Airport Parking online - price very low
Discussion
Booking some parking for an upcoming trip, quotes have been around £140 for the valet parking which I didn't want to do.
Tried the airport website itself...less than £40 for the premium parking on site for over 2 weeks.
It's either a pricing glitch, or a flash sale, how am I to know - anyway, I have bought it, screenshotted and video recorded the transaction etc. All gone through fine and I have the ticket.
Is there a risk they can reverse this or am I pretty solid? Slight fear is the barrier doesn't rise on exit and they want another £x!
I have in parallel booked another arrangement with free cancellation just in case.....
Tried the airport website itself...less than £40 for the premium parking on site for over 2 weeks.
It's either a pricing glitch, or a flash sale, how am I to know - anyway, I have bought it, screenshotted and video recorded the transaction etc. All gone through fine and I have the ticket.
Is there a risk they can reverse this or am I pretty solid? Slight fear is the barrier doesn't rise on exit and they want another £x!
I have in parallel booked another arrangement with free cancellation just in case.....
joropug said:
Booking some parking for an upcoming trip, quotes have been around £140 for the valet parking which I didn't want to do.
Tried the airport website itself...less than £40 for the premium parking on site for over 2 weeks.
It's either a pricing glitch, or a flash sale, how am I to know - anyway, I have bought it, screenshotted and video recorded the transaction etc. All gone through fine and I have the ticket.
Is there a risk they can reverse this or am I pretty solid? Slight fear is the barrier doesn't rise on exit and they want another £x!
I have in parallel booked another arrangement with free cancellation just in case.....
I think you’re being paranoid. If that was a genuine site, you have a contract. What airport?Tried the airport website itself...less than £40 for the premium parking on site for over 2 weeks.
It's either a pricing glitch, or a flash sale, how am I to know - anyway, I have bought it, screenshotted and video recorded the transaction etc. All gone through fine and I have the ticket.
Is there a risk they can reverse this or am I pretty solid? Slight fear is the barrier doesn't rise on exit and they want another £x!
I have in parallel booked another arrangement with free cancellation just in case.....
joropug said:
Gatwick official site - think I have lucked out, it was £140-170 for off site parking and £300+ for onsite a week ago.
I've used the official LGW on site (non-valet) parking and have usually paid around £60 for a week. I wonder if the online prices are demand driven and you've chosen a future date which at the moment has plenty of vacancies?CanAm said:
I've used the official LGW on site (non-valet) parking and have usually paid around £60 for a week. I wonder if the online prices are demand driven and you've chosen a future date which at the moment has plenty of vacancies?
That's my hope yeah - that their on site parking was looking pretty vacant so they wanted to pull more users into that vs third party competitors. What a result if so, premium wide bay for over 2 weeks for £36
I'm glad I've stumbled across this post.....I booked a week of 'Valet parking' for late July at Gatwick North for the family holiday (back in Jan) at £129.....following a quick read of your bargain parking offer, I've just noticed that it is now £99 for the same parking duration / type - sadly over premium is twice the price.
Needless to say I've cancelled and rebooked and saved 25% in the process - thanks for the inadvertent heads up OP.
Needless to say I've cancelled and rebooked and saved 25% in the process - thanks for the inadvertent heads up OP.
MattyD803 said:
I'm glad I've stumbled across this post.....I booked a week of 'Valet parking' for late July at Gatwick North for the family holiday (back in Jan) at £129.....following a quick read of your bargain parking offer, I've just noticed that it is now £99 for the same parking duration / type - sadly over premium is twice the price.
Needless to say I've cancelled and rebooked and saved 25% in the process - thanks for the inadvertent heads up OP.
Nice one! I did try some different dates and it seemed to be relatively consistent. For one of the periods I chose it was still cheap for normal on site parking but the premium was dear. Needless to say I've cancelled and rebooked and saved 25% in the process - thanks for the inadvertent heads up OP.
