Justifying "ridiculously High" Airport Parking Prices

Which? Car magazine recently published an article based on a survey they conducted

about airport parking, which concluded that the prices are ridiculously high.

However, it would seem that the figures released by Which? don't do much to give a realistic idea of the different parking prices throughout the UK. Some of the examples that the survey used, compared the more expensive, business parking at Heathrow airport, which includes a meet and greet service with a chauffeured driver who will meet you at the terminal, to a cheaper and more standard park and ride service at Manchester airport. Parking is bound to be more expensive at the busier Heathrow airport and the business parking option will also cost more as the service offers more than a standard park and ride service does. It is also important to bare in mind that the prices of parking at both Heathrow and Manchester fluctuate year upon year, in fact airport parking prices in 2010 are 11 percent cheaper than they were in 2008 and depend on the type of parking that is booked and at also at what time of year.

Heathrow is one of the busiest airports in the world and due to the high demand, prices are bound to be inflated. In 2009 Heathrow saw 65.9 million passengers compared to Manchester who catered to just under 19 million passengers. The amount of custom and therefore demand is so much higher at Heathrow and so the airport and parking companies are able to increase parking prices as people want the spaces. However, at Manchester, the demand for airport parking is very low and the spaces are not being used, so the prices are lower to encourage more people to use the service.

Also, there are a variety of parking options to choose from at most airports, ranging from the more expensive services such as on-airport valet parking to the cheaper off-airport park and ride options. Depending on whether customers are looking for the most convenient service and are willing to pay more or whether they are looking for the best value option there are different parking services for different situations. As Which? outlined in their survey the prices of airport parking at some airports for 7 days is actually fairly cheap; the cheapest on-site parking being at Belfast for just 23 pounds and cheapest off-site parking at Edinburgh for 20 pounds and 50 pence.

Although Which? claim that airport parking prices are ridiculously high, they do not have to be, as is evident above and when they are compared to city centre parking prices they are actually relatively cheap. To park in city centre car parks it often costs around 1 pound 50 an hour, so for a whole days parking this would amount to around 12, multiply this by 7 for a weeks parking it would be 84 pounds. So in comparison, some of the prices for 7 days parking at an airport are a bargain.

One response to Which's? claim that airport parking costs are ridiculously high was that: flying means high carbon emissions and driving to the airport adds yet more carbon emissions. I think the high charges are absolutely justified. Perhaps this is a fair statement, as although it is possible to find fairly cheap airport parking, perhaps the prices should not be contested so much given global aims to reduce Co2 emissions as a whole.

The survey suggests that Purple Parking generally offer the lowest prices for airport parking, however, matching deals can be found with most of the big airport parking providers if people are willing to look around for the lowest price. In addition to this, some airport parking companies (e.g. APH, BCP and Parking4Less) offer incentives, such as a Best Price Guarantee or Price Protection. These policies state that if you can find cheaper parking elsewhere within 7 days of booking you will either be refunded the difference, given the parking at the same price you find it. Other companies, like Holiday Extras, even offer the parking for free if you find it cheaper elsewhere within 24 hours of booking.

As an alternative to airport parking some people choose to take a taxi to the airport. Some airport parking companies provide tools or calculators which allow you to compare the price of your airport parking to the price of a taxi to and from the airport. This offers customers the chance to find the cheapest option, whether this is airport parking or not. It seems that Which? suggest some airport parking prices are unfairly expensive and that our hands are tied to do anything about it, but a closer look reveals that this is perhaps slightly over-dramatised and there are plenty of good deals available and justifiable reasons behind most current pricing.

by: Patrick Omari

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