Rosie Canale, a regular traveller from Leeds, takes up to seven trips a year – and every one of them includes an airport parking bill. By reserving her space well in advance, she keeps the cost of each stay around £10 lower – a method any passenger can use.
Airport parking is one of the biggest hidden expenses of a holiday. Daily charges can reach £35 to £40, which means a one-week trip can add £200 or more to the total bill.
How the pre-booking trick works
Rosie said the key is to book as soon as she knows the travel dates, especially when the booking is free to cancel. She sometimes arranges parking before fully deciding where to go, so she can work out the real cost of the trip, including luggage, seats and parking.
“Airport parking is part of the total cost of the trip for me. It’s not just the flight anymore - it’s seats, luggage and parking as well.If parking is free to cancel, I don’t see the harm in locking in a price early. Sometimes I know when I’m going away before I’ve fully decided where I’m going, so getting the parking sorted helps me understand the full cost of the trip. The flight might look cheap, but once you add luggage, seats and parking, the real price can look very different.”
What the savings look like
According to experts at YourParkingSpace, pre-booking a space saves £10 per stay. For someone like Rosie, who flies up to seven times a year, that adds up to £70 in annual savings.
A recent study by the RAC found that drop-off fees at some of the UK’s biggest airports have risen by up to a third compared with last summer. Some terminals increased charges by up to £3, with 16 of the 20 parking zones checked affected by price rises.
Many travellers still leave it late
New research from YourParkingSpace shows that 46% of travellers have left booking a parking space until the final 24 hours at least once. Only 30% check how long it takes to walk from the car park to the terminal, even though some bays can be half an hour or more away.
Expert advice
Larne O’Donoghue, spokesperson for YourParkingSpace, said tackling parking before leaving home can stop small problems from spoiling the start of a holiday.
“Airport parking is one of those jobs that can seem small until the day itself.
“If you are driving around looking for a space, trying to find the right entrance or working out how long it will take to reach the terminal, it can quickly set the wrong tone for the start of a holiday.
“I would encourage flyers to sort the details before you leave home, and airport parking becomes one less thing to think about when you should be getting excited for the trip.”