I have reserved the cheap(er than usual) off site parking too for my Wife's car, if for any reason this one gets cancelled that was still £70 cheaper.
I'm now paranoid about suspiciously-cheap "official" Gatwick Airport parking...last April I purchased a relatively well-priced product from the official Gatwick Airport Parking website which they advertised as their "Summer Special". I assumed this was a summer special offer to park in their long-stay, booked a few weeks in advance.
Turned up at LGW in the small hours of the morning, parked the car in the long-stay car park, took the keys with me hopped on the shuttle bus to South Terminal and flew off for a week's holiday.
Got back a week later, jumped in the car, headed to the exit barrier expecting it to rise and let me out as per usual, only to have a demand for £200-odd thrust in my face. Only after I called their assistance line did I find that "Summer Special" is an entirely separate car park, a couple of miles from the airport, with valet parking (not on your nelly) and I'd been clocking up the turn-up unbooked day rate in the long stay.
When I got home having shelled out the cost of the flight again for my mistake, I checked the small print - yes, "Summer Special" was a case of leaving the keys to your beloved vehicle with some promising footballer in the back end of Crawley. I did feel I was mis-sold, but there was nothing i could do.
Never again!
Left a bit of a foul taste in my mouth as thie was the first (and still only) time we'd left the country since the start of the pandemic.
Turned up at LGW in the small hours of the morning, parked the car in the long-stay car park, took the keys with me hopped on the shuttle bus to South Terminal and flew off for a week's holiday.
Got back a week later, jumped in the car, headed to the exit barrier expecting it to rise and let me out as per usual, only to have a demand for £200-odd thrust in my face. Only after I called their assistance line did I find that "Summer Special" is an entirely separate car park, a couple of miles from the airport, with valet parking (not on your nelly) and I'd been clocking up the turn-up unbooked day rate in the long stay.
When I got home having shelled out the cost of the flight again for my mistake, I checked the small print - yes, "Summer Special" was a case of leaving the keys to your beloved vehicle with some promising footballer in the back end of Crawley. I did feel I was mis-sold, but there was nothing i could do.
Never again!
Left a bit of a foul taste in my mouth as thie was the first (and still only) time we'd left the country since the start of the pandemic.
lobster940 said:
Left a bit of a foul taste in my mouth as the was the first (and still only) time we'd left the country since the start of the pandemic.
Surely your own mistake #and what relevance is the last part of your sentence?Are you paranoid about leaving the country for some reason?
VTC said:
lobster940 said:
Left a bit of a foul taste in my mouth as the was the first (and still only) time we'd left the country since the start of the pandemic.
Surely your own mistake #and what relevance is the last part of your sentence?Are you paranoid about leaving the country for some reason?
lobster940 said:
I'm now paranoid about suspiciously-cheap "official" Gatwick Airport parking...last April I purchased a relatively well-priced product from the official Gatwick Airport Parking website which they advertised as their "Summer Special". I assumed this was a summer special offer to park in their long-stay, booked a few weeks in advance.
Turned up at LGW in the small hours of the morning, parked the car in the long-stay car park, took the keys with me hopped on the shuttle bus to South Terminal and flew off for a week's holiday.
Got back a week later, jumped in the car, headed to the exit barrier expecting it to rise and let me out as per usual, only to have a demand for £200-odd thrust in my face. Only after I called their assistance line did I find that "Summer Special" is an entirely separate car park, a couple of miles from the airport, with valet parking (not on your nelly) and I'd been clocking up the turn-up unbooked day rate in the long stay.
When I got home having shelled out the cost of the flight again for my mistake, I checked the small print - yes, "Summer Special" was a case of leaving the keys to your beloved vehicle with some promising footballer in the back end of Crawley. I did feel I was mis-sold, but there was nothing i could do.
Never again!
Left a bit of a foul taste in my mouth as thie was the first (and still only) time we'd left the country since the start of the pandemic.
