I’ve never understood the saying: “It’s better to travel in hope than to arrive.” I’d rather travel in first class and arrive just as the sun is going down, actually.
Certainly when flying, all I usually hope for is that everything goes smoothly. The drive to the airport, the parking, the transfer from some distant patch of scrubland, check-in and security, legging it to the gate without losing a child or triggering divorce proceedings… All of which are a source of huge trepidation and anxiety, to be survived rather than savoured.
But over the summer I used a meet-and-greet parking service for the first time when flying out of Gatwick. And I reckon it will remove the sting from at least two of the potential traumas on that list.
BP08WND 280712 CPS courtesy of Chris Sampson on Flickr
Peace in the valet
Previously, I assumed this level of service would be well beyond my pocket, but searching for a parking deal on TravelSupermarket unearthed a deal which, at £72, was only £20 more than a normal park-and-ride option.
I know £20 is £20, but it’s a long drive to get to Gatwick in the first place, and it means negotiating the circle of Hell which is the M25, so I decided to splurge and let someone else take part of the strain. And it was well worth it. We simply rang when we were 20 minutes away from the terminal and were met in the terminal car park.
HA0490-021 courtesy of Highways Agency on Flickr
On return we rang when we got our bags, and the car was waiting for us when we stumbled out of the car park lift.
Silly con valet?
Certainly not. As I’ve suggested, the prices for meet-and-greet services are often less than you’d pay for a park-and-ride job.
The concept is popular enough (at Gatwick at least) for meet-and-greeters to have essentially commandeered a couple of floors of a car park, with official airport signage guiding you to their patch.
If you’re planning a trip overseas soon – perhaps come the next school holiday – it’s worth checking out how much this sort of service would cost.
I used TravelSupermarket to look at car parking prices for the autumn half-term week, flying out on October 25 and returning on November 1.
Remember, booking in advance chops loads off the price you’d pay if you just rocked up on the day, so it’s well worth doing.
Gatwick
The cheapest online deal was from Purple Parking at £45.99 – well below the ‘at-gate’ price of £72. Here you’re looking at a 10 – 15 minute bus ride once you’ve parked, with buses running every 20 minutes.
APH charges just under £49 but is a bit closer to the airport, with a 10 minute transfer and buses every 15 minutes.
If you want a meet-and-greet service, Ace charges £67. Or you can, er, splash out and pay £103.94 with Maple Manor and have your car cleaned while you’re away.
Manchester
This place is lodged in my heart as ‘Ringway’, which gives my age away. It costs £35.99 to park with JetParks, which has a 15-minute transfer, with 10-minute frequency.
Manchester Airport Sky Walk courtesy of Terry Whalebone on Flickr
The official on-airport parking costs between £39.99 (at T2) and £45.99 (T1and T3). The official meet-and-greet service is £49.99, regardless of which terminal you fly from.
If you prefer to keep control of your destiny, you can park in the multi-story car park (and walk to the terminal) for £59.99 at T3, paying £10 more at T1 and T2.
Glasgow
My search didn’t throw up any quotes from valet firms at Glasgow, but I’m due a visit to see my mate Mike, so if you know of any operating here, let me know (in the box below).
Prices for a week’s ‘traditional’ parking in mid-October (half term runs from 13-17 October in Scotland) starts at £45 with Direct Parking and Park Safe – 10-minute transfer, buses every three.
You can park at the short stay and walk to the terminal for £67.92 – well under half what it would cost you (£176) if you neglect to book in advance.
Birmingham
Of these four airports, Birmingham offered the lowest price for a week at £27.53, but it’s a 20-minute bus-ride away – which means you’d have to factor in the additional time to your journey to reduce the possibility of a ‘Will we make it?!?’ stress-fest.
The park-and-walk option at the airport multi-storey is £69.99 booked in advance (a whopping £146 at the gate. But Maple Manor will collect and return your car to you for just £59.99.
For £81.99 Airparks will give your car a wash as well as collecting it from you and bringing it back when you return.
Remember, whichever option appeal to you, you’ll probably save a substantial amount by booking in advance through TravelSupermarket.
Have you tried a valet parking service? Or any idea if there’s a valet operating out of Glasgow Airport? Let us know…
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