Whether it’s taxi transfers or luxurious lounges, business travel costs can rack up fast.
FairFX has released a study ranking the airports likely to produce the biggest and smallest expense forms, from Dubai with the priciest executive lounge to Amsterdam with the costliest premium parking.
The study compared the price of various common expenses at 25 airports in the UK and overseas.
The cheapest lounge was in Tokyo, where access to the Narita Travel lounge is £8.74.
Beijing was the best value overall, based on a basic lunch for one, mid-range dinner for two, taxis to and from the airport and a mid-range hotel for under £200, while London’s Stansted was three times as much – the most expensive in the ranking.
See the full list here:
Top 10 most expensive airport executive lounges
| Rank | Airport | Name of lounge | Cost for 1 adult |
| 1 | Dubai | Emirates lounge (non member access) | £199.60 |
| 2 | London City | First Class Club | £95.00 |
| 3 | London Heathrow T2 | Plaza premium | £40.00 |
| 4 | London Heathrow T5 | Club Aspire | £34.99 |
| 5 | Frankfurt | Sky Lounge | £34.07 |
| 6 | London Gatwick – South | No 1 Lounge | £32.00 |
| 7 | Paris | AirFrance lounge (non member access) | £30.57 |
| 8 | Toronto | Plaza Premium | £30.42 |
| 9 | Atlanta | The Club at ATL | £30.42 |
| 10
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London Heathrow T4 | Plaza Premium | £30.00 |
Top 10 cheapest airport executive lounges
| Rank | Airport | Name of lounge | Cost for 1 adult |
| 1 | Tokyo | Narita Travel lounge | £8.74 |
| 2 | London Gatwick – North | My lounge North | £20.00 |
| 3 | Glasgow | Upper deck | £22.00 |
| 4 | Amsterdam | Aspire lounge | £23.58 |
| 5 | London Heathrow T3 | Club Aspire | £24.99 |
| 6 | Birmingham | Aspire lounge | £24.99 |
| 7 | London Stansted | Escape lounge | £25.00 |
| 8 | Bristol | Aspire lounge | £25.99 |
| 9 | Edinburgh | No 1 lounge | £26.00 |
| 10 | Barcelona | Sala VIP Canudas | £26.21 |
Cost of one week of premium parking (defined as the best/most convenient on offer)
| Rank | Airport | Cost of executive/premium parking for one week |
| 1 | Amsterdam | £290.44 |
| 2 | Singapore | £223.90 |
| 3 | Paris | £166.84 |
| 4 | Dubai | £150.11 |
| 5 | Toronto | £145.36 |
| 6 | Frankfurt | £139.76 |
| 7 | Bristol | £126.99 |
| 8 | Atlanta | £108.73 |
| 9 | London Luton | £104.99 |
| 10 | London City | £95.00 |
| 11 | London Heathrow T4 | £94.60 |
| 12 | London Heathrow T5 | £92.80 |
| 13 | London Heathrow T2 | £87.60 |
| 14 | London Heathrow T3 | £87.60 |
| 15 | Manchester | £80.99 |
| 16 | Birmingham | £79.99 |
| 17 | London Stansted | £79.00 |
| 18 | Glasgow | £75.64 |
| 19 | London Gatwick – North | £73.00 |
| 20 | Tokyo | £72.71 |
| 21 | London Gatwick – South | £67.00 |
| 22 | Edinburgh | £61.99 |
| 23 | Beijing | £61.56 |
| 24 | Belfast International | £53.99 |
| 25 | Barcelona | £51.54 |
Expenses: lunch, taxi, dinner and hotel costs
| Rank | Airport/ Destination | Basic lunch for one in the business district | Taxi costs – airport to city (one way) | 3 course meal for two in a mid-range restaurant | One night in a double room, mid-range hotel | Total (including exec lounge and parking) |
| 1 | London Stansted – London | £11.00 | £293.29 | £50.00 | £150.00 | £608.29 |
| 2 | Amsterdam | £12.23 | £53.28 | £56.78 | £131.03 | £567.35 |
| 3 | London Gatwick – South – London | £11.00 | £210.53 | £50.00 | £150.00 | £520.53 |
| 4 | London Gatwick – North – London | £11.00 | £210.53 | £50.00 | £150.00 | £514.53 |
| 5 | Dubai | £11.39 | £6.98 | £24.85 | £113.88 | £506.80 |
| 6 | London Heathrow T5 – London | £11.00 | £138.21 | £50.00 | £150.00 | £477.00 |
| 7 | London Heathrow T2 – London | £11.00 | £138.21 | £50.00 | £150.00 | £476.81 |
| 8 | London Heathrow T4 – London | £11.00 | £138.21 | £50.00 | £150.00 | £473.81 |
| 9 | London City – London | £11.00 | £67.38 | £50.00 | £150.00 | £468.38 |
| 10 | Paris | £13.10 | £41.84 | £48.92 | £165.97 | £467.24 |
| 11 | London Luton – London | £11.00 | £120.42 | £50.00 | £150.00 | £462.90 |
| 12 | London Heathrow T3 – London | £11.00 | £138.21 | £50.00 | £150.00 | £461.80 |
| 13 | Singapore | £6.66 | £8.66 | £27.76 | £124.94 | £420.93 |
| 14 | Toronto | £9.88 | £35.99 | £46.52 | £98.85 | £367.01 |
| 15 | Bristol | £9.00 | £29.87 | £50.00 | £100.00 | £341.85 |
| 16 | Frankfurt | £10.48 | £26.66 | £43.68 | £78.62 | £333.26 |
| 17 | Atlanta | £10.65 | £24.72 | £38.02 | £95.05 | £307.58 |
| 18 | Birmingham | £11.00 | £36.62 | £50.00 | £97.00 | £299.60 |
| 19 | Manchester | £9.00 | £24.76 | £55.00 | £97.00 | £294.75 |
| 20 | Tokyo | £7.73 | £61.15 | £33.60 | £94.08 | £278.01 |
| 21 | Glasgow | £10.00 | £36.60 | £45.00 | £85.00 | £274.24 |
| 22 | Edinburgh | £11.00 | £21.72 | £50.00 | £90.00 | £260.71 |
| 23 | Barcelona | £9.61 | £17.98 | £34.94 | £96.09 | £236.36 |
| 24 | Belfast International | £7.86 | £21.44 | £37.12 | £80.36 | £228.28 |
| 25 | Beijing | £6.05 | £9.01 | £21.99 | £41.77 | £170.03 |
Ian Strafford-Taylor, CEO at FairFX, said: “Employee expenses can be a costly business for any size company, but for small and medium sized businesses in particular, it can be an even more hard-hitting impact on your bottom line.
“It’s scary to see just how easily expenses can pile up depending on which destination you’re in, and how wildly they vary from place to place. While you might not have much choice over the destinations where you do business, it’s worth considering your departure airport if you want more control over what’s being spent.
“Paying to access an executive lounge so employees can access a calmer working environment before their flight could be a good investment if it means they can squeeze in some extra work, but some of the premium no-hassle airport parking prices might make travellers think twice about the need for priority or premium services.”