Used the summer special last year and will use again this year - it’s on site - massive gated car park, ANPR security cameras, great staff and no issues at all. Turned up at LGW in the small hours of the morning, parked the car in the long-stay car park, took the keys with me hopped on the shuttle bus to South Terminal and flew off for a week's holiday.
Got back a week later, jumped in the car, headed to the exit barrier expecting it to rise and let me out as per usual, only to have a demand for £200-odd thrust in my face. Only after I called their assistance line did I find that "Summer Special" is an entirely separate car park, a couple of miles from the airport, with valet parking (not on your nelly) and I'd been clocking up the turn-up unbooked day rate in the long stay.
When I got home having shelled out the cost of the flight again for my mistake, I checked the small print - yes, "Summer Special" was a case of leaving the keys to your beloved vehicle with some promising footballer in the back end of Crawley. I did feel I was mis-sold, but there was nothing i could do.
Never again!
Left a bit of a foul taste in my mouth as thie was the first (and still only) time we'd left the country since the start of the pandemic.
Easiest airport parking I’ve used.
I found Mancs T3 cheap a couple of months ago - booked online (flying from T3) - £35 for five days. When I got there at 7am in the morning I spent an hour driving around trying to find a space to no joy in the same convoy of cars.
I drove back out, no one answering the barrier telephone, went to the meet and greet next door to speak to a person to be told not their problem go and find parking elsewhere. Everywhere apart from T1 short stay required ANPR pre-booking so eventually I abandoned the car in T1 Shortstay (£58 a day). Found one sullen airport staff who told me I should have parked in T3 like my booking.
Worrying I'd miss my flight I had to run and though how I'd explain to my project manager that my £35, cheaper than taxis each way, parking was going to turn into £300.
On return, 7pm, Valentines night, I'd got in my bag a box of chocolates from the suppliers I'd been to see. I thought I'd try the nice bribe approach at the T1 Meet and Greet and went in to explain how I'd ended up in a car park 10x more expensive than expected. After taking my chocolates I was told "ah that happens every time they do the special offer, they sell every single space and it only takes 2 - 3 late flights [the morning I flew out the airport was foggy and flights incoming were an hour or two late] and people whose cars are supposed to have gone are still parked there, just call on the telephone on the way out, we will recognise your car reg and you will only pay the original rate".
So 10/10 for honouring the price and not making a deal (unlike they were to the guy two servants down who was effing and blinding about having missed his time in the airport lounge and wanted his full costs back - he was getting charged the full short stay rate....) but 0/10 for a crap booking system.
Next four flights were all Liverpool and perfect and meet and greet parking for less than £12 / day!
I drove back out, no one answering the barrier telephone, went to the meet and greet next door to speak to a person to be told not their problem go and find parking elsewhere. Everywhere apart from T1 short stay required ANPR pre-booking so eventually I abandoned the car in T1 Shortstay (£58 a day). Found one sullen airport staff who told me I should have parked in T3 like my booking.
Worrying I'd miss my flight I had to run and though how I'd explain to my project manager that my £35, cheaper than taxis each way, parking was going to turn into £300.
On return, 7pm, Valentines night, I'd got in my bag a box of chocolates from the suppliers I'd been to see. I thought I'd try the nice bribe approach at the T1 Meet and Greet and went in to explain how I'd ended up in a car park 10x more expensive than expected. After taking my chocolates I was told "ah that happens every time they do the special offer, they sell every single space and it only takes 2 - 3 late flights [the morning I flew out the airport was foggy and flights incoming were an hour or two late] and people whose cars are supposed to have gone are still parked there, just call on the telephone on the way out, we will recognise your car reg and you will only pay the original rate".
So 10/10 for honouring the price and not making a deal (unlike they were to the guy two servants down who was effing and blinding about having missed his time in the airport lounge and wanted his full costs back - he was getting charged the full short stay rate....) but 0/10 for a crap booking system.
