[Anonymous]

[NTarrant]

If you prebook your car parking at Gatwick Airport operated sites and wish to pay by credit card they have now added a fee of £1.50. Pay at the exit does not incurr a charge but is more expensive than pre-booking of course.

Why do these companies do this? It should be costed in at source not added. Okay so some won’t use a credit card, why don’t they give a discount. Turn the negative into a positve.

[MartynSinclair]

The whole issue of parking at Heathrow is interesting from a cost / time perspective. Whilst I agree and recognize Nigel’s gripe about credit card charges, all companpies are trying to increase profit, by any way thats legal.

My own way of reducing my parking charges at Heathrow is to look at the timings from airport perimeter to check in. There are many considerations, such as:

*number of bags being carried

*starting point

*length of trip

*timings

*number of passengers

*travelling or acting as “driver” for friend / colleague

The car parks within the central areas are naturally the most expensive. These I use for dropping off (if I need to make sure the mother in law actually goes!) or collecting, where help with luggage is needed.

For day trips, where I would normally use and accept the high charges for the inner car parks, I now use one of the business car parks on the outer ring road. Besides the cheaper cost, from a timing perspective, once you know the system (i.e. which car parks have the most frequent buses), you will find that the length of time from leaving the motorway to getting to ‘check in’ is virtually the same whether you park in the central area or one of the business parks.

Public transport – depending on where you live, it is still possible to find a side street near within 10 stops of Heathrow on the Piccadilly line, park up for the day (free or a couple of quid) and tube it in. Again, from a time perspective this needs to be worked out but the point is that it is still possible, key is to do your research, where the tube stations are and where to park.

Regarding car security, that’s why you have car insurance.

Longer term parking with bags – here is the challenge. If money is no object, just park in the central area. However, for most people, money is an object. The key for me is to understand where the transfer buses stop and how many stops they make before your destination.

• There are still local roads around the airport with free parking (check your car insurance policy that this is OK). Walk into a local hotel (if you can cope with your bags) and take the shuttle bus

• Phone a hotel, there are still deals to be had. Long term parking is possible at a hotel for as little as £5 per day, but you need to phone round

• Tube/Express is still a viable option. It may take a little longer, but if it saves sufficient money only you can judge whether it is worth the extra journey time – both ways

• I have been told, but not yet had this verified that there are a growing number of locals who allow parking on driveways. If this is the case, certainly check with insurance company first.

So going back to Nigel’s gripe about paying an additional fee, there are ways to park at Heathrow, without having to incur a booking / credit card charge, the consideration for each passenger is the time vrs cost angle and whether it is worth it.

I may be a southerner but Heathrow is one of hte most expensive car parks in the UK, besides Mayfair / Chelsea in London. Its all about how much you value your time and the additional hassle factor. I have in the past been aboe to leave my car at Heathow for the cost of an airport shuttle for up to 3 weeks, quite legally and withy no worries. The Ferrari was naturally kept in the garage at home!!!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

[NTarrant]

Thanks for your most comprehensive comments Martyn. Just to point out that I don’t have an issue at Heathrow as BAA don’t make any charges for credit cards. It is only Gatwick I am refering to.

[Binman62]

Which has taken up this iussue with the office of fair trading. The costs actually incurred are pennies compared tothe fees being charged and airlines are some of the worst offenders. BA included.
The transaction fess are a costs of doing business and should/must be included in the headline price they should not be an extra. Not usuing a credit cartd is not really and option in the 21st century and in any event the costs of debit cards is not significantly lower.

As for parking generally. I have found the valet parking at T5 works well and at price not much more that T5 long stay. My experience over Easter was very postive again over Easter.

[DisgustedofSwieqi]

“Why do these companies do this?”

Because they can.

Hopefully, not for too much longer.

As to giving a discount, that would make the headline price look higher and I know from colleagues in the travel industry that the market is highly price sensitive.

What it needs is a bit of intervention from the regulators to force card processing fees that reflect reality.

I note that easyJet has just put their charge up to over GBP12 – just to process a card transaction – that is ludicrous.

[NTarrant]

It is not going to make that much of a difference to the headline price. A case in point would be the prices quoted in brochures for cruises which when checking with the agent the price is discounted, so that argument does not stack up.

Back in the early 1980’s it was common to be charged a fee for using a Barclaycard or Access card at petrol stations, 20p I recall. But that was made illegal but somehow it changed in the last ten years. Lets hope it is again.

I know from our retail business that debit cards are charged at 20p per transaction and credit cards at 1.65%, it is unlikely given the volume of business from an airline that charges would be much different.

As you say Disgusted, they do it because they can, but that is not an answer.

[DisgustedofSwieqi]

NT

I guess it depends on the business, but I have seen the graphs that a friend produces showing the effect of pricing elasticity in his care hire franchise, here in Malta.

Believe it or not, a 1€ increase per day causes a significant downturn in bookings.

You are right that legislation made it illegal to charge different prices, but then that was changed to allow a ‘reasonable’ price to be charged to recover costs, like £12.50 by easyJet!

[Merlin1]

Possibly the BAA commercial directors idea…since he originates from a low cost airline background

[Author]

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