Parking Heathrow - recommendations please
Discussion
We've actually booked a trip to fly away for a week in June - the first time in over 2 years! I am wondering about parking at Heathrow (terminal 5) and wondered if anyone has any recommendations. I think I would prefer "meet and greet" which is much easier - but never sure what some of these companies then do with your car or where they leave it? Thanks in advance
Park it yourself.
My sister used valet parking for a weekend. Got back and her car stank of cigarette smoke. She complained and the cctv showed a bloke sat in her car all night chain smoking with the engine running.
I've used valet parking once years ago. Dropped off, no problem. On return, had to wait an hour and a half. Constantly " just round the corner mate".
My sister used valet parking for a weekend. Got back and her car stank of cigarette smoke. She complained and the cctv showed a bloke sat in her car all night chain smoking with the engine running.
I've used valet parking once years ago. Dropped off, no problem. On return, had to wait an hour and a half. Constantly " just round the corner mate".
I’ve used the official Terminal 5 Meet & Greet a few times, never had an issue except a bit of a queue at peak times.
https://www.heathrow.com/booking/parking
https://www.heathrow.com/booking/parking
Long stay official.
Meet and greet has become unreliable and more hassle than catching the frequent car park buses. Drop off and collect restrictions in all the major airports mean the valet parking co.s have to time their movements to work against being fined, not to suit you, the customer.
I used to use valet parking in LHR, MAN and LGW but all three recently were more hassle than simply using long stay.
They are also a victim of their own success , and , rampant competition amongst themselves.
Meet and greet has become unreliable and more hassle than catching the frequent car park buses. Drop off and collect restrictions in all the major airports mean the valet parking co.s have to time their movements to work against being fined, not to suit you, the customer.
I used to use valet parking in LHR, MAN and LGW but all three recently were more hassle than simply using long stay.
They are also a victim of their own success , and , rampant competition amongst themselves.
It depends on what value you put on convenience.
If you book early enough, and are accurate with your booking, then short stay can be surprisingly affordable. Ditto for the official Heathrow valet parking. However, with both of these if you want to make a minor change nearer the time that extends the duration you will lose all the savings made by booking early.
The official Heathrow valet parking is fine. You park in a holding car park and leave them your keys. When you arrive back your car is in a similar holding car park and you collect your keys from the kiosk. There's no standing around waiting for someone to bring your car to you.
For me, paying a bit more for car parking to remove some of the stresses, hassles and unknowns from your holiday is something that I am willing to do.
If you book early enough, and are accurate with your booking, then short stay can be surprisingly affordable. Ditto for the official Heathrow valet parking. However, with both of these if you want to make a minor change nearer the time that extends the duration you will lose all the savings made by booking early.
The official Heathrow valet parking is fine. You park in a holding car park and leave them your keys. When you arrive back your car is in a similar holding car park and you collect your keys from the kiosk. There's no standing around waiting for someone to bring your car to you.
For me, paying a bit more for car parking to remove some of the stresses, hassles and unknowns from your holiday is something that I am willing to do.
omniflow said:
It depends on what value you put on convenience.
If you book early enough, and are accurate with your booking, then short stay can be surprisingly affordable. Ditto for the official Heathrow valet parking. However, with both of these if you want to make a minor change nearer the time that extends the duration you will lose all the savings made by booking early.
The official Heathrow valet parking is fine. You park in a holding car park and leave them your keys. When you arrive back your car is in a similar holding car park and you collect your keys from the kiosk. There's no standing around waiting for someone to bring your car to you.
For me, paying a bit more for car parking to remove some of the stresses, hassles and unknowns from your holiday is something that I am willing to do.
Not used the official valet parking but tbh, I just can't find any stress in getting on the long stay bus at arrivals, getting off at your zone a few minutes later, and driving off. Took me a while to realise this after using various valet services. If you book early enough, and are accurate with your booking, then short stay can be surprisingly affordable. Ditto for the official Heathrow valet parking. However, with both of these if you want to make a minor change nearer the time that extends the duration you will lose all the savings made by booking early.
The official Heathrow valet parking is fine. You park in a holding car park and leave them your keys. When you arrive back your car is in a similar holding car park and you collect your keys from the kiosk. There's no standing around waiting for someone to bring your car to you.
For me, paying a bit more for car parking to remove some of the stresses, hassles and unknowns from your holiday is something that I am willing to do.
DoubleSix said:
DeejRC said:
Pod. Job jobbed.
Permanently broken in my experience.Then you’re stuck waiting for a make shift bus service which is less reliable and regular than the normal one.