Next four flights were all Liverpool and perfect and meet and greet parking for less than £12 / day!
lobster940 said:
I'm now paranoid about suspiciously-cheap "official" Gatwick Airport parking...last April I purchased a relatively well-priced product from the official Gatwick Airport Parking website which they advertised as their "Summer Special". I assumed this was a summer special offer to park in their long-stay, booked a few weeks in advance.
Turned up at LGW in the small hours of the morning, parked the car in the long-stay car park, took the keys with me hopped on the shuttle bus to South Terminal and flew off for a week's holiday.
Got back a week later, jumped in the car, headed to the exit barrier expecting it to rise and let me out as per usual, only to have a demand for £200-odd thrust in my face. Only after I called their assistance line did I find that "Summer Special" is an entirely separate car park, a couple of miles from the airport, with valet parking (not on your nelly) and I'd been clocking up the turn-up unbooked day rate in the long stay.
When I got home having shelled out the cost of the flight again for my mistake, I checked the small print - yes, "Summer Special" was a case of leaving the keys to your beloved vehicle with some promising footballer in the back end of Crawley. I did feel I was mis-sold, but there was nothing i could do.
Never again!
Left a bit of a foul taste in my mouth as thie was the first (and still only) time we'd left the country since the start of the pandemic.
So you ignored the information that was on the booking confirmation about where to park.Turned up at LGW in the small hours of the morning, parked the car in the long-stay car park, took the keys with me hopped on the shuttle bus to South Terminal and flew off for a week's holiday.
Got back a week later, jumped in the car, headed to the exit barrier expecting it to rise and let me out as per usual, only to have a demand for £200-odd thrust in my face. Only after I called their assistance line did I find that "Summer Special" is an entirely separate car park, a couple of miles from the airport, with valet parking (not on your nelly) and I'd been clocking up the turn-up unbooked day rate in the long stay.
When I got home having shelled out the cost of the flight again for my mistake, I checked the small print - yes, "Summer Special" was a case of leaving the keys to your beloved vehicle with some promising footballer in the back end of Crawley. I did feel I was mis-sold, but there was nothing i could do.
Never again!
Left a bit of a foul taste in my mouth as thie was the first (and still only) time we'd left the country since the start of the pandemic.
Well that’s rather your fault isn’t it.
As for the official Gatwick valet parking, I used in December at the North terminal for a month and in January at the South terminal for six weeks, and on both occasions the total cost was £95.
At both locations it was drive into the short stay car park to a dedicated area where the car is automatically photographed from every angle before you hand over the keys to a member of staff.
As I was in the short stay car park it was then just a stroll into the terminal.
I could then see from the car’s tracker that it was taken later that day to an on-airport car park where it remained for the next month / six weeks, before being brought back to the short stay car park for my return.
Quite frankly it was a bargain, and cheaper than the train I had intended to use before the rail strikes made that unviable.
And as for the safety and security of the car - well frankly I was happier with it being in a remote secure on-airport car park where cars were left for months rather than being parked in the normal car park with people coming and going, and the potential for ‘door dings’ with no comeback.
Edited by PF62 on Wednesday 8th March 20:44
littleredrooster said:
VTC said:
lobster940 said:
Left a bit of a foul taste in my mouth as the was the first (and still only) time we'd left the country since the start of the pandemic.
Surely your own mistake #and what relevance is the last part of your sentence?Are you paranoid about leaving the country for some reason?
Buys parking & parks somewhere else, then looks for empathy.
Every time I have bought airport parking online there is a VERY well promulgated set of instructions (either on the website, or in an email) on where to go, how to get there & what to do when you do.
PF62 said:
So you ignored the information that was on the booking confirmation about where to park.
I've just double checked the booking confirmation. Nothing on there about where to park...PF62 said:
Well that’s rather your fault isn’t it.
I'm not disputing that I'm an idiot...I simply won't let anyone else* drive my car under any circumstances. My latent paranoia and mistrust of other humans rules it out.
Years ago when I had my first car, I drove it to a van hire shop. They offered to park my car for me. "Thank you so much", said I. A chap measuring about 4'6" hopped in.
