UK trips / Airport parking
UK airport parking, explained plainly
Parking is the least glamorous part of a trip and one of the easiest to overpay for. Pick your airport for how its parking works — then book ahead on the partner sites, where the live price for your dates is shown.
London Heathrow
Parking types, how to choose, and what affects the price at London Heathrow.
Parking at London Heathrow →London Gatwick
Parking types, how to choose, and what affects the price at London Gatwick.
Parking at London Gatwick →London Stansted
Parking types, how to choose, and what affects the price at London Stansted.
Parking at London Stansted →Manchester Airport
Parking types, how to choose, and what affects the price at Manchester Airport.
Parking at Manchester Airport →Birmingham Airport
Parking types, how to choose, and what affects the price at Birmingham Airport.
Parking at Birmingham Airport →Edinburgh Airport
Parking types, how to choose, and what affects the price at Edinburgh Airport.
Parking at Edinburgh Airport →The short version
Three kinds of airport parking
Official on-site parking
Run by the airport itself: long-stay, mid-stay and short-stay car parks at set distances from the terminal, reached on foot or by the airport's own shuttle buses.
Park and ride
Independent off-airport sites, usually a short shuttle ride away. You park, keep or hand over your keys depending on the operator, and ride the transfer bus to the terminal.
Meet and greet
You drive to the terminal, hand the car to a driver, and it is parked for you and brought back to the terminal on your return — the convenience option.
Whichever airport you fly from, one rule holds everywhere: the price you see when you book ahead is usually far kinder than the drive-up rate on the day.