Southampton Airport Official Priority Car Park

Southampton Airport Priority Parking

Priority Parking is Short Stay with the useful bits turned up. It is located on the ground floor of the official multi-storey, with wider undercover bays and a walk of around 60 seconds to the terminal. Park your own car, keep your keys and head straight to departures.

You are not really paying to avoid a marathon: standard Short Stay is already only a 1–3 minute walk away. The genuine upgrade is easier parking, more room to open the doors and a guaranteed ground-floor, undercover space. That can be worth considerably more than the saved minute when you have children, luggage or a strong dislike of squeezing out through a six-inch door gap.

Why choose Priority Parking?

• Closest self-parking option: around a 60-second walk to the terminal.
• Wider bays: more room to park and get passengers and luggage out.
• Ground-floor parking: no hunting around the upper levels.
• Undercover: useful when Southampton is demonstrating its commitment to British weather.
• Keep your keys: your car remains where you parked it
• Open 24 hours: suitable for early departures and late returns.

How does Priority compare with Short Stay?

Both are official, on-airport self-parking options where you keep your keys. Short Stay is around a 1–3 minute walk from the terminal, while Priority reduces that to approximately one minute and adds wider, undercover ground-floor bays.

If Priority is only slightly more expensive, the wider spaces and guaranteed ground-floor parking may make it worthwhile. If the price gap is substantial, Short Stay offers almost the same terminal convenience without the premium. You will walk for another minute or two, not across the New Forest.

How does Priority compare with Meet & Greet?

Priority and Meet & Greet both place you around one minute from the terminal. The difference is not the walk; it is who parks the car.

With Priority, you find a bay yourself and keep your keys. With Meet & Greet, you leave the vehicle in the dedicated handover area, give the keys to the airport team and let them park it. Choose Priority if you prefer your car to stay exactly where you left it. Choose Meet & Greet if finding a parking space is one pre-holiday task you would happily pay someone else to handle.

Directions

- Leave M27 at junction 5.

- Take the exit for the A335 (signposted Eastleigh/Southampton airport).

- At the roundabout take the second exit towards the airport.

- Take the first left at the next roundabout.

- Follow signs for the Short Stay/Priority car park.

Arrival procedure

-At the car park barrier, your number plate will be recognised and you will be given a ticket and the barrier will lift.

- Please keep your ticket safe as you’ll need it when you return.

- Please park in any available space in the Priority area of the Short Stay car park, keep your keys and walk to the terminal. It takes around 1 minute.

- After you've check-in, please show your booking confirmation at the security search area and you’ll be directed to a dedicated fast lane meaning you can skip the queues.

Return procedure

- Make your way back to the Priority car park; it's clearly signposted.

- On your way out, put your ticket into the exit barrier and wait for it to lift.

Security

The car park has entry and exit barriers, 24-hour attendants, CCTV and regular staff patrols. The car park also has the Park Mark award for security.

Disabled facilities

This option is ideal for travellers with reduced mobility as the Priority car park is the closest to the terminal. There are also Special Assistance Call Points linked to the terminal’s service desk to request help when you’re at the car park.

Additional information

- This service is operated by Southampton Airport.

- With this car park you are entitled to Priority security passes for up to 2 passengers. Show your booking confirmation at security to gain access to the fast lane.

- The car park has a height restriction of 2.2m.

- The car park offers a 2-hour grace period on either side of your booking. If you are more than 2 hours early or late, however, you will be charged the standard day rate of £30 extra.