I could never get the driver's seat back in the right position.
(^ The exception being my wife as I really have little choice. She tends to rag it at
leptons but at least she has some mechanical sympathy and is consistent with the seat positioning.)E-bmw said:
Well, it was a bit of a "schoolboy error" wasn't it?
Buys parking & parks somewhere else, then looks for empathy.
Every time I have bought airport parking online there is a VERY well promulgated set of instructions (either on the website, or in an email) on where to go, how to get there & what to do when you do.
I can only assume I have your empathy?Buys parking & parks somewhere else, then looks for empathy.
Every time I have bought airport parking online there is a VERY well promulgated set of instructions (either on the website, or in an email) on where to go, how to get there & what to do when you do.
Gatwick's instructions are limited/misleading and I had a bit of a moan about this at the chap while he laughed at me down the other end of the intercom.
I'm being more careful in future!
lobster940 said:
I'm now paranoid about suspiciously-cheap "official" Gatwick Airport parking...last April I purchased a relatively well-priced product from the official Gatwick Airport Parking website which they advertised as their "Summer Special". I assumed this was a summer special offer to park in their long-stay, booked a few weeks in advance.
Turned up at LGW in the small hours of the morning, parked the car in the long-stay car park, took the keys with me hopped on the shuttle bus to South Terminal and flew off for a week's holiday.
Got back a week later, jumped in the car, headed to the exit barrier expecting it to rise and let me out as per usual, only to have a demand for £200-odd thrust in my face. Only after I called their assistance line did I find that "Summer Special" is an entirely separate car park, a couple of miles from the airport, with valet parking (not on your nelly) and I'd been clocking up the turn-up unbooked day rate in the long stay.
When I got home having shelled out the cost of the flight again for my mistake, I checked the small print - yes, "Summer Special" was a case of leaving the keys to your beloved vehicle with some promising footballer in the back end of Crawley. I did feel I was mis-sold, but there was nothing i could do.
Never again!
Left a bit of a foul taste in my mouth as thie was the first (and still only) time we'd left the country since the start of the pandemic.
how is it Gatwicks fault you parked in the wrong place ? its not miles away either its 200m down the first exit of the roundabut outside the longstay? on top of that there are wacking great pink signs with summer specal and massive arrows on . Turned up at LGW in the small hours of the morning, parked the car in the long-stay car park, took the keys with me hopped on the shuttle bus to South Terminal and flew off for a week's holiday.
Got back a week later, jumped in the car, headed to the exit barrier expecting it to rise and let me out as per usual, only to have a demand for £200-odd thrust in my face. Only after I called their assistance line did I find that "Summer Special" is an entirely separate car park, a couple of miles from the airport, with valet parking (not on your nelly) and I'd been clocking up the turn-up unbooked day rate in the long stay.
When I got home having shelled out the cost of the flight again for my mistake, I checked the small print - yes, "Summer Special" was a case of leaving the keys to your beloved vehicle with some promising footballer in the back end of Crawley. I did feel I was mis-sold, but there was nothing i could do.
Never again!
Left a bit of a foul taste in my mouth as thie was the first (and still only) time we'd left the country since the start of the pandemic.
i used it for work last year a coulpe of times as it was cheaper than the longstay. gatwick is still the easist airport to use, and the parking us usally the same or cheaper than a taxi, for me.
I gave up using off-site parking at Gatwick years ago when my Seat Leon Cupra somehow managed to lose a quarter of a tank of fuel in a fortnight. 
The queueing for a long rural bus ride never appealed much either!
Since then I have used the onsite car parks that control access with an ANPR camera, let you park yourself and take your keys away with you and I've never had a problem with them.
The queueing for a long rural bus ride never appealed much either!
Since then I have used the onsite car parks that control access with an ANPR camera, let you park yourself and take your keys away with you and I've never had a problem with them.
Gassing Station | Speed, Plod & the Law | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff