Airport parking in the UK: park your car where it's cheap and secure
Finding an affordable and secure place to park your car when you head off on holiday needn't be a painful process. Mark Hinge, chairman on the Independent Airport Parking Association, provides his top tips.
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Finding the balance between cost and service
Booking with the cheapest airport parking service might feel like it's saving you money, but you could end up paying more in the long run.
Airport parking horror stories along the lines of 'meet and greet firm lost my car,' or 'I came home to a boot full of parking tickets,' usually involve a fly-by-night parking operator offering cheap prices and an equally lightweight service.
Here, Mark Hinge, chairman of the Independent Airport Parking Association (IAPA), tells LoveMONEY readers how to spot the firms to avoid and how to get airport parking peace of mind.
Heading abroad? Don't forget the travel insurance!
If it seems too good...
We’ve already discussed how it’s possible to slash the cost of airport parking, but there does come a point when a price simply sounds too cheap.
When you find a parking price that is way below the rest, ask yourself why it’s so low.
Chances are you won't be getting secure parking and rigorous customer service support, and you may pay for that on your return home.
Other warning signs that a company is worth avoiding include a mobile contact number instead of a landline, no website or one that doesn’t clearly display a trading address, independent reviews and details of where your car will be parked.
Secure parking is key
The most important element to look for is secure parking.
One of the ways the cheapest firms can cut costs is by parking cars in unsecure locations, such as fields, public roads and pub car parks.
Ask the operator for details of where your car will be kept and then check the facility out on Google Maps.
Look for the Park Mark
One of the easiest ways to put your mind at rest is to look for the Park Mark badge.
It's a police-approved award given to car parks that are managed to reduce crime, which means they are likely to have CCTV, fencing and be manned 24/7.
A tip for travelling from Gatwick – the airport has its own approved-parking programme, where included operators are checked for the quality of service they provide and security of their car parks.
Book with these companies for a guaranteed peace of mind.
Take care when you compare
Comparison sites are great for comparing prices and parking options at-a-glance, but be aware that most are selling services provided by other companies so you still need to check details of where your car will be parked.
The best comparison sites show this clearly.
Insurance implications
Opting for a cheap parking service might leave your car without appropriate insurance cover.
For example, if you book with a meet and greet firm that doesn’t have the correct levels of insurance to protect your car when they drive it from the airport to their parking facility, you might be left high-and-dry if they get into an accident.
Another example – the sharing economy has made it possible for individuals to advertise their driveways for airport parking, with certain websites making it easy to find and book these options.
But while this might keep costs low, most insurance companies say that driveway owners may not be covered if something were to happen to your car, leaving you to rely on your own insurance cover for protection.
Always check insurance details before you book.
Insurance about to expire? Search for a cheaper policy today!
Plan for peace of mind
Park-and-ride services are a great way to save money on airport parking and some will get you to the airport quicker than the airport’s own on-site parking services.
For a stress-free journey check in advance how frequently courtesy buses run and how long they take to reach the airport in rush hour, and then plan for the worst-case scenario.
Look for an approved member
You can also book with a member of the Independent Airport Parking Association (IAPA).
Members include the biggest national parking providers and single airport specialists, and all guarantee to park your car in a secure facility that is authorised for airport parking and they carry full insurance cover for both you and your car.
The IAPA logo is a sign that you can trust the operator you have chosen. Click here for a full list of IAPA members.
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Comments
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A quick look at the situation around car parking at transport hubs Rail Stations/Airports) screams Rip Off. Relax Mr. Hinge, I'm not getting at you or your association. You make a reasonable attempt of assurance of a quality service in “cowboy” country. For decades we have been subjected to successive London-centric governments, pushing to get us out of our cars and onto mass (public) transport. This push is all very well in major conurbations like London but for huge numbers of us we are left with the problem of getting to and from the station/airport. Even that is not too bad if you live within a reasonable taxi ride from the station/airport but that does not help those of us who do not. So we are obliged to drive to the hub and then find somewhere to park at eye-watering prices. Whenever you get a relatively simple service that has a large price tag you can bet that the cowboys will not be far behind. Of course the hub owners/operators see that as a captive source of large amounts of revenue and so jack up the prices. Even getting a friend or relative to take you to the hub incurs significant cost. Many airports now charge you merely to drop, without parking, your friends/family at the airport thus they are charging you to bring their customers to them. This removes any lingering doubt that it is all about revenue harvesting. All such passenger transport hubs should be required to provide adequate parking for the numbers of customers they serve at a reasonable price. In any event, they should be governed by the same rules that local authorities are required to follow. Adequate parking facilities and the money gathered must be only enough to cover costs with any small excess used for reasonable service improvements. Yes I know – local authorities don't follow that requirement. They use parking charges and fines as a handy revenue stream fromthe motorist's bottomless pocket but it remains the legal position.
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16 September 2017