Driving straight into Bristol Airport's Drop Off & Pick Up car park to collect someone with checked bags typically costs £13, or £30 at busy times, going by Tick Taxi drivers' typical times from landing to the car and the airport's own tariff. Wait in the free Waiting Zone until they have their bags and it's £8.50; let them take the Car Rental Centre bus to you and it's free.
Checked October 2026.
The arithmetic: our times and the airport's tariff
The Drop Off & Pick Up car park charges by the time between the camera reading your number plate on the way in and the barrier on the way out:
| Time in the Drop Off & Pick Up car park | Charge |
|---|---|
| Up to 10 minutes | £8.50 |
| 10 to 20 minutes | £10.50 |
| 20 to 40 minutes | £13 |
| 40 to 60 minutes | £30 |
| 1 to 2 hours | £60 |
Put that next to how long our drivers typically wait from the plane landing to the passenger reaching the car, and this is what each way of collecting costs:
| Passenger arriving | Landing to the car, typically | Straight into the Drop Off & Pick Up car park | Waiting Zone first, then a 10-minute stop |
|---|---|---|---|
| No checked luggage | About 30 minutes | £13 | £8.50 |
| No checked luggage, but the plane is held before reaching a stand, or there aren't enough buses to the terminal | About 45 minutes | £30 | £8.50 |
| Checked luggage, normal hours | About 40 minutes | £13, or £30 once it runs past 40 minutes | £8.50 |
| Checked luggage, when more than 5 flights land at about the same time | About 55 minutes | £30 | £8.50 |
| Unusual situations | Up to about 1.5 hours | Up to £60 | Up to £28.50 (£20 in the Waiting Zone plus £8.50) |
Two worked examples. Go straight in when the plane lands for a passenger with checked bags at normal hours: about 40 minutes puts you in the 20 to 40 minute band, £13, and it tips into £30 if it runs past 40 minutes. Do the same when more than five flights land together: about 55 minutes is in the 40 to 60 minute band, £30.
The sums assume you drive in as the plane lands. The time it takes to find a bay and drive back out to the barrier comes on top, so a collection close to a band edge can tip into the next band.
Landing-to-car times are Tick Taxi drivers' typical times for international arrivals at Bristol Airport, from our own pickups, October 2026: a guide, not a promise. Tariffs from Bristol Airport, Drop Off & Pick Up, its parking prices ("correct on 13 August 2026") and Waiting Zone page. Checked October 2026.
The cheap way: the free Waiting Zone
The Waiting Zone, close to the Car Rental Centre, is free for the first 60 minutes, then £20 for 1 to 2 hours and £20 for each extra hour. There are two ways to use it:
- Your passenger comes to you: free. Once they have their bags, they take the Car Rental Centre bus from Bus Stop 1 in the Transport Interchange. You never drive near the terminal. The bus ride comes on top of the times above, so on a busy arrival drive in a little after the landing, not before it, to stay inside the free hour.
- You wait, then drive round: £8.50. Sit in the Waiting Zone until they message that they have their bags, then drive to the Drop Off & Pick Up car park for a stop of up to 10 minutes. This is how our drivers do it.
Leave the Waiting Zone once. A car that comes back within 30 minutes of leaving gets an automatic Parking Charge Notice. The step-by-step guide is on Can you pick someone up for free at Bristol Airport?, and why the times vary is on How long does it take to get out of Bristol Airport after landing?
Blue Badge holders
Blue Badge holders get up to 40 minutes in the Drop Off & Pick Up car park for £8.50: scan the barcode on the back of the badge at the exit barrier. That covers our drivers' typical 30 minutes for a passenger without checked bags, and about 40 with bags at normal hours, so going straight in can cost the same as a 10-minute stop.
From Bristol Airport, parking and transport. Checked October 2026.
What a Tick Taxi fare includes instead
The car park charge is the part you see; the drive there and back and your time come on top. A Tick Taxi fare is fixed when you book and already includes the £8.50 charge. Airport pickups get 45 minutes free from the actual landing time, longer than our drivers' typical 30 to 40 minutes at normal hours. There's no night rate, the driver loads the bags, and meet and greet inside the arrivals hall is an optional £15.
Fares are the same in both directions: Bristol Airport to Bath is from £59, to Weston-super-Mare from £49 and to Wells from £49. For an address in Bristol, see How much is a taxi from Bristol Airport to your area?
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to pick someone up from Bristol Airport?
How long will I be in the Bristol Airport pick-up car park?
Is it cheaper to wait in the Waiting Zone at Bristol Airport?
Can I wait on the road outside Bristol Airport instead?
How long do Blue Badge holders get for £8.50 at Bristol Airport?
Is the £8.50 Bristol Airport charge included in a Tick Taxi fare?
Skip the car park sums: a fixed fare with the £8.50 already in it and 45 minutes free from landing. ticktaxi.co.uk/en/book-online