Heathrow Parking WTF

[numtumfutunch]

OK so Im from Leeds and a bit "Yorkshire" when it comes to money

We are flying from LHR in the summer and need to leave the car there for 2 weeks

The summer before covid we did this and it cost £60 in the long stay which had an excellent bus connection to the terminals

Ive just been looking now on the LHR website and various intermediaries and its north of £200 for the same service

What am I missing please?

Cheers

[anonymous-user]

I’ve just been round the same houses. 16 days of POD parking at T5 in April was coming in at over £360 - over £100 more than the meet & greet services (which are also exorbitantly inflated), when it always used to be cheaper than them. It’s ridiculous gouging.

[Teddy Lop]

BlackWidow13 said:

I’ve just been round the same houses. 16 days of POD parking at T5 in April was coming in at over £360 - over £100 more than the meet & greet services (which are also exorbitantly inflated), when it always used to be cheaper than them. It’s ridiculous gouging.

The Mrs booked a few days at Stansted shortstay and informed me it was a quite "cheap" 40 or 50 something at which point I had to stop her, and threaten to mansplain the difference between "cheap" and "utterly disgraceful but a chunk less than the 2x cabs that is the alternative" which is what I hoped she meant.

It's a sad state of affairs but a significant bit of me would rather suffer the indignation and brain hurt of paying good money to be driven by someone who can't actually drive to an appreciable level of competence (a.k.a. a cabbie) than pay the ripoff airport parking. At least you're somewhat thrwating the system by chucking the money to some some bumfuk in his pathetic leased toyota rather than the grasping leeches.

[Truckosaurus]

numtumfutunch said:

...What am I missing please?...

Was the same back in November. Can't even blame it on being peak season. I resorted to taking the train and RailAir bus, which took the best part of 2 hours versus a 45 minute drive.

Have you looked at the cost of a night at one of the nearby hotels that offer free (or cheap) parking?

[croyde]

Traveled from Gatwick last Sept and also faced the same parking rip offs and taxi tax from SW London.

Found a local BnB for £60 the night before the flight and included was a weeks parking in their adjacent field.

Just had to stump up another £13 each way for the 5am taxi to departures which had to include the £5 or £8 Gatwick drop off charge.

Right now I feel like the only person in the country that can't up my prices a ridiculous degree due to being a wage slave. No payrise since I joined 4 years ago.

Nuts.

[kiethton]

Park somewhere ~10 minutes away for free and get an Uber, bus or tube from there. Significantly cheaper and what we do when the car is the only real option to get there and parking is stupidly priced.

[bristolracer]

Teddy Lop said:

It's a sad state of affairs but a significant bit of me would rather suffer the indignation and brain hurt of paying good money to be driven by someone who can't actually drive to an appreciable level of competence (a.k.a. a cabbie) than pay the ripoff airport parking. At least you're somewhat thrwating the system by chucking the money to some some bumfuk in his pathetic leased toyota rather than the grasping leeches.

Try that at Bristol airport and you will have to pay £5 for drop and go. Drop off on the access road? Nope anpr,double reds £100 please.
You could of course use the airports very own carefully selected taxi contractor.

[caiss4]

Flew out of LHR mid-Jan for what was originally going to be a 3 week trip. The cost of T5 business parking was going to be north of £300 from memory. Opted for our local limo service (80 miles each way) that came in at £200 return. Had to shorten the trip in the end so thought about binning the limo but the parking quote was still £260 so a bit of a no-brainer. Pleased I could support one of our local businesses!

[TEKNOPUG]

bristolracer said:

Try that at Bristol airport and you will have to pay £5 for drop and go. Drop off on the access road? Nope anpr,double reds £100 please.
You could of course use the airports very own carefully selected taxi contractor.

I used to fly from Bristol to Edinburgh for 3 days work a week, for over a year. The flights were always cheaper than the car parking

[illmonkey]

I'm just over an hour from Heathrow, if it's clear. The guy I use for taxi's has a lovely E class that'll waft you to and from the airport, door to door, for £200. Hassle free, no worries about the car in the car park, can have a few drinks on the return leg etc.

