Jet2, Ryanair, Easyjet, TUI and other passengers face £257 bill before departure

Passengers flying with Jet2, Ryanair, Easyjet, TUI and others could be hit with a hefty £257 charge before they even reach the departure lounge, as the UK's priciest airport parking fees come to light. Travellers have been alerted to soaring airport parking charges, which in some instances have surged by a staggering 260 per cent - and some pre-departures cost as much as a getaway itself.

A study by Spin Casino, examining data from 300 of the globe's busiest airports, has highlighted that those using Gatwick Airport in London are shelling out a whopping 34.75 percent of their average weekly wage for a single week of parking, amounting to £257. This eye-watering sum eclipses the price of flights to several European hotspots, such as Barcelona at £136, Tenerife at £154, and Rome for just £78.

Gatwick's steep parking fees are closely followed by its city counterpart, London City Airport. The list of the top ten most expensive airport car parks includes Gatwick Airport at £257, London City Airport at £171, Belfast City Airport at £170, Bristol Airport at £149, Heathrow Airport at £123.70, Luton Airport at £121.99, Birmingham Airport at £119.99, Leeds Bradford Airport at £112, and rounding off with Stansted and Manchester at £111 and £92 respectively.

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Commenting on the findings, a spokesperson from Spin Casino remarked: "If you're planning to travel by plane, the expenses can quickly add up, and with reports that parking is becoming more expensive than the flights themselves in some cases, it's natural that the cost of parking might influence where you decide to fly from, or whether you decide to park at the airport rather than using public transport methods," reports Birmingham Live.

"Our research looked at the cost of airport parking at some of the most popular airports, in a wide variety of countries around the world. We took into account the average weekly salary in each country, to determine how affordable the parking will be for residents, proportional to their earnings. We used this to calculate an affordability score for each airport, to make the cost of parking at these airports comparable between countries with varying average incomes.

"Princess Juliana International Airport, which is located on the Caribbean island St Martin, is 2024's most expensive airport for parking worldwide, but in the UK, Gatwick Airport took the top spot, followed by London City, Belfast City, and Bristol. In the research, we looked at parking options within a ten minute walking distance of the airport, which are uncommon at Gatwick, with most of the options requiring a shuttle bus transfer. This may explain why the costs were higher."

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