I always drive myself to the airport. That can be a bit of a hassle, but these days, I no longer worry about where I’m going to park when I fly out of Heathrow International Airport. Over the last few years, I’ve travelled frequently on business and I’ve gained enough experience of the parking companies at Heathrow to consider myself a bit of an expert.
Almost all of the places where you can pay for long-term parking at Heathrow have CCTV cameras and security patrols. You can arrange your parking with most of them beforehand on the internet and their check-in procedures are a breeze these days. When selecting which company you’ll go with, it’s best to think about how much time you have on the day of your flight and how much money you want to spend on parking.
If you don’t mind spending a little extra, valet parking is the way to go. MBV Valet Parking will meet you at the airport at an arranged time and park your car for you. You call them when you land and your car will be waiting for you outside the terminal. You can even get it cleaned while you’re away.
The quaintly named Pink Elephant Parking and Parking Express are both easy to find on the airport grounds. Pink Elephant is closer to the terminals and their frequent shuttle only takes a few minutes to reach terminals 1, 2 and 3, and between 5 and 10 minutes to Terminal 4. Parking Express takes 15 minutes to reach the main terminals and slightly longer to get to Terminal 4.
My two favourite places to park are the Q-Park and Airways Crawford. At both locations, you car is parked for you and they will have your car ready for pick up when you return. It’s nice just to pull up, drop off your keys and head to the terminal. Airways Crawford is good if you are coming into Heathrow from the M4, but it’s not particularly close to the airport. Q-Park is easy to find and nearby, and has shuttles that take only 7 minutes.
If you are flying out of Terminal 4, or if you’re coming from the south and want to avoid traffic on the M4, Park and Fly is a good place to park. They have a shuttle that runs between 05:00 and 23:00 (on demand after those hours) which takes only a few minutes to get to Terminal 4.
Purple Parking is a fairly standard parking company about 15 minutes from the main terminals and with shuttles on demand, which means you don’t have to stand around waiting, like some other places.
You can usually save a few minutes by making your parking arrangements beforehand online. I never like to spend more than 5 minutes thinking about it, and I find these are the best websites for getting the job done quickly. On average I travel out of this airport twice a month and have tried every single available option, some have been inconvenient and cheap others a breeze but a bit more dear.
These days, I always make my parking arrangements online beforehand. It's a great way to save yourself a little time on the day of your flight and you can sometimes get a deal that can save you a few pounds on what we all know is a rather pricey service.
Most of the Heathrow car parking agencies offer a fairly standard level of service. You'll find the same level of security and professionalism almost everywhere you go. Most of the places vary only in their price and location. I usually make my choice based on how much time I have and how much money I want to spend.
The best option when you have to drive to the airport is to indulge in valet parking. MBV Parking can send someone to meet you as you pull up at the airport. They park your car while you get on with your check-in and they have it ready for you the moment you return from your trip.
If you've never used parking at Heathrow airport before, I would suggest using Pink Elephant Parking or Parking Express. Both are located on-site at the airport complex and are easy to find by following their respective signs. Of the two, I prefer Pink Elephant as it's closer and it only takes a few minutes to reach the main terminals from there. Parking Express is slightly less expensive, but is about 15 minutes drive from the main terminals and slightly longer if you need to access Terminal 4.
When flying from Heathrow Airport I'm a big fan of parking at Q-Park. Not only is it close to the terminals (about 7 minutes away) and easy to find, but it has a great check-in procedure, second only to the valet parking. You pull up in front of reception and one of the staff parks your car while you do the paperwork and get on a shuttle. Airways Cranford offers similar service, but isn't as close. It is a good option though if you are coming off the M4.
For flights out of Terminal 4, the best place for airport parking is the Park and Fly. It's especially easy to get to if you are coming to Heathrow from the south or if there's traffic on the M4. They can have you at the terminal within minutes after check-in.
Finally, Purple Parking offers a fairly standard parking service and is about 15 minutes from the main terminals, with shuttles operating on demand.
I've tried out a couple of different methods, but I think these websites mentioned below offer the easiest and quickest way of making your parking arrangements at Heathrow. I travel about twice a month out of Heathrow and have tried some several times.
Both Andrew Burrows & Andy Burrows are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Andrew Burrows has sinced written about articles on various topics from Broadband, Insurance and Travel and Leisure. Travel writer and frequent flyer Andy Burrows Suggests online booking for Information on. Andrew Burrows's top article generates over 22200 views. to your Favourites.
Andy Burrows has sinced written about articles on various topics from Finances, Insurance and Travel and Leisure. Andy Burrows is travel writer and frequent flyer out of HeathrowSuggested online booking for Find. Andy Burrows's top article generates over 60500 views. to your Favourites.