Coming Home After Surgery Abroad: The Arlanda Pickup

The booking notes exist for exactly this. If you're on crutches, in a wheelchair for the terminal, can't lift anything, or need a slower pace and a hand with the door, write it down when you book. We'd rather know before you land than have your driver improvising at the kerb with your bags and a walking cast.

If you'll be coming through the airline's own assistance service to get through the terminal, that's arranged with the airline separately — the notes on your transfer booking are about the car and the driver, and the two connect at the meeting point once you're through.

A saloon with a low seat can be genuinely difficult to get into with a stiff hip, a fresh incision or a leg that doesn't bend well yet. If that's you, an SUV-category car sits higher and is often easier to step into and out of than a low seat you have to fold down into.

If you're travelling with a wheelchair, crutches or a bulky brace box, mention it in the notes as you would extra luggage — it changes which category has the room, and we'd rather confirm that before pickup than find out at the boot.

Your flight is tracked from booking, and on airport pickups the pickup time follows your actual landing rather than the printed schedule — useful when getting through the terminal on crutches simply takes longer than it used to. Your driver's name, phone number and licence plate are sent before pickup, so there's a person to call if you need a few extra minutes once you're through security and passport control.

Once you're in the car, there's nothing else to manage — the destination is set, the price was agreed before you flew, and you can spend the ride doing what you actually need, which is usually just sitting still.

• Note mobility limits, equipment and pace in the booking notes
• Ask for the SUV category if a low seat will be hard to get into
• Use the driver's phone number if you need extra time getting through the terminal

Recovery timelines shift. If your flight changes, that's covered automatically once you update the flight number — we're watching the actual landing, not the original schedule. If the whole trip is cancelled or moved, cancellation more than 12 hours before pickup is free and refunded in full, so there's no reason to keep a booking you no longer need just to avoid dealing with it.