Faced with the prospect of a second Beast from the East, with snowfall predicted across Britain and puddles freezing over, it’s no wonder so many Brits choose to escape its icy clutches by heading to sunnier climes.
If you’re lucky enough to be planning a winter or early spring getaway in 2019, it’s all too easy to forget about transport to the airport when booking plane tickets and hotel rooms. You might be tempted to focus on other things and pay for parking on the day. Yet a study on airport parking popularity and costs by the UK travel insurance provider Staysure reveals just how big a mistake that can be.
No one wants to break the bank and a little preparation goes a long way to ensure that your holiday doesn’t go over budget. Pre-booking is the best way to make serious savings on your airport car parking fees – it is almost always cheaper than paying for parking last minute.
The price difference between pre-booking airport parking and buying on the day is, on average, £3.70 a day – definitely a saving worth making, as it really adds up.
When planning your airport transport you should also consider whether or not you are flying from a London airport. At London airports, paying on the day on average costs at least £30 more over the course of the trip than the price of a pre-booked car parking space.
The London airport with the biggest price difference when pre-booking as compared to paying on the day is Luton, where passengers can save as much as £141.49 by booking at least a week in advance. It’s closely followed by Gatwick, where the difference is £97.76.
When paying for parking on the day, the most expensive non-London airport is Edinburgh, which has a price difference of £77.00 – higher than that of London Heathrow. But even at Belfast, where the price difference between pre-booking and paying last minute is a comparatively low £25, it’s well worth thinking about your parking in advance.
When pre-booking your airport parking it’s absolutely vital to research your options. Shop around for the best deal and don’t be afraid to give the airport parking facilities a ring beforehand to ask about pricing – it’s possible that you will be able to negotiate with them to find the best times in the season to book and thereby save yourself money.
But most importantly – whether you’re using airport parking, hopping on a train or taking a taxi, enjoy your holiday and make sure you don’t forget to pack your hat, shades and sun cream!
Image Credit: Shutterstock.com
We’ve literally just booked our airport car parking in advance and shopping around was really important! There is a big difference in prices and every penny saved is more for the holiday 🙂
This is really handy, thank you! We don’t travel too much but my partner’s brother is always flying from Luton so would definitely find this very helpful!
I always book airport parking as I get impatient waiting on buses or train after a trip abroad.
Clever post! I need to start booking my airport car parking in advance!
This is really helpful information, I cant believe the difference in prices!
I need to get our airport parking booked, we go in may and I haven’t done it yet!
This is one thing I’ve never done as I tend to just book a taxi to and from the sirport. This could work out cheaper though.
I always book our parking as soon as the holiday is booked. I wouldn’t have thought of just turning up and parking, sounds like I’ve been saving myself a lot of money doing it this way!
We love booking airport parking. There is nothing better than knowing your car is waiting for you when you land. You don’t have to worry about people picking you up or taxi’s, just hop in your car.