A late flight, a slow shuttle bus and a midnight return can turn a bargain airport parking deal into an unwelcome extra day's charge. Travel expert Ricky Durrance has shared a few simple checks to make before you book, as reported by Yahoo, and the core message is straightforward: understand how your car park charges, plan around more than your flight times, and add only a sensible buffer.
This guide turns that advice into a short routine you can run through in a few minutes. It matters most when families are heading out for October half-term and trying to keep holiday costs down, but the logic holds any time of year.
A note on scope: the reporting gives us the principles, not a price list or a named car park comparison. So you won't find figures here. What you will find is a way to avoid the timing mistakes that cost people money.
Step 1: Find out how your car park actually charges
This is the check that matters most. Car parks don't all count time the same way, and the difference can change your final bill. The source frames the key question as understanding how your chosen car park charges before you commit.
The angle to look for is the difference between calendar-day and 24-hour parking:
- Calendar-day charging counts each date you're on site. Arrive late on one date and leave just after midnight on another, and you may be billed for an extra day even though you were parked for a short stretch.
- 24-hour charging counts in blocks of time from when you enter. A few hours over a block can tip you into another day.
Both systems punish sloppy timing, just in different ways. Read the terms on the booking page, and if they're unclear, ask the operator before paying.
Step 2: Plan beyond your flight times
Your flight time is not your parking time. Your car park clock starts when you enter and stops when you leave, and a lot happens on either side of the flight.
On the way out, think about:
- When you need to arrive at the airport for check-in and security
- How long it takes to park and reach the terminal, including any shuttle bus
On the way back, think about:
- Landing time, which can slip if there are delays
- Passport control and baggage reclaim
- The shuttle bus back to the car park
- The drive to the exit barrier
Add these up and your real exit time can be well after your scheduled landing. That gap is where extra charges hide.
Step 3: Calculate your real exit time
Work backwards from the worst sensible case rather than the best one. A simple routine:
- Write down your scheduled landing time.
- Add time for passport control and collecting luggage.
- Add the shuttle transfer to the car park, if there is one.
- Add the time to reach your car and get through the exit.
- Compare the result with your car park's charging cut-off, whether that's midnight or the end of a 24-hour block.
If your estimate lands close to the cut-off, that's the moment to act. Check whether a slightly different booking window avoids the extra day.
Step 4: Watch the midnight return
A late-evening arrival home is the classic trap. If your car park charges by calendar day, landing at 11pm can easily mean leaving after midnight once you've factored in baggage and the shuttle. One short delay and you've crossed into a new day.
If your flight lands close to midnight, assume you'll cross the line and book accordingly, rather than hoping everything runs smoothly. Paying for the extra day you know you need is better than being surprised at the barrier.
Step 5: Add a sensible buffer, not a huge one
The advice here is balanced: add a buffer, but keep it sensible. Delays happen, and shuttle transfers can take longer than expected, so building in some slack is wise. But booking far more time than you need just means paying for hours you won't use.
A practical way to judge it:
- Use your worst-case exit time from Step 3 as your baseline.
- Add a modest cushion for a delayed flight or a slow transfer.
- Stop there. Don't pad for every imaginable disaster.
With travel delays still a concern, the aim is to cover realistic hiccups without overpaying for the unlikely ones.
A quick pre-booking checklist
Before you enter your card details, run through these questions:
- Does this car park charge by calendar day or by 24-hour period?
- What time will I realistically enter, including time to reach the terminal?
- What's my realistic exit time, including baggage, shuttle and barrier?
- Is my return close to midnight or a charging cut-off?
- Have I added a modest buffer for delays, and no more?
If you can answer all five, you've done what Durrance's advice boils down to: know how you're being charged and plan for the whole journey, not just the flight.
The takeaway
Before you book, take five minutes to map your real entry and exit times against your car park's charging rules. That small bit of arithmetic is the cheapest saving you'll make all trip, and it leaves more of your budget for the part of travel worth paying for: the meals when you get there.
