How to Book a Solihull to Birmingham Airport Transfer

Getting the airport run right starts the night before, not at 4am

Birmingham Airport sits so close to Solihull that people leave the transfer until the last minute, then discover the M42 is crawling towards Junction 6, the drop-off barrier queue has backed up, and the short stay car park costs more than they bargained for. A booked transfer takes all of that off your plate. You agree the price, you give the driver the flight details, and the only job left on the morning is getting out of the front door with your passport.

Here is how to book it properly from Shirley, Knowle, Dorridge, Olton, Hampton in Arden, Balsall Common or anywhere else around Solihull, and the same steps apply if you are going further out to Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton, Stansted, Manchester or East Midlands. You can see the full list of airports we cover and book through the contact page or by phone.

Step 1: Pin down your check-in window first

Work backwards from the airline, not from the flight time. Your booking confirmation will tell you when bag drop opens and when the gate closes, and those differ between short haul, long haul and charter flights. Once you know when you want to be standing in the terminal, you have a pick-up time to give the driver.

For very early departures the roads are usually quiet. If your pick-up lands in the school run or the morning rush, say so when you book, because the A45 Coventry Road and the M42 behave nothing like they do mid-morning. A driver who knows the Solihull approaches can plan around that rather than hoping.

Step 2: Get the price fixed before you travel, not on the meter

This is the single biggest difference between a booked transfer and flagging something down. A fixed price is agreed up front, so congestion on the motorway or a diversion through Bickenhill does not change what you pay. Ask for the fare to be confirmed when you book, and ask what sits inside it.

At KGN Executive Transfers, airport runs are fixed price, there is no booking fee, and you can pay cash or card. If you are comparing quotes elsewhere, check whether drop-off charges, waiting time or the return leg are included in the figure you have been given or added afterwards.

Step 3: Give the details that actually change the booking

When you ring or send the booking, have these ready:

• Pick-up address and postcode, including anything awkward such as a gated development, a narrow private drive, or a flat with no obvious front door.
• Flight number and departure time for the outbound, plus the inbound flight number for the return.
• Number of passengers and the number of cases, separating hold luggage from cabin bags. Golf clubs, pushchairs, ski bags and musical instruments all need a mention, because the vehicle sent depends on what is going in the boot.
• Child seats, if you need them. Ask when you book rather than on the morning.
• Any preference you have, such as a female driver, which can be requested.

The more of that you give up front, the smaller the chance of a car arriving that cannot swallow four suitcases and a pushchair.

Step 4: Sort the return leg at the same time

Most people book the outbound and leave the return to chance, then end up standing in arrivals at Birmingham Airport trying to arrange a car on one bar of signal. Book both legs together.

For the return, the inbound flight number is the detail that matters. With flight monitoring included free, your arrival is tracked, so the pick-up moves with the plane instead of sitting at the time you originally gave. Agree where you are meeting, too. A car park pick-up and a kerbside pick-up are not the same thing, and at Heathrow or Gatwick the terminal makes a real difference. Birmingham Airport has one terminal, which keeps the BHX end simple.

Step 5: Confirm the day before

A quick call or message the day before catches anything that has shifted. Flight moved? An extra passenger joining from Knowle? Earlier pick-up because you would rather eat breakfast airside than at home? Say it then, not on the doorstep.

Write the driver's contact number somewhere you can get at it without a charged and unlocked phone, and make sure whoever is travelling with you has it too.

Step 6: Be ready to go when the car arrives

Cases by the door, passports in a bag you are actually carrying rather than buried in the hold luggage. If you are paying by card, say so before you set off. Then leave the route to the driver. Which junction to take into the airport, how the drop-off is laid out, and which approach runs best at that hour are exactly the things you should not be weighing up at 5am.

Common mistakes worth avoiding

Booking on travel time rather than check-in time. The run from Solihull to BHX is short. The queue at bag drop is not always short. Plan for the terminal, not the road.

Forgetting the luggage count. A car loaded with more bags than anyone mentioned is the most common reason a booking unravels on the morning.

Assuming every quote covers the same thing. Drop-off charges, waiting and extra stops can all sit outside a headline figure elsewhere. Ask.

Leaving the return to the day itself. An arrivals hall is a bad place to start shopping around.

Booking your transfer

KGN Executive Transfers is a family-run taxi and private hire firm based in Solihull, covering everyday local fares, fixed-price airport runs, executive cars and weddings. If you have a flight coming up in 2026, call 0121 414 0786 or 01676 478786, or send the details through the contact page and we will confirm the price and pick-up time before you travel.