YYC Meet & Greet for Executives: Corporate Pickup Checklist
The executive lands at 4:45 p.m., has a dinner at 6:30, and an assistant who has been told the car will be waiting. Whether that actually goes well comes down to a handful of details that nobody wrote down. This checklist is for the person doing the booking: assistants, office managers, event teams, anyone who has been handed the job of getting a senior guest from the airport to the meeting.
A good pickup looks effortless. The checklist is what makes it look that way. Photo: Pexels.
Before the trip
Get the flight number, not just the time. The airline and number let the dispatcher track delays and gate changes.
Confirm the passenger’s name as it will appear on a sign. If privacy matters, agree on a company name or initials instead.
Decide where the meeting happens. Inside arrivals, at the kerb, or at a spot you have discussed with the driver.
Share a contact number the passenger can actually answer. And a backup, because phones go into aeroplane mode and stay there.
List the destination and the next stop. Hotel, office, dinner address, with access notes for any private building.
Note the group size and luggage. Two executives with one carry-on each is a different job from four people and six bags.
The day before
Re-check the flight status and update the dispatcher if the schedule shifted.
Send the passenger the driver’s name and mobile number once you have it.
Tell the passenger where the pickup happens. Many first-time visitors assume it is in a different terminal area than it is.
Check the weather. A snowfall changes the drive time and where you can stop.
Time in the car is often the only quiet working time an executive gets that day. Photo: Pexels.
On arrival
The chauffeur should be in position before the flight touches down, not after.
If the flight is late, the driver waits. If the passenger is stuck in customs or baggage reclaim, a quick text from the assistant stops everyone wondering.
Luggage is handled by the driver and goes in the boot, not on the back seat.
The driver confirms the destination out loud before leaving the kerb.
Executives differ. Some want silence and a phone charger, some want a briefing on the route, some want to ask about the city. A sensible request to the chauffeur when you book is “quiet and professional” or “happy to chat.” Water, a working charger and a clean interior are the things people notice, and nobody has ever complained that the car was too tidy.
After the trip
Confirm the drop-off was smooth and note anything that was unclear for next time.
Keep a profile on regular guests: preferred vehicle, how they like to be greeted, and anything accessibility-related.
For return trips, repeat the same process; do not assume the first one will carry itself.
Common slip-ups
Wrong terminal assumptions, an unreachable contact number, a name spelled differently on the sign than on the ticket, and forgetting to update the car when a flight is rebooked. They are all trivial and they all cause the same stressful ten minutes.