Exclusive data has revealed that booking airport parking in advance could save travellers hundreds of pounds.
This February half term, people around the country will be heading abroad for some winter sun, but price analysis has shown huge disparities in parking costs depending on when you book. The savings could be added to your holiday pot and put towards a dinner out, poolside cocktails, or, in some cases, could even be enough to buy a plane ticket.
A seven-day booking at an onsite car park at Gatwick Airport tripled when booked the day before travelling rather than two weeks prior (an average of £304.85 compared with £99.12), according to data from last February half term.
Meanwhile parking onsite for seven days at Birmingham Airport doubled if booked the day before compared to a fortnight prior (£198.38 versus £97.16) and a seven-day stay at Bristol Airport could cost £219.80 compared with £110.18 if booked two weeks in advance.
The data, from Airport Parking Shop, also showed that booking the day before at Heathrow could cost you £633.57 for seven days, but £591.36 if booked two weeks prior.
Comparatively, Luton is much cheaper – on average it cost £59.85 for seven days at an onsite car park last February half term if booked the day before, or £41.30 if booked two weeks in advance (for bookings that started between February 17 and 25 2024).
According to the data for this half term (February 15 to 23), the most expensive airport to park at is Bristol (£142.38 for a week) followed by Standsted (£134.40). The cheapest were those in Scotland – Glasgow and Edinburgh – at less than £60 for a week’s parking.
Booking offsite parking could also be a good way for holiday-goers to save money, the price comparison website data shows. Those booking an offsite car park at Gatwick the day before they travelled last February paid £204.47 for seven days, saving £100 compared to an onsite car park. If that space was booked two weeks in advance, a further £100 could have been saved.
Robert Lelukiewicz, head of customer service at Airport Parking Shop, said: “Parking at airports is one of the hidden expenses of going on holiday and our data shows airport car parking charges vary depending on which part of the country you’re flying from.”
However, it is possible for savings to be made “even at the most expensive airports”, Lelukiewicz said. “With nearly 10 per cent of travellers leaving parking at the last minute, we would urge all holidaymakers to make their parking plans as early as possible to avoid higher prices.”
According to a recent survey, 41 per cent of consumers are planning to take an overseas holiday for longer than five days in 2025. The study of 2,000 people conducted on behalf of RSM UK, showed that this was up from 35 per cent last year. Meanwhile, in December, data showed that nearly a quarter (23 per cent) of people had started booking flights, accommodation or transport for trips abroad this year and 59 per cent had started to plan international trips, research commissioned by American Express revealed.