Trip whether with family or as couple gives a feeling of joy and excitement. To enjoy your trip you must plan each activity.
Traveling from home to airport is also a part of journey. And if you have decided to take your own car and park it on the airport then there are following things which you must know before selecting the right type of parking for you.
It is interesting to know Airports can make more money from parking than other areas and It can cost you fortune if you leave your car at the airport while you are away on holiday.
The most important Heathrow airport parking question is to ask what is the best Heathrow airport parking service for you? Whether you need On-site / Off-Site or Meet and Greet parking.
This question is answered very easily by considering the following
- Time – It may possible that you are making
the journey straight from work and you have a tight schedule. And you want to park near to the airport. Or May be you and your family have plenty of time and off-site parking suit you better.
- Luggage – If you have a lot of heavy luggage,
it may be difficult with Park and ride option, You might consider Meet and Greet or On-Site parking. but if you’re travelling light, a transfer bus may be the cool option.
- Cost – Sometimes you need cost effective
and most luxurious solution, in that case you might consider Meet and Greet parking or off-site parking.
As you can see by answering these question of whether to book On-site Heathrow parking or Of-Site, it has narrowed down the results.
So here are the available options to you.
Its divided into long- and short-term parking options.
- Short-term: Typically close to the airport – but you may pay a premium cost
- You’ll find Heathrow Short Stay Parking right next to each of the terminals at the airport. It’s ideal for meeting or dropping passengers and a great option for short trips away if you book online.
- You have to pay premium for this, you can find price option on Heathrow Short Stay Parking Website.
- Long-term: Usually cheaper but further away from the airport terminal
- Heathrow Long Stay Parking is great if you’re going away for a couple of days or more. Here you can read more about Heathrow long stay parking.
In the Off-site airport parking you park your card away from the airport. Usually requires a transfer to and from the airport terminals. (also known as Park and Ride).
Most off-site parking companies provide regular transfers on regular interval. Transfer buses take roughly 10 minute to 30 minutes to drive you to the terminal. Off-site airport parking is cheaper as compared to parking on-site.
Although most airports offer short to long term parking, this usually comes at a heavy premium for the convenience on being on-site.
Most off-site airport parking services will offer a complimentary transport service to the terminal, and offer a far cheaper rate, including bonus deals the longer you stay.
If your flight is delayed or even cancelled, you don’t need to rush around worrying about re-organising your lifts – simply contact the parking service and let them know you’ll need an extra day, or will need to pick it up a little later than originally planned.
There you’ll be met by a representative from the parking company who will park your car and return it when you land This is how Meet and Greet work –
- Drive straight to the airport terminal and meet the driver of parking company
- And that’s it, you are ready to make move to the check-in
- On your return, driver will come and greet you at the agreed terminal (Sometimes you have to call after baggage claims)
- Take the keys and make your way home
There are many benefits of Meet-and-greet parking. Book in advance to secure your spot and take advantage of any special deals.
When you handover the keys to the driver, it’s their responsibility to drive and park the car at a secure place. And those drivers are fully insured.
I strongly advise before entrusting your vehicle to someone else you must review about the company online so that there can be no horror stories. You can get comparison for everything these days.
Using a comparison site is the best idea as it will show the prices from many car parks that are near to the airport and you may not have known.
After comparison and going through the customer review you can book the car park.
Here is the quick table where you can find the comparison of different types of parking service available.
| On-site parking | Off-site parking | Meet & Greet | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advantages | Near to the airport | Cheaper than On-site parking | No need to search for parking space |
| Good for busy schedule | You can be flexible | For travellers on a really strict timetable | |
| Parking options right next to the terminal | Park and Ride option | Enjoy the luxury of arrive-and-go with meet and greet parking | |
| Disadvantages | Generally it is expensive | Transfer times typically 20 minutes | Your car may be insecure If car park is not has PARK MARK sign |
| May not be the best choice | Transfer times typically 20 minutes and May not be the best choice if you have a really busy schedule | – |
In my opinion, Meet and Greet service is one of the best option if you book wisely.
You must consider to check prices form at least two comparison sites and its always good to quickly go through customer reviews.
Also its good to book car park which has Park Mark award, which you can check here on the official website of Park Mark: The Safer Parking Scheme
So, ready for your next trip. Which service you are going to consider ?
