Parking at Luton Airport over Christmas costs more than a return flight to Norway

Parking comparison site, Airport Parking Shop, recently reviewed the cost to park at 13 UK airports over the festive season and found that a return flight to Norway is cheaper than parking at Luton for one week from Boxing Day, which costs £121.99 - a return flight from Luton to Norway costs £39.98.

According to Airport Parking Shop, Luton Airport’s short stay car park is the most expensive airport for a week from either Christmas Day, Boxing Day or December 27, charging £121.99.

The site looked at the cost of one week’s parking in official onsite airport car parks, checking prices for both long and short stay parking, from 21st December to 31st December.

It also says that the average price for one week from 21st - 31st December Luton Short Stay is £111.81.

Airport Parking Shop then compared these prices to the post-Christmas dates of the 7th and 14th January and found that 10 out of 13 airports (77%) are hiking up their prices to take advantage of the Christmas travel rush.

Parking prices at Luton’s short stay car park in December also come in at 30% more expensive than for the same amount of time in January (7/1 and 14/1), when prices are at £85.99.

London Luton Airport says the cost of parking depends on when you book, the earlier you book the cheaper it will be.

A spokesman for London Luton Airport said: “Similar to the cost of train and flight tickets, the pricing of airport car parking varies according to demand, availability and time of booking.

“We always advise passengers to book as far in advance as possible to secure the best price.

“This comparison also fails to mention the cheaper alternative products available during this period.”

Alice Fowler, product manager at Airport Parking Shop, said: “The majority of the UK airports we looked at hiked up their parking prices to take advantage of the Christmas 2019 travel rush, with Luton Airport charging the most at £121.99 and Leeds Bradford Airport coming in the cheapest at £45.

“If you’re travelling over the next 10 days and haven’t booked your parking, we would advise that you quickly start shopping around and stick to long stay car parks as they tend to work out cheaper.

“Consumers also need to watch out for the Christmas Airport Parking Levy’ – particularly on Boxing Day when it might work out cheaper to look at some carparks that are offsite.

“Shopping around using a price comparison site, like Airport Parking Shop, will also help you to make an informed decision while saving you time visiting different sites.

“Consumers can also make savings by using a comparison site – Airport Parking Shop customers save up to 60% on airport gate prices.