Birmingham, a little simpler.

First, check your arrival point

Confirm your airline’s current check-in and departure information before arranging services. Allow enough time to travel from your car park, hotel or drop-off point to the terminal.

The last major UK airport with genuinely free drop-off

Almost every big airport in Britain now charges you to stop anywhere near the terminal. Birmingham is the exception, and it's the single most useful thing to know about driving here.

The Drop Off car park sits around 400 metres from the terminal, and the first ten minutes are free. There's a covered walkway, and a free shuttle bus if you'd rather not walk. No other major UK airport still offers free time this close in.

Two rules attached to it, and both catch people out.

No return within an hour. If you come back before the hour is up, you forfeit the free ten minutes. That matters if you're doing a drop-off and then a pick-up, or if you leave and realise someone forgot a passport.

Overstaying is charged and rises in bands. Cameras read your plate on the way in and out. Go past ten minutes and you pay, cashless, within a day of leaving.

Premium Set Down, and when it's worth it

Premium Set Down is right outside the terminal doors — about a minute's walk. It's charged from the moment you enter, with no free window at all, and the price climbs steeply the longer you stay.

It's worth it when the walk itself is the problem: someone with mobility difficulties, a very early flight with a tight connection, or heavy luggage and no one to help. Otherwise the 400-metre walk saves you the whole fee.

The car parks, and the height limits nobody checks

Birmingham's car parks are numbered, and the numbers matter because the walk and the height limit both change between them.

Car Parks 1, 2 and 3 are the closest — about a minute on foot. But check your vehicle height before booking. Car Park 1 takes taller vehicles than 2 and 3, and the difference is only about ten centimetres, which is exactly the range a roof box puts you in.

Car Park 4 is surface parking, three to five minutes on foot.

Car Park 5 is what the airport itself recommends for meeting arrivals — five to ten minutes on foot, or take the free bus.

Car Park 7 is for longer trips with a bus transfer.

Valet is about a minute from the terminal and you hand over the keys.

The red routes

Every approach road around the terminal is a red route. That means no stopping, at all, at any time — not to let someone out, not for thirty seconds. Enforcement is automatic and the charge is far more than any car park fee. There is no version of this where stopping on the approach road saves you money.

Before you book, check these five

1. Your vehicle height against the car park you're booking — the closest ones have the lowest limits
2. Whether you'll return within an hour, if you're using the free Drop Off car park
3. That you pay any overstay charge within a day of leaving
4. Car Park 5 if you're meeting an arrival, not the drop-off area
5. Return date and cancellation terms

A night near the airport

For an early departure, compare the cost of a nearby room with your preferred arrival plan. Check how you will get from the hotel to the terminal at the time you need to travel.

• Confirm room occupancy, check-in hours and any early breakfast options.
• Ask whether the shuttle is included, pre-booked or paid separately.
• A “hotel with parking” offer may cover only your overnight stay. A holiday parking package needs to cover your full trip.

Make time for the lounge

Check that the lounge is in the departure area you can access. Entry rules, opening hours, maximum stay and child policies vary. Allow time for security and the walk to your gate before choosing an entry time.

Availability shown on a general guide is not a reservation. Confirm access for your flight and travel date with the provider.

Arrange the ride, both ways

Use the exact pickup and destination addresses when requesting a quote. Include everyone travelling, the size of your bags and any child-seat or accessibility requirements.

• Check the meeting point, contact number and waiting-time allowance.
• Ask how flight delays, parking charges and additional stops are handled.
• For your return journey, allow time to clear arrivals and collect bags.

Collect a car with the details checked

Airport car hire can be convenient, but the collection desk may be in the terminal, reached by shuttle or at an off-airport location. Check where to collect and return the vehicle before paying.

• Confirm driver age, licence and payment-card requirements.
• Compare the deposit, fuel, mileage and insurance terms—not only the headline price.
• Check opening hours and what happens if your flight arrives late.