New research carried out by an independent company showed that parking at a UK airport can cost more than the flight itself! A study has proved it is not always the most expensive option.
In one instance, according to the study, at Gatwick it was marginally cheaper than the on-site parking alternative.
Prices vary according to the airport you fly from and Southern airports tend to be more expensive to park at than their northern counterparts.
Also shown, was that by using a comparison website to compare prices across a variety of airport parking companies not only gives you a wider choice but is also likely to save you up to three times that which you would spend by simply turning up on the day.
Price comparison websites are useful to compare prices across a range of parking operators.
Prices fluctuate depending on the time of year and according to how far ahead you book.
The closer you book your airport parking to the time of your flight, the more likely you are going to pay, in general.
It pays to book ahead.
The summer holiday season and school holidays are typically the most expensive times to go on holiday as they are the busiest.
Off-site parking facilities owned by smaller companies are, in general, cheaper than airport owned on-site parking facilities, although this is not always the case.
There are other ways of saving on your airport parking such as taking public transport, asking a friend for a lift, or taking a taxi.
If your personal circumstances don't allow any of these as an option, you can also find cheap airport parking through websites offering up private drives and back yards.
This is a relatively new concept where homeowners living nearby airports are making some extra money by offering up their personal parking spaces to travellers and holidaymakers wishing to save on airport parking.
Another method of saving on airport parking is using a motorbike to travel to the airport, although this has obvious limitations with luggage allowance, and of course you'd need to be a biker! Car rental is an overlooked option as an alternative to costly airport parking too.
By renting a car one way to the airport and then leaving it there, you can save a substantial amount, depending on the duration of your stay said Looking4Parking.
com.
Of course the rental company will need to allow you to leave your car at the airport but there are many who will do this and often there is a choice of rental companies at airports, depending on the size of the airport you're flying from.