Birmingham Airport. Between our two bases, and covered from both.
Birmingham sits almost exactly between London and Manchester, which is convenient for the country and slightly awkward for a chauffeur company. Here is how we cover it, honestly.
The airport
Birmingham at a glance
- CodesBHX / EGBBAbout 8 miles east of Birmingham city centre, off junction 6 of the M42.
- TerminalOneA single terminal building for all arrivals and departures, which makes meeting straightforward.
- Next doorThe NEC and the stationBirmingham International station and the exhibition centre are beside the airport, linked by a short automated shuttle.
- Private aviationThe Business Aviation CentreSignature Aviation and XLR Executive Jet Centre both operate private terminals on Terminal Road, separate from the passenger building.
Being straight about it
Our own cars are in London and Manchester
Odyssey owns its fleet and employs its chauffeurs in two places: London and Manchester. Birmingham is not one of them, and we would rather say so on the page than let you discover it at the kerb. What we do instead is one of two things, and you choose which.
The first is to send a car and chauffeur from London or from Manchester. Both are within a comfortable drive, and for a full day, a roadshow, a client visit that runs across several sites, or any movement where the same chauffeur should be there at the end of the day as at the start, that is usually the better answer. It is also the answer when continuity matters more than distance: the same faces, the same standard, the same operations desk.
The second is to arrange the car through an operator we know in the Midlands. We have used the same people for years, we brief them the way we brief our own chauffeurs, and we stay on the movement rather than handing it over and hoping. For a single airport run or a short local job it is the sensible choice, and we will tell you when it is.
Either way the booking, the brief and the invoice come from us. One contact, wherever you are.
Journey times
From Birmingham Airport by road
| To | Quiet roads | Busy periods |
|---|---|---|
| The NEC and Resorts World | 5 to 10 minutes | Longer on exhibition days |
| Birmingham city centre | 20 to 30 minutes | 30 to 45 minutes |
| Solihull | 15 to 25 minutes | 25 to 35 minutes |
| Coventry | 25 to 35 minutes | 35 to 50 minutes |
| Stratford-upon-Avon | 40 to 55 minutes | 50 to 70 minutes |
| Silverstone | 50 to 70 minutes | Considerably longer on race weekend |
| Manchester | 110 to 140 minutes | 140 to 180 minutes |
| Central London | 140 to 180 minutes | Up to 240 minutes |
Realistic ranges, not promises. The M42 and the M6 around Birmingham are the two variables, and event traffic at the NEC changes the picture completely. We plan for the hour you are travelling.
Practicalities
Worth knowing
- The Premium Set Down area directly outside the terminal costs £7 for up to fifteen minutes. There is a free alternative in the Drop Off car park about 400 metres away, with a covered walk of five to ten minutes. Whatever we use is in your quote, not added afterwards
- Private arrivals use the Business Aviation Centre on Terminal Road, which is a separate entrance and a separate drive. Tell us the tail number and we will confirm which terminal is handling you
- The NEC, the ICC, Resorts World and the arena between them account for a great deal of the demand here. On a big exhibition day the roads around junction 6 are the slow part, not the motorway
- Birmingham is a natural halfway point for a London to Manchester day. If you are doing both cities, ask about one car and one chauffeur for the whole journey: see long-distance UK travel
- Larger parties: ask for a V-Class, or a second vehicle for luggage
Onward
Where Birmingham passengers go next
Request a quote
Tell us the journey
The date, the flight or tail number, and where you are going afterwards. Tell us if you would rather we sent a car from London or Manchester, and we will price both. Nothing is booked or charged online.
Prefer to talk? +44 2030 048300 or WhatsApp, at any hour.
Questions people ask
About Birmingham transfers
Are these your own cars?
Not in Birmingham. Our own fleet and employed chauffeurs are in London and Manchester. For Birmingham we either send a car from one of those bases or arrange it through an operator we know in the Midlands, and we will tell you which we are proposing.
Does that change the standard?
We brief an arranged car the way we brief our own, and the operations desk stays on the movement from start to finish. If the job needs our own people, we will say so and quote for sending them.
Can you meet a private flight?
Yes, at the Business Aviation Centre. Send the tail number and we will confirm which private terminal is handling you and where the car should wait.
Can one car do Birmingham and Manchester in a day?
Yes, and it is often cheaper and easier than two separate bookings. Tell us the whole day and we will build it as one journey.
Where will my chauffeur meet me?
In the arrivals hall of the single terminal. We confirm the meeting point and the chauffeur's mobile number before you fly.