24th July 2009 - by M. Felix
Car Parking Facilities at Heathrow
Car parking facilities at Heathrow airport are, as you might
expect, some of the best resourced anywhere, with a great deal
of choice on offer. With nearly 70 million passengers a year,
half a million aircraft serving 180 destinations and organised
over five separate terminals, Heathrow is a giant amongst
airports. The recent opening of Terminal 5 has only resulted in
one of the world s busiest airports becoming an even more
dynamic machine. As a result, car parking is not only an
absolute necessity, but with space increasingly a premium it
can be expensive unless you plan in advance.
Advance Booking
As with most airports, parking at Heathrow is much less
expensive when booked in advance. Typically, advanced booking
for car parking at Heathrow will net you savings of up to 70 ,
although it might be possible to lower the cost of advance
booked further by considering one of the several hotels at
Heathrow which provide free parking. Typical advance rates for
booking your car into a car park for 7 days costs from £60, and
a 14 day car park fee will be around £100.
However, if you shop around and book in advance you can often
find that you can book a night s stay at one of the airport
hotels for about £50, and this comes with 7, 14 and even up to
21 days free parking. Imagine being able to arrive the day
before your flight, enjoy a night s rest knowing you re already
at the airport, and having your car parked for free for up to
21 days, all for £50. This will require you to shop around,
book in advance and be able to either arrive one day early, or
stay one day later at the end of your holiday, but if you can
arrange this, it may well be the cheapest option.
Short Stay Parking
Short stay parking is available for all terminals, including
the new Terminal 5, and costs from £2.40 for up to 30 minutes
to £7.70 for up to 2 hours. Beyond this, it can become very
expensive to remain in the short stay car park, with costs of
£45.20 for periods up to 24 hours and for each 24 hour period
after that.
Long Stay Parking
The long stay car parking facilities at Heathrow are available
all year round at a price of £15.70 per day for any period up
to five days. For stays over five days, the rate is £15.10 per
day. There is a free coach transfer service from these car
parks to the terminals, with services to Terminals 1, 2, 3 and
5 running every 10 minutes, and every 12 minutes for Terminal
4. These long stay car parks include frequent patrols as well
as high security fencing and 24 hour monitored CCTV.
Other Heathrow Parking Options
There are two possible alternatives to these options available,
and this includes the business parking facilities and the valet
service. The business car parking service at Heathrow provides
long stay parking facilities with a transfer service which is
on demand, and with a running time of just 3 minutes compared
to the 10 15 minute service which normally runs from the long
stay car parks. If you re in a hurry, then this could be a fast
option.
The meet and greet or valet options are perhaps the most
luxurious and easiest way of arriving, with minimum fuss and
hassle and absolutely no need to try to remember where you left
your car. The valet service is available for those requiring
Terminals 1, 4 or 5 and can, if you wish, include a car
cleaning service while you re away.
Imagine arriving at the airport and meeting your valet service
representative at the designated place right outside the
terminal, and then handing over your keys as you stroll into
the terminal just a few feet away. The valet service will then
drive your car away for you, parking it in a highly secure
parking facility, leaving you nothing more to worry about than
making sure you have your passport and that you get on the
right plane.
At the end of the trip, you give the valet service a quick call
and they will drive your car right up to the terminal to meet
you, and hand the keys back over. Should you wish they can even
assist you in and out with your luggage. If you dislike the
hassle of parking and worrying about leaving your car or
finding it again, or have a lot of luggage, elderly or disabled
passengers, children or awkward items such as skis, then this
can prove to be a real advantage.
For valet parking, a single day costs £12.50, 7 days costs
£46.25 and 14 days costs £71.25. As far as car parking
facilities at Heathrow are concerned, and especially
considering the fact that space is now such a premium, these
prices really do represent excellent value for money, and are
certain to take a weight off your mind which is what many of
the 67.3 million passengers each year are looking to
achieve!
Source: http://articlesabroad.com
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