London Heathrow Airport offers a variety of parking options that are suited to the individual needs of passengers departing from Heathrow. There are also parking facilities when either picking someone up or dropping them off at the airport. All the different parking options presented below are available at each of the five terminals. Before heading to the airport, make sure you are aware of the terminal that handles the flight of interest.
Dropping off a Passenger
It is possible to drive to the front of a terminal, the airport forecourts, to drop someone off at the airport. When arriving at the airport follow the road signs for departure. This option should only be used when dropping someone off as it is forbidden to park a car in these lanes. When picking up a passenger it is advisable to park your car in Short Stay Parking.
Short Stay Parking
Each terminal at Heathrow Airport offers Short Stay car parks which are situated in front of the respective terminal building, with the exception of Terminal 2 where the car park is adjacent to the terminal. Terminal 1 offers an additional car park, 1A, which like Terminal 2’s is also adjacent to the terminal building. The airport provides security for the car parks and they are monitored by a camera system. Prices for parking start at £2.40 for the first 30 minutes up to £17.10 for five hours. While it is possible to park for more than 48 hours at Short Stay parking, it is advisable that if you expect to park at Heathrow Airport for more than five hours it will be cheaper to park at Long Stay Parking.
Long Stay Parking
When leaving from Heathrow Airport on a holiday or long trip it is advisable to park your car at one of the five Long Stay car parks. Terminals 1 to 3 share the same Long Stay car park while Terminals 4 and 5 each have their individual Long Stay car park. As with Short Stay Parking, these car parks are secured by the airport with regular patrols and the presence of a camera system. Each Long Stay car park is provided with a coach service that transports you from the car park to the terminal. These shuttle services are frequent but travel and waiting times will vary per car park. The time required from parking your car to getting to the terminal should not exceed thirty minutes. Do take this transfer time into account when departing from Heathrow.
Business Parking
Heathrow Business Parking is similar to Long Stay parking but with the added benefit of car parks being situated closer to the terminal buildings. This provides the user of the business car park with a quicker service to and from the terminal. The transfer service is offered at a higher frequency, thereby lowering waiting and transfer times. This extra service does entail that parking prices will be higher than for Long Stay parking.
Valet Parking
Valet Parking is available at each of the five terminals of Heathrow Airport. While it is possible to pre-book Valet Parking it is no problem to show up on the day of departure. Take into account that the reception areas are open from 05:30 to 22:00. Valet Parking is located at the forecourts of the terminal buildings. While the car is parked it is also possible to have the vehicle cleaned on both the inside and outside. For passengers flying with British Airways, there is also a dedicated valet service provided by the airline at the terminals from which it flies.
Off Airport Parking
All of the options presented above are offered by Heathrow Airport. There are also several other companies that offer car parking around Heathrow Airport. Often these companies can offer sharper rates and additional service. The drawback is that car parks may not be situated as close to the airport and transfer times may be longer. If you are not in a hurry it may be worthwhile to do some ‘shopping’ into the options available.