British travellers are paying the highest airport parking charges in the world - more than New York, Singapore and Tokyo, according to a Guardian survey carried out this week.
A driver leaving his or her car at Heathrow for a week will pay more than twice as much as one checking in at JFK, and a third more than someone parking at Tokyo's Narita airport. Those parking at Gatwick pay more than people flying from Paris or Singapore, while drivers leaving their cars at Manchester, Stansted and Bristol pay more than people parking at JFK.
Last year BAA, which owns seven of the UK's largest airports, earned £142m from travellers leaving cars at its airports, contributing about a quarter of its group profits.
Heathrow topped the survey as the world's most expensive airport for parking. Those who turn up at its long-stay car park and leave their vehicle for a week pay £98. Even if they pre-book it costs £66.50, which is still higher than Tokyo and Singapore. Frankfurt was the next most expensive airport after Heathrow at £69.40, but people can park for two weeks for that price. Narita costs £61 a week, while Singapore's Changi airport costs £37.
Glasgow airport has the lowest parking charges of the UK airports surveyed. Drivers pay £34.30, but if they pre-book, that figure falls to £28.
BAA said it uses its income from parking to keep its airport charges low. "BAA offers a range of parking services to meet our customers' needs, either adding convenience [closer to the terminal] or more cost effective options [long stay]. Customers can save money by pre-booking on the internet."
