Airport parking can cost up to THREE times more than the cheapest depending on where you are – and some drivers are charged up to £8.50 for drop offs
Luton airport has the most expensive parking fees with travellers paying £191 fir a two-week stay
HOLIDAYMAKERS flying from Luton are paying three times more for airport parking than their counterparts in the South West, a new study has found.
The investigation by insurance specialist Admiral examined on-site parking prices for a two-week break in the summer holidays at 30 airports across the UK.
It found that some travellers can end up feeling short changed before they’ve even boarded the plane with huge price variations in prices across the country.
The most expensive parking was found at Luton airport, where a two-week stay in their standard on-site car park came in at £191.
In Exeter, which offers the cheapest prices in the UK, the equivalent space cost just £65 for the same period of time.
London City at £181 was the second most expensive airport in the UK, followed by Gatwick.
Admiral even found price discrepancies between different terminals at the same airport, with a stay at Gatwick North costing £175 compared to a bill of £167 at Gatwick South.
The average car parking rate for two weeks came in at £111, although passengers flying from Luton will pay £80 more.
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Stanstead, meanwhile, charges the highest drop at £8.50 for 15 minutes – meaning drivers are forking out 57p per minute - followed by Luton and Doncaster at £8 and £6 respectively.
Admiral spokesman Alistair Hargreaves said: “This study demonstrates that airport parking prices are a postcode lottery with extortionate price discrepancies for the same 2.4 metre-wide car parking space, depending on where you are flying from.”
He advised customers to plan ahead and research their car park options, such as those off-site and factor these prices into the total cost of their holiday.
He added: “Parking shouldn’t be the last thing travellers think about. As well as planning in all costs, they should also check their insurance cover for while they are away and consider roadside breakdown assistance if they don’t have it already.
It is important for people to feel reassured during their holiday so they don’t return home to Britain with more to worry about than the usual wet weather.”
The Sun previously revealed that familes also face a holiday price lottery when it comes to booking getaways online, with trips soaring in price in a matter of days.
How to avoid paying too much in parking costs
According to MoneySavingExpert (MSE) , a night at Gatwick with a week's parking via APH is £89, compared to £76 for parking alone. We've even seen it work out cheaper than just for the parking. See Stay & Park Deals.
According to data from FairFX, if a family of four had booked a Virgin Holidays Disney trip on April 12, they would have paid £5,683, but if they had booked the deal just a day later, they would have had to fork out £9,053 – a huge £3,370 more.
How to track the price of flights to avoid paying over the odds
is a free mobile app that tells you when the best time to buy a flight is, according to the price.
A Thomson trip to Kos in Greece for one week, meanwhile, rose from £3,947 to £5,481 in just 24 hours, a difference of £1,534.
Ian Strafford-Taylor, CEO of FairFX, said: “Most people understand supply and demand and that during peak travel times such as the school holidays, they will pay a bit more, but there seems to be no rhyme nor reason to the way holiday prices change and buying a summer holiday, really is a price lottery."
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