Book airport parking: 5 options

When booking this year’s holiday don’t forget your airport parking. Make sure you compare airport car parking options before booking. Check all the available options at your airport, think about convenience and your budget too.

The following tips will guide you through the types of parking and will help save you money:

1. Off-airport parking
   Off-airport parking is probably the cheapest option – you park off-airport and use the shuttle bus provided to take you to the airport.
   
   While this is probably the cheapest option for long-stay parking, it isn’t the most convenient. After all, if you have children, are travelling with elderly relatives or have heavy luggage or sports equipment, you may struggle to get on and off the shuttle bus.
   
   
2. On-airport parking
   On-airport parking has the benefits of being closer to the terminal, but this is still likely to require a shuttle bus journey to take you to the airport. The journey will be shorter than off-site parking but you could still have the inconvenience of hauling your luggage, and children, on and off the bus.
   
   
3. Short-stay parking
   The short-stay car parks are located much closer to the terminal, usually a couple of minutes walk away, however, these car parks are really designed for short stays and the pricing is geared accordingly – it works out very expensive to park for more than a few hours. These car parks are best for cars picking up and dropping off passengers.
   
   Savings can be made if you fly at quieter times of the year, outside of school holidays, so check online for discounted prices – bookings must be made in advance.
   
   
4. Valet parking
   Valet parking, or meet and greet parking, offers all the benefits of short-stay parking without the need to park your own car. The great attraction of meet and greet parking is that you drive straight to the airport terminal, unload your luggage and hand your keys to a waiting driver who will park your car for you - no worries about herding your children onto a shuttle bus, or struggling with heavy baggage or sports gear. On your return, your car is brought back to the terminal, so you just walk out of arrivals, load your luggage and drive off.
   
   
5. Park and stay packages
   If the drive to the airport is some distance from your house, or your departure is very early in the morning, you may wish to consider booking an airport hotel.
   
   Many airport hotels, on-site and off-site, offer parking as part of their package – some will offer parking at their hotel and can arrange transport to the airport, either by taxi or their own shuttle service, others have recommended parking providers and will book a park and stay package for you. Meet and greet parking can also be booked as part of your park and stay package – with an on-airport hotel you can arrange to have your car picked up from the hotel when you arrive.
   
   Booking your airport parking as part of a park and stay package can offer you a great discount when compared with booking your hotel accommodation and parking separately.

Whatever airport parking option you choose, make sure you book your early, and book parking online - this represents the best value for money when compared with just turning up on the day and paying the gate price. If you have any questions about booking airport parking don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and speak to the company prior to booking.