Have you considered a man to do it for you?

[2 GKC]

bristolracer said:

Try that at Bristol airport and you will have to pay £5 for drop and go. Drop off on the access road? Nope anpr,double reds £100 please.
You could of course use the airports very own carefully selected taxi contractor.

Who in fairness are really very good

[funinhounslow]

kiethton said:

Park somewhere ~10 minutes away for free and get an Uber, bus or tube from there. Significantly cheaper and what we do when the car is the only real option to get there and parking is stupidly priced.

Nice idea but where?

There are CPZs around the tube and train stations.

I can’t think of anywhere for free within 10 minutes of Heathrow where I would be comfortable leaving my car for two weeks.

[croyde]

I used to do that around LHR years ago. Always found some dodgy estate to dump the car in and walk the rest of the way.

Had to be a long time ago as the last time I had to cross fields and fences only to get a stern talking to by the army as they were around terminal 4 due to an IRA threat

[Ynox]

funinhounslow said:

Nice idea but where?

There are CPZs around the tube and train stations.

I can’t think of anywhere for free within 10 minutes of Heathrow where I would be comfortable leaving my car for two weeks.

+1 for not recommending this. A lot of pretty rough areas around LHR where you'd probably not want to piss the locals off.

[timbo999]

Have you tried via a Hotel? A night at the Radisson Edwardian and 2 weeks parking is little more than parking alone... and some are cheaper.

[Lotusgone]

timbo999 said:

Have you tried via a Hotel? A night at the Radisson Edwardian and 2 weeks parking is little more than parking alone... and some are cheaper.

That can work very well - but make sure that whichever hotel you book, is on the bus shuttle route. I goofed last year and had to shell out extra for taxis instead.

[numtumfutunch]

Capitulated and paid up

I can cancel up to a short while before if prices change and I got a tenner cashback from Quidco which marginally helped the pain

But 60 ---} 200 quid in a handful of years is shameful. Sadly I have no real alternative having looked at and discounted the hotel suggestions

Thanks all

[Teddy Lop]

bristolracer said:

Teddy Lop said:

It's a sad state of affairs but a significant bit of me would rather suffer the indignation and brain hurt of paying good money to be driven by someone who can't actually drive to an appreciable level of competence (a.k.a. a cabbie) than pay the ripoff airport parking. At least you're somewhat thrwating the system by chucking the money to some some bumfuk in his pathetic leased toyota rather than the grasping leeches.

Try that at Bristol airport and you will have to pay £5 for drop and go. Drop off on the access road? Nope anpr,double reds £100 please.
You could of course use the airports very own carefully selected taxi contractor.

Yeh Stansted are way ahead which is why there are people walking along 50mph dual carriageways with suitcases

Seriously though I know it paints me as the grumpy old man prototype cliche but as I was sipping my €4 premium beer in Barcelona airport after the €6 return shuttle bus/5 mins through security I found myself pondering the inexhaustible list of how many petty/cynical little ways we are buttfunked in this country when you're a captive audience. It seems an institutional obligation from both govm. and business alike.

[Alorotom]

Had similar at Heathrow a couple of weeks ago - IIRC long stay was about £200 but purple parking came in under £70

Opposite for Gatwick for next week though, purple et al coming in at over £110 but booked the short stay for £105 for 10 days (extra 10% off if booked using the LGW app)

Premier Inn (Bath Rd) at LHR is a good shout for parking at its about £9/day and you can just pay on the app when you get there - and then use the Hoppa bus

[djc206]

Looking for 11 days in May. Prices are bonkers.

Business £186
Short stay £302
Long stay £180
Pod £195
Meet and greet £177
Valet £189

Why would long stay be more expensive than meet and greet? Meet and greet is for all intents and purposes short stay so you’d have to be certifiable to pay the extra there.