Question: Cost of airport parking, is it too high?

[Aviador]

Airport parking costs increased by up to 100%

People going on holiday face crippling airport parking charges, as some car parks 'double their already sky-high prices', the News of the World reports. Twenty of the country's 23 main airports have hiked short-stay parking prices in the last year, the newspapers investigation revealed.

The cost for eight days at Aberdeen to cover a week-long Easter or summer break has increased by 104%, from £63.90 to £130.40. And Exeter has upped the price by 70%, from £68.80 to £117.50. At Gatwick the cost has soared from £172 to £240, up 40%.

Fifteen airports have also upped prices for long-stay car parks, the research shows. Manchester has raised the cost of eight days from £70.50 to £100-up 42%, while Gatwick has gone up 25%, from £73.60 to £92. Bob Atkinson of travel supermarket.com told the newspaper: ‘The price rises far outstrip inflation and add to the bill of a family holiday.'

Source

This recent article suggests airports are raising the cost of parking at airports around the country yet again. Is the cost of airport parking too high and is there a cut off point where people say no more?

All this will do is lead to more people searching for an alternative to parking at the airport. Airports will always say they are doing their bit to save the environment but people will just get taxis, family or friend to drop them off at the airport, so I don't see where there's going to be any real benefit to the environment either.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Re: Cost of airport parking, is it too high?

I booked 8 days parking in the official Bristol Airport long stay car park for June at a cost of £29.99.

This included a reduction for being a member of the airport's Travel Rewards scheme (anyone can join and you don't have to use the airport a minimum of times to be eligible or to remain a member) and a limited offer of taking off the Severn Bridge toll cost (over a fiver) in addition. The purpose was obviously to encourage even more travellers from Wales but they couldn't restrict the offer to Welsh-based travellers. I also booked over two months ahead to get the best price but it is still fully flexible and can be cancelled if the trip falls though.

BRS once had a reputation of having some of the highest car parking charges in the country but a combination of unofficial off-airport competitors and a marketing policy change has seen the cost of parking at the airport reduce considerably IF you are alive to how things work.

 

[Seasider]

Re: Cost of airport parking, is it too high?

I think that the cost of airport parking has come down over the last couple of years. The only problem I find is that they have a minimum charge. £24 for 36 hours parking is too much but as I live quite a way from the airport I have no option but to pay it or leave the car on the street.

 

[shirleyd286]

Re: Cost of airport parking, is it too high?

If anyone is interested in discounted Parking throughout the UK give me a PM. I can offer a 5% discount :dance:

 

[pmscb]

Re: Cost of airport parking, is it too high?

i booked a recent holiday with First Choice holidays, and they sent an email to me saying that if i book with " Holiday Extras " through the link i will recieve a 10% discount at Manchester Airport. Now ive been on holiday quite a few times as i use to work with First Choice up till last year, but this discount was a new one for me. I normally pay between £30 and £40 for car parking off airport. This time i got the multi storey parking at terminal 2 for £45.00. which i thought was very good value. Considering with the 10% discount off airport was coming in at £41.00.

 

[Aviador]

Re: Cost of airport parking, is it too high?

i booked a recent holiday with First Choice holidays, and they sent an email to me saying that if i book with " Holiday Extras " through the link i will recieve a 10% discount at Manchester Airport. Now ive been on holiday quite a few times as i use to work with First Choice up till last year, but this discount was a new one for me. I normally pay between £30 and £40 for car parking off airport. This time i got the multi storey parking at terminal 2 for £45.00. which i thought was very good value. Considering with the 10% discount off airport was coming in at £41.00.

You can get some good deal with outside company's these day. More often than not you will still find yourself parking in the official airport car park as most of the major airports now sell spaces through external companies. Holiday Extras offers airport parking from most UK airports.

 

[Aviador]

Re: Cost of airport parking, is it too high?

Airport parking cheaper for plane than a car

A study of 10 of Britain’s busiest airports shows that it could be cheaper to leave a light aircraft for a day at an airport than it would be to leave a car for the same amount of time.

The report cites Heathrow Terminal 5 as the most expensive, with a rate of £51.80 for a car to stay for 24 hours in the short-stay car park – although a Telegraph Travel query showed that the long-stay car park would cost £17.90 for the same time if booked in advance.

Manchester Airport charges £35 for a full day in a short-stay car park while a six-seater light aircraft would cost just £21 for the same period.

At Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport, the difference in parking costs was even wider, the study suggested, citing £10.72 as the price for a light aircraft compared to £39.99 for a car.

At Edinburgh airport it costs £23.50 to park a car and £11.90 to park a plane for 24 hours.

Read Full Story: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/trave ... a-car.html

I can believe it. Before airports introduced these kind of charges they were much quieter as airlines would be reluctant to start new flights knowing the charges would be high. Whatever we think on the matter, it seems to be working for all concerned otherwise our airports would be much quieter. Passengers have a grumble but the charges are still affordable for the majority of people.

 

[tleeds]

Re: Cost of airport parking, is it too high?

That is absurd!! I suppose it shows in a very clear way how airports are struggling on finding ways of making money with airlines basically paying nothing to operate from an airport nowadays!

 

[Seasider]

Re: Cost of airport parking, is it too high?

Compared to 10 years ago parking is relatively cheaper. At Manchester in May, I paid the same amount for 3 days parking as I did in 2001.
Obviously it can be quite expensive, but if you shop around and book early you can get a good deal.

 

[airforced]

Re: Cost of airport parking, is it too high?

Airport owned car parks are a wonderful cash cow for the airport operator and they can, as has been reported here, try and milk the cow for as much as it will give.

I fly mostly from LBIA these days and need to drive there (I live 75 miles away) and park as I couldn't get there by public transport early in the morning and have been using the off airport provider Sentinal for quite some years. They had some planning issues with Leeds City Council which resulted eventually with them having to appeal to the Planning Inspector. The LBIA operator were coincidentally (believe that and you'll believe anything) expanding their on-site parking facility around the same time and publicly stated that they wanted to see the end of all off airport facilities. No surprise there then!

I supported Sentinal at the Planning Appeal on the basis that if LBIA were allowed a monopoly with car parking the customer would pay very dearly in the long run as nothing would prevent LBIA from charging as much as they could get away with. Monopoly is bad for consumers whilst competition does give consumers some chance of getting a decent deal. The appeal was successful much to the chagrin of LBIA.

If similar scenarios occur at an airport near you, for your own sake, resist monopolies and support competition.

PS Sentinal always works out cheaper than LBIA.

By the way. I prefer Sentinal, and others like them, as they park your car securely and then return it to the collection area shortly before you return keeping it safe from all the idiots who could be pranging it while you are away for whatever period of time. This isn't available at on-airport self park facilities.

 

[Seasider]

Re: Cost of airport parking, is it too high?

I live a similar distance from LBA and have to use my own car as I would need an overnight stop if I used public transport.
I can only endorse what has been said about Sentinel, they give a very good competitive service and ensure the airport doesn't have a monopoly.
Long live competition!

 

[Aviador]

Re: Cost of airport parking, is it too high?

Has anybody ever used www.parkonmydrive.com or www.parkatmyhouse.com It's a good way for locals to get their own back and capitalise from the extra road traffic heading to the airport.

 

[Aviador]

Seven of the 10 most expensive airport car parks in the world are in Britain

The Mail Online has revealed an astonishing 7 out of 10 of the most expensive airports for parking are here in the UK.