Parking at Gatwick Airport
It can be very confusing to both find and book car parking space at the UK’s second busiest airport. Where can you go to get accurate parking price information? Do you need long term or short term parking? What are the key differences between the various car parks? These are the questions that I hope to answer in this brief article.
You may not be aware that Gatwick is the UK’s second busiest airport and the sixth busiest in the world. With over 32 million passengers using the airport each year it’s not surprising to find that the airport provides extensive car parking facilities.
You will probably want to use short term parking when dropping people off and picking them up from the airport. This is also adequate for most short duration journeys. Multi-storey short term parking is available at both the North and South terminals.
You are warned not to leave your car unattended for any length of time in the forecourt areas outside the passenger terminals. If you do your car will be removed by the vigilant airport security staff and you will have to pay a hefty release fee to get it back. If you need to leave your car unattended you should always park in the car parks provided.
If your trip lasts more than just a few days then Gatwick long term parking is recommended. There are numerous options to choose from when considering long term parking at Gatwick, which can be a little bewildering.
It is worthwhile looking at the details of the various long stay car parks servicing Gatwick airport to make certain they meet your requirements. Most airport car parks provide excellent security facilities including fencing, security cameras and regular patrols. Some outstanding car parks have the ‘park mark’ safer parking award. All provide free bus transfer between the car park and the airport terminal, but it is worthwhile checking the frequency of the bus service and how long it takes to transfer.
Meet and greet parking is what you need if bus transfers are too much hassle or if you want to save a little time. All you need do is drive directly to your airport terminal where the pre-arranged chauffeur will meet you. They will take your car and park it on your behalf in one of the secure long term car parks. When you return from your trip your car will have been retrieved from the car park to be ready and waiting for you as soon as you have cleared customs.
The benefits provided by meet and greet parking are that you don’t need to arrive at the airport very early as you don’t need to take a transfer bus from the car park and you will be on your way home as soon as you leave the airport terminal. You can also get take advantage of the valet service to have your car cleaned while you are away.
To get the best Gatwick parking rate it is essential that you book in advance. Usually, the further in advance you book your parking the better the price. The best way to check on prices and availability is to use an online price checking and comparison facility such as the one provided by Gosimply.com. This excellent website not only provides accurate and up to date parking prices and availability information it also provides honest and impartial customer reviews of various airport facilities, including airport hotels.