Pod parking was great when there were pods, no waiting around just get in and go. But now the pod parking has a bus instead 'for the foreseeable future' so not worth it.
We have used the hotel & park package at the Hilton a couple of times when flying from Heathrow T5, and have booked it again for our USA trip next month. You take your keys with you, which is a plus as I have seen cars rammed in at other hotel car parks, and I didn't fancy mine being shuttled around multiple times by some herberts on minimum wage.
We always stay the night before a flight, having been scared witless being sat on the M25 with the clock ticking down past our check-in time.
There is also Just Park, which used to be Parkatmyhouse.
Finally, there is a big car park at Cockfosters tube station. Piccadilly line takes you straight through to the Heathrow terminals.
We always stay the night before a flight, having been scared witless being sat on the M25 with the clock ticking down past our check-in time.
There is also Just Park, which used to be Parkatmyhouse.
Finally, there is a big car park at Cockfosters tube station. Piccadilly line takes you straight through to the Heathrow terminals.
I've done T5 Short Stay for a week this year. £152, that is for mid August.
Considering that Meet & Greet aren't (or at least weren't at the time) a huge deal cheaper, it made no sense to opt for anything else. I don't really want anyone driving my car around if I can help it - but that's just personal preference.
As for "long stay".....well, we did the 'Summer Saver' back in 2020, and it was a bit of nightmare with 2 young kids, especially the return leg stood in the bus station for at least 25 minutes. Won't do that again.
Considering that Meet & Greet aren't (or at least weren't at the time) a huge deal cheaper, it made no sense to opt for anything else. I don't really want anyone driving my car around if I can help it - but that's just personal preference.
As for "long stay".....well, we did the 'Summer Saver' back in 2020, and it was a bit of nightmare with 2 young kids, especially the return leg stood in the bus station for at least 25 minutes. Won't do that again.
Beggarall said:
We've actually booked a trip to fly away for a week in June - the first time in over 2 years! I am wondering about parking at Heathrow (terminal 5) and wondered if anyone has any recommendations. I think I would prefer "meet and greet" which is much easier - but never sure what some of these companies then do with your car or where they leave it? Thanks in advance
I would never use any company other than the official parking. I just can’t be bothered with the hassle. My advice would be go through the official Heathrow airport parking website but make sure you have a look on Quidco to see if there’s any cashback available first and sign up to Heathrow rewards to collect the points. The options are:Pod: as mentioned is not working at the moment but a short transfer to terminal.
Meet and greet is in short stay, it’s a half way house between valet and short stay self parking.
Short stay: I don’t use this because there’s too much movement of vehicles for my liking which increases the likelihood of damage
Valet: used this on our last trip, very convenient. We got a decent deal on it though and prices seem to have crept back up now.
Long stay: cheapest option normally, buses are back up and running normally now I believe. Perfectly sensible option.
I’ve used all of these options, back when the pods were running I’d say choose that all day, now? That depends on the premium charged for convenience and how much luggage we have.
As an alternative some of the hotels on Bath Road do stay and park deals that are very competitive.
As I understand it, POD parking no longer has pods, it's shuttle bus, but amusingly, they still call it pod parking and charge a premium over long stay, which is now identical in everyway. A shame because the POD system was quick and efficient everything I used it and ideal for avoiding crowding into a packed bus.
We used purple parking once and it was a complete shambles and i really couldnt recommend them.
However the long stay official self park is great, bus every few minutes and only a short transfer plus the security of knowing your car isnt going to be messed about with but some stranger and parked in tighter than a sardine.
However the long stay official self park is great, bus every few minutes and only a short transfer plus the security of knowing your car isnt going to be messed about with but some stranger and parked in tighter than a sardine.
cashmax said:
As I understand it, POD parking no longer has pods, it's shuttle bus, but amusingly, they still call it pod parking and charge a premium over long stay, which is now identical in everyway. A shame because the POD system was quick and efficient everything I used it and ideal for avoiding crowding into a packed bus.
In my experience it's not quite the same, the shuttle bus goes as soon as you get on it but agreed it's not as good as the POD's.PushedDover said:
Not used Heathrow for a long time
These POD parking set ups - surely the Bus is not a long term thing ? defeats the object completely and all of the PH directors like the PODS it seems ?
Pre pod they used to just have “business parking”. In fact I think they do for the other terminals they’re just not open at present. They’ve turned it back into that really.These POD parking set ups - surely the Bus is not a long term thing ? defeats the object completely and all of the PH directors like the PODS it seems ?
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