HOLIDAYMAKERS have been urged to avoid an easy mistake that could cost them over £100 extra – and it takes just minutes to sort.
Parking at the airport is a must-have for many travellers, especially those travelling with kids or elderly relatives.
But new research shows airport parking is surging in price – and leaving booking it until the last minute can make the costs even higher.
Last August, parking at Bristol Airport typically cost £19.06 a day, while this August it will cost around £24.69 a day.
And at London Luton airport, costs are set to jump from £16.02 a day last August to £20.28 a day this summer, according to the research by Airport Parking Shop, conducted exclusively for The Sun.
So, there’s never been a better time to save money on your parking where possible.
Yet, around one in ten travellers leave booking airport parking until the day before they go on holiday – and our research shows doing this could double the cost.
Airport Parking Shop found that booking parking at the last minute adds over £100 to the price compared with booking two weeks earlier at several major airports around the UK.
Booking parking on-site at London Gatwick airport two weeks before flying in August last year cost £138.74 for seven days.
But if you had left booking the parking until the day before flying, the same number of days would cost £276.64 – almost twice as much.
This would leave you an extra £137.90 out of pocket overall.
And if you booked parking for a week at Birmingham airport two weeks in advance, you’d pay £105.43. But if you left it until the last minute, you’d have to fork out an extra £80 – £189.28 in total.
Meanwhile, booking parking two weeks in advance at Stansted Airport would save you £92.
Robert Lelukiewicz, head of customer service at Airport Parking Shop, said: “Parking at airports is one of the hidden expenses of going on holiday.
“Last August, the highest average cost of an onsite car park for seven days was at London City Airport at £165.03, followed by Bristol Airport (£141.31) and then Gatwick Airport (£140.18).
“But leaving it until the day before your travel means this cost goes up even more – and around 10% of travellers leave parking to the last-minute, meaning they’re missing out on savings.
“I would urge all holidaymakers to make their parking plans as early as possible to avoid higher prices.”
If you know you’re going to be driving to the airport, it’s best to book parking as early as possible to get the best prices (see our table of price jumps above).
It’s also often cheaper to park off-site than right at the airport, if you don’t mind a short trip to the terminal.
The research by Airport Parking Shop found off-site parking at Birmingham Airport was around £18 cheaper for seven nights if you parked off-site compared to on-site and booked two weeks in advance (£86.66 vs £105.77).
If you left it until the day before, you’d save £36 by parking off-site, paying £185.36 to park at the airport compared with £149.10 to park nearby.
Make sure to shop around to get the best deal, too. Use a comparison website to view costs side by side with different providers.
If you’re already planning to stay in a hotel at the airport before you fly, take advantage of any free parking there for the night to save yourself one day’s worth of costs.
PREPARING before you enter an airport could save you a lot of cash.
Food prices tend to be inflated in airports, so bringing your own food for your family could save you a small fortune.
You can take solid foods like sandwiches, crisps and fruit through security, so pack an airport picnic instead, but use a clear container.
Getting a lift to the airport? Avoid pricey drop-off charges — usually at least £5 — by pulling up in free areas instead. Some airports have a shuttle bus from places further out where you can park for free.
Take an empty water bottle – you can refill once you are through security at most airports.
You could take a reusable coffee cup, too – Pret for example will give you a discount if you bring your own cup.
And one key thing to remember is that Duty Free is not always a good deal, so don’t be duped into buying something that you could get cheaper elsewhere.
And, crucially, don’t exchange your money at an airport if you can avoid it – they tend to have the worst exchange rates.
You are likely to get a much better deal if you exchange your currency in advance nearer to your home.
If your local currency exchange doesn’t have what you need in stock, you can usually order it in several weeks in advance.
By Laura Purkess, consumer features editor and consumer champion, The Sun
