drop Off Zone directly outside the terminal is £4.50 for the first ten minutes and another £4.50 for every ten after that — it climbs in steps rather than bands.
The zone outside is for dropping off
Cardiff describes the Drop Off Zone as being for drivers dropping passengers off, and points collections at Car Park 2 instead. Worth knowing before you follow the nearest sign.
Prices as published by Cardiff Airport, last checked 24 September 2026. Their own pick-up page is the only place they are current.
This is
A calculator for the person doing the collecting. Free, no account, no booking.
This isn’t
An airport taxi, Uber or meet-and-greet. We never take payment for a journey.
Frequently asked questions about collecting someone from Cardiff Airport
What time should I leave to collect someone from Cardiff?
It depends on the flight and on your traffic, which is what the planner above works out. As a rule, allow for the passenger to get off the aircraft, clear the border and collect bags before they reach the kerb — around 20 minutes for a domestic or Irish arrival, and longer after a long-haul flight — then add your own drive time on top.
Where do you pick someone up at Cardiff Airport?
Car Park 2, which gives you 20 minutes free for pick-up and drop-off and is a short walk from the terminal. The Drop Off Zone directly outside the terminal is described by the airport as being for dropping off, and costs £4.50 for up to ten minutes with another £4.50 for every ten after that.
Is it really free to collect someone at Cardiff?
For the first twenty minutes in Car Park 2, yes. That is a genuinely useful window — longer than Newcastle's Express or Glasgow's kerbside gives you for money — but it still assumes you arrive at roughly the right time rather than an hour early.
Is there step-free access at Cardiff?
Car Park 2 has disabled bays and a pedestrian ramp, and the airport lists ramp access from Car Park 1. Special assistance call points are in every car park. The airport's own special assistance pages carry the detail.
Does FlightPickup arrange the car?
No. It is a free planning tool and nothing more. We do not operate vehicles, employ drivers or take payment for journeys — we tell you what time to set off, and you drive.