With several different airport parking providers to choose from, it can be hard to know where to start.
We’ve compared two of the top airport parking providers – Airparks and National Car Parks (NCP) – looking at a range of factors, so that you can get a better idea of which option is best for you.
(MORE: The ultimate guide to cheap airport parking)
Locations/airports covered
- Aberdeen
- Belfast City
- Belfast International
- Birmingham
- Bournemouth
- Bristol
- Cardiff
- Doncaster
- Dublin
- East Midlands
- Edinburgh
- Exeter
- Gatwick
- Glasgow
- Heathrow
- Humberside
- Inverness
- Leeds Bradford
- Liverpool
- London City
- Luton
- Manchester
- Newcastle
- Norwich
- Prestwick
- Shannon
- Southampton
- Southend
- Stansted
- Durham Tees Valley
- Aberdeen Dyce
- Birmingham
- Bournemouth
- Bristol
- Cardiff
- Doncaster Sheffield
- Durham Tees Valley
- East Midlands
- Edinburgh
- Exeter
- Gatwick
- Glasgow
- Glasgow Prestwick
- Heathrow
- Leeds Bradford
- Liverpool
- Luton
- Manchester
- Newcastle
- Norwich
- Southend
- Stansted
Parking types
Airparks
Depending on the airport, you’ll usually be able to choose from the following:
- Park and Ride – park your car in a secured parking space and hop on the transfer bus to the airport.
- Meet and Greet – hand over your keys to a professional chauffeur at the airport who will park your car for you. On your return, the chauffeur will meet you with your car so you can head straight home.
- Return Greet – if you’d prefer to avoid a bus transfer on the way home, this option is available for a small supplement. Your car will be ready and waiting at the terminal when you get off the plane.
- Parking for Disabled Customers – offering accessible buses for transfers and wide parking bays.
- Airport hotel parking - park your car at an airport hotel for the duration of your trip and stay in the hotel overnight before your flight.
NCP
NCP offers the following parking options:
- Meet and Greet – hand over your keys to the valet team who will take your car to a secured car park. When you return, your car will be waiting for you at the terminal.
- On airport – parking that’s a short walk away from the terminal.
- Off airport – parking is usually located further from the airport and will require a short bus transfer to the terminal.
Price
Below we’ve compared the price of parking at Heathrow for a week in early September. Prices were correct at the time of writing.
Airparks
- Park and Ride: £52.95
- Meet and Greet: £64.90
NCP
- Flightpath parking (Terminals 2 and 3): £53.99 or £52.99 for NCP members.
- NCP members get preferential rates – you can sign up to be a member for free.
Extras
Airparks
As well as airport parking, you can also buy travel insurance (from Holiday Extras) and book airport hotels, airport lounges or international airport transfer services.
NCP
Because NCP is predominantly a parking specialist, you won’t be able to buy any travel extras through the site.
Ease of booking
Airparks
Using the booking bar at the top of the Airparks website is straightforward. Simply enter where you’re flying from, the dates you’re parking and the time your flight departs, and hit the ‘Get the best prices’ button. Choose your parking option and click through to enter your payment details.
NCP
To book via the NCP website, you’ll need to find your chosen airport and then enter the dates you wish to park. Click through to find prices. Once you’ve chosen your parking type, you’ll need to sign in or register with NCP and then enter the required details, including payment.
Cancellation policies
Airparks
You can cancel your booking up to 24 hours before your parking period begins, but there will be a £9.50 cancellation fee.
NCP
If you’ve booked a flexible product, you can cancel and get a refund or amend your booking online, providing this is done at least two hours before your arrival time.
If you have a non-flexible product, you can only cancel up to 24 hours after the booking is made.
Customer service
Airparks
Airparks scores 3.6 out of 5 on Trustpilot. Customers have commented on the ease of use, affordable prices and excellent service.
You can contact the customer service team via the Live Chat feature, or if you have a complaint you can fill out a form on this page. (Note that this is via Holiday Extras.)
NCP
NCP only scores 1.2 out of 5 on Trustpilot but this is primarily due to its city parking options. Customers using NCP airport parking have commented on the ease of booking and quick and convenient transfers.
The customer service team can be contacted via the Live Chat feature, or if you need assistance in an NCP car park you can call 0345 050 7080.
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