My fella uses a cane to get around, and it makes it hard for him to deal with luggage. I got an ad for an airport concierge, and upon Googling, I see quite a few for Heathrow. Apparently they meet you at the gate, get you to customs, and to the baggage pickup, and then to the “arrivals” hall. I would like some sort of transport for him, a wheelchair isn’t really needed, but those little airport people carts would be good, something along those lines. And then help with luggage. Is this worth spending the money on? I have arranged car service while we’re in London, but they cannot come into the baggage claim area, only in the arrivals hall.
I think if you want to pay for the concierge service, go ahead but I think you can get assistance without it. Let the airline know well in advance that the passenger has mobility issues and needs assistance getting through the terminal and getting their luggage. I was with my parents ten years ago, and both were aided by red caps who pushed them in wheelchairs and assisted with the luggage. The only cost was a tip; I think my mother gave them ten or twenty dollars.
In general the electric “people carts” are operated by the airline, not by 3rd party helpers. But every terminal at every airport and every airline is different. You need actual reliable specifics about your situation, lest you be disappointed at a really bad place and time.
Contact your airline by phone and explain your needs. Most major airlines have special phone numbers for special-assistance needed passengers that connect to folks who work those problems all day long and know exactly what’s available where. You can find the number on their website. Call them.
I used to take my grandmother through Terminal Three at Heathrow this way.
They are utterly useless and make sure you have backups ready.
I think if you book the fare through the airline website, there’s a spot to mention any special needs requirements. For example, I think things like CPAP devices and assistive devices don’t count against your baggage allowance.
Assistance through the various terminals at Heathrow has had a bad rep lately, and they are trying hard to up their game.
A person who can walk, but is limited, may well be held back and exit last from the plane. They will be helped as needed to a shared electric cart and taken to immigration. Wheelchairs are available free of charge.
As said above, you must give your carrier advance notice of what’s required. At Heathrow, be prepared to be kept waiting and do not hesitate to ask for help if you need it.
The people who provide free assistance at British airports do not expect to be tipped.
Coming back from Rome this past spring, my wife needed assistance getting through the airports as she had badly sprained an ankle. This mostly meant a wheelchair and an assistant to push while I managed the luggage. Coming into Heathrow was fine, they helped her off the plane and pushed her to where we got on the bus to our next terminal.
Arriving at that terminal was a total disaster as there was a large backlog of mobility-challenged people waiting in the designated spot for their turn to be pushed. We were already on a tight connection, and the extended wait would have meant we would have missed our flight out by a wide margin. Unlike most of the stranded unfortunates, my wife had more or less fully healthy me to help.
The attendant checking in the people needing assistance saw my next flight time, pulled me aside and pointed to an abandoned airport wheelchair in the corner. She made it clear that it wasn’t supposed to be there, and it wouldn’t bother her at all if it disappeared. That was my cue to stack our suitcases on my wife’s lap and take off at as close to a dead run as I could maintain.
Security was difficult as they were somewhat confused by the fact that I had an airport wheelchair but had lost my attendant. They held us up most by wanting to do hand inspections of a large proportion of total baggage despite having only one checker. But we made it to the plane three minutes before the door closed, and I’m sure there are a number of travelers still marveling at the gall of the loud American guy shoving a terrified woman at full tilt through the crows, repeatedly shouting, “EXCUSE ME!”
I think if we had waited for our turn for help we’d still be there today.
Must have thought it was a murder 
It wouldn’t be a post of mine without a strange autocorrect! I was going for crowds of course, but now that I have a picture of an airport full of crows in my head, I think I’d prefer that.