Dropping off or picking up someone at Lisbon Airport
Taking someone to the airport and collecting them on the way back sound like the same thing, but the rules are different. At Departures the stop lasts minutes; at Arrivals you wait for a plane that may be late and for luggage that may take a while.
This guide explains where to stop in each case, what changes when the flight is from Terminal 2 or in the middle of the night, and what to do when nobody can drive you. The rules are Lisbon Airport's; the prices are in the official tariff, on the airport's website.
Dropping off: Kiss & Fly at Departures
Kiss & Fly is the quick-stop area by Departures, meant for people who only need to pull in, unload the bags and go. It is free for up to ten minutes, as long as the driver stays in the car, and only for the first two entries in each 24-hour period. From the third entry, you pay from the first minute.
After ten minutes the stop becomes paid, and the amount climbs quickly. Entry is by automatic number-plate reading, with no ticket.
To say goodbye without rushing, the airport itself advises using the airport car parks rather than Kiss & Fly, to avoid fines.
Picking up: Arrivals are at Terminal 1
Terminal 2 is for departures only. Anyone landing in Lisbon comes out through Arrivals at Terminal 1, even if they left from Terminal 2 on the way out.
Kiss & Fly is at Departures. To wait for someone arriving, the airport points you to its car parks, not the kerb. The most suitable is P2, on the Arrivals level, which has its own rate for people collecting passengers: a fixed first period and then short periods after that.
P2, level 2, is also where people who ordered a ride through an app such as Uber or Bolt are picked up.
Getting the timing right
A plane on the ground is not a passenger at the door. Between landing and coming out there is the luggage and, on flights from outside the Schengen area, border control, which at Lisbon Airport can be slow in high season.
To avoid paying for minutes spent waiting, follow the flight in real time on the airport's website or app, and ask the person arriving to message you once they have their bags. That way you reach the car park close to the right time and pay only for the time you need.
Terminal 2 and night-time: what changes
Terminal 2 has no car park. To go with someone as far as Terminal 2, the airport points you to car parks P1 and P2, at Terminal 1, and then to the shuttle between terminals. Terminal 2 is closed between 00:30 and 03:30, and the shuttle only starts running again at 03:30.
At Terminal 1, between 00:30 and 03:00, only passengers with a boarding pass or booking, staff and crews may enter. Anyone just seeing someone off cannot go in.
When nobody can drive you or pick you up
Driving someone at four in the morning and collecting them a week later means two round trips for whoever drives. If the traveller has a car, there is another way: drive yourself and leave the car at a private car park that runs 24 hours.
At Check-in Park, with transfer, you leave the vehicle at the car park and our van takes you to Terminal 1 or Terminal 2; on the way back we collect you at Arrivals, Terminal 1. With valet, you hand the vehicle over at the terminal itself and get it back at Terminal 1 when you return. The car park and the operations line run 24 hours, and you only pay when you come back.
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