After the demise of duty free when travelling to European Union countries which amounted for a high percentage of passengers passing through a terminal, all airports looked to other areas to improve income and car parking was natural target.

Parking on airport can be very costly especially if you just arrive at the airport without pre-booking. This is commonly known as the gate price or the turn up rate. Due to the competition that off airport car parks offer the majority of airports allow you to pre-book which will cut down the cost but will still be far more than parking at the airport. If looking for Gatwick hotel parking, airport parking Heathrow or East Midlands hotel parking be sure to compare on and of airport prices.

Historically off airport car parks were just a piece of land close to the terminal surrounded by a chain link fence. These car parks through amalgamations, poorer operatives going out of business, technological advancement such as booking online, improved security and transport have emerged into first class businesses.

If a traveller is in arush, parking at the airport may be the best choice but if time is not an issue the chepest parking will always be at an off airport car park.

Another main bonus of using an off airport car park is that you can avoid having to navigate around a frantic terminal where many travellers haven’t a clue where they are going but are forced to move at the same speed as other drivers. This is a far less hassle free way of arriving at the airport.