When planning a holiday, the exciting part is deciding where to go, where to stay and how to get there. Once you've chosen the destination, booked the accommodation and flights it's easy to neglect important aspects of the holiday which could end up costing you extra if you delay booking. One of these key areas is airport parking.

Manchester airport parking offers many options, such as on-site parking, off-site parking and then there's meet and greet, valet parking. It's easy to just say ‘I'll deal with it later'. But this decision to delay booking until nearer the departure date could end up costing you dearly. By booking early you are likely to have more parking options available to you and, because of the huge availability of parking bays early in the season, you may find your parking cheaper. As the holiday season approaches and airport parking bays are booked, the number of parking spaces available decreases and quite often the price increases.

It's no good waiting until just before your holiday to book thinking parking companies will offload parking bays cheaply just to fill them - it just isn't going to happen! So it really does make sense to book your Manchester parking early, and if nothing else, it's just one less thing to panic about nearer the day.

So where do you start when booking Manchester airport parking (http://www.manchesterairportflightarrivals.co.uk/manchester-airport-GET-parking-price-checker.php) when there are so many options available? At Manchester there is onsite parking in either short-term or long-term car parks, off-site parking and meet and greet parking.

On-site parking

Manchester on-site parking is available in the short-stay car parks roughly a 3-5 minute walk from the terminals. Short-stay parking is exactly that, short stay, designed for passenger drop-off and pick-up. An hourly-rate is usually charged for the first day of parking and daily rates thereafter. Short-stay parking is suitable for parking up to 5 hours, any longer and it is cheaper to pay a daily rate in a long-stay car park.

A word of warning: the daily rate in the short-term car park is significantly more expensive than long-stay charges. There have been cases where travellers have inadvertently parked in the short-stay car park and faced huge parking bills when they got back, sometimes more than the cost of their flights!

Cheaper daily rates can be obtained by booking short-stay parking in advance - this is still significantly more expensive than off-site, long-stay parking but you may feel it's worth it for the convenience.

On-site, long-term parking is for travellers who require parking for an extended break. Car parking fees here are cheaper than the short-stay, but generally more expensive than the off-site car parks. Car parking is charged on a daily rate so if you are just picking up or dropping off a passenger, and will only be at the airport for a couple of hours, it is advisable to use the short-stay car park where you will be charged by the hour and not the day.

Off-site parking

Off-site parking is organised at off-airport sites, transfer times from Manchester's off-site parking sites vary from 5 minutes to approximately 15 minutes, and all off-site car parks offer shuttle buses to and from the airport. To park at an off-site car park, you drive to the off-site car park, leave your car, and catch a shuttle bus to the airport terminal. On your return catch a shuttle bus back to your off-site car park.

If you have large sporting equipment such as a bike, ski equipment, surf or windsurfing board, it is worth checking in advance with your off-site parking operator to ensure they can accommodate your sports equipment on their shuttle bus. Likewise, if you have a large vehicle or trailer check that the car park can accommodate your vehicle - many sites cannot accommodate oversize vehicles and those that can impose an excess charge.

Parking fees are generally lower for off-site parking spaces, but some specify a minimum duration for parking, so it's worth checking prior to booking.

Meet and Greet parking

Finally, there is meet and greet parking which is available at all Manchester's terminals. Manchester meet and greet parking, or valet parking as it is sometimes known, is parking where you are not required to park your car, you simply drive right up to the airport terminal where a meet and greet driver is waiting to meet you and take your car to the meet and greet car park. Once your baggage has been unloaded from your car you are free to walk straight into the airport terminal. This is an ultra-convenient type of parking and particularly suitable for travellers with children, travellers with limited mobility, business travellers short on time, or travellers on activity holidays with heavy or over-sized sports equipment.

On return from your flight, travellers are requested to call the meet and greet operator from baggage reclaim so when they exit the terminal their car will be there waiting for them, warmed up and ready to go!

Car valeting and cleaning is often available with the meet and greet option, so if you fancy coming home to a clean car check the services available with your operator.

With all the above options it really is down to you to decide which to choose, but whatever you do decide it really is better to book your parking when you book your holiday with a Manchester airport parking price comparison (http://www.manchesterairportflightarrivals.co.uk/manchester-airport-GET-parking-price-checker.php) site to obtain the best possible price. If you are booking off-site parking, make sure you have the directions to it and a contact number when setting out to avoid wasting valuable time driving around when you should be checking in. If parking on-site, remember where and on which level you parked your car to avoid hassle, and embarrassment, when you return.


Paula Garrett is a frequent traveller and a contributor to Manchester airport Information. For more details on Manchester airport parking and Manchester meet and greet check out the Manchester airport price checker.