Why we love off-airport car parks (and you should too!)

  • 22 Nov, 2015
  • Alice Fowler
  • 3 Comments

off airport car park

If you are going away for more than a day or two, it is usually the most cost effective option to book long stay parking, especially if you book in advance. However, have you considered booking off-airport parking? Many people first think of the cowboy operators who have hit the headlines for parking your car in a field, but this is just not the case for most of the providers.

If you use the airport’s official long stay parking in most cases you will still need to take a bus to the terminal, and it will often have to stop off at various different points to collect people from collection points or car parks. However, at off-airport car parks the buses are usually dedicated services that take you straight to the terminal.

We visited the off-airport car park at Gatwick run by APH and managed to take a few photos to put your minds at ease! Off-airport parking can be a great way to save money (they are usually a fair amount cheaper than the airport’s official long stay car park – for a week in November parking at Heathrow, we calculated a saving of 40% by booking the cheapest off-airport car park with the Park Mark award!), and you can feel safe in the knowledge that your car is parked securely.

park mark

APH for example use Automatic Number Plate Recognition, CCTV, and secure fencing. They have also been awarded the Park Mark, which is something you should look out for with any car park you think about booking. This means that it has been inspected by the Police and has been found the meet their minimum criteria.

If you are leaving your keys (which is often normal in long-stay car parks, as the cars need to be moved around to store them correctly and safely) then there will be a secure facility that the operator will have had to agree with their insurers.

car parks

At APH’s Gatwick Car Park, you can get parked up and on the bus in no time at all. Their buses come an average of 4 times an hour (with buses arriving every 8-10 minutes during busy periods), and it’s only a 10-15 minute journey to the airport.

Off airport car parks

It’s definitely worth looking at a reputable off-airport car park for your trip – you can save money and even be at the airport quicker than using the official one!

Always check they are Park Mark accredited and check out reviews online – here at Airport Parking Shop each car park has its own review page, so you can make sure that others have had good experiences.

Do your research, book an off-airport car park, and save money on your next trip! We love them, and we really think you should too!

About Alice Fowler

I love to travel and working in the airport parking world for nearly a decade has given me inside out knowledge of the industry. I love to help travellers get the best out of their trip, and their journey to the airport is an important part of that. Whether it's using our data to spot trends and pinpoint when people can save money, or opening the lid on airport parking tips and tricks, if it helps our customers, I'll write about it!

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3 responses to “Why we love off-airport car parks (and you should too!)”

  1. Hello Alice,

    Having trouble clarifying this… I have booked APH at Gatwick for next month. My Mum is now worrying me saying they’ll probably drive my car miles etc. Can you confirm – where do they move it to and are they good at checking the vehicle for damage before and after? Thanks,

    Melanie

    • Hi Melanie,

      I have just had a look at their site and it would seem that their car park is no further away than the official airport long stay car park. APH are a reputable car parking provider so I’m sure they wouldn’t have any issues with you noting down the current milage and current condition of the car when you do drop it off (assuming you are doing the meet and greet parking) and documenting it in their notes / on the paperwork. That way you’re both covered!

      We have personally visited the car park and can confirm that the cars stay within the compound.

      Have a read of this https://www.aph.com/parking/ which explains how their car parking works and you can see the map of the car parks around the airport here https://www.aph.com/parking/gatwick_airport/ – scroll right to the bottom to find the map. The APH car park is within the cluster on the right

      Hope that helps; enjoy your trip!

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