Short & Long Stay Parking

The ‘ins’ & outs of short stay parking at Gatwick Airport

Short term parking for private cars, without special requirements is well catered for at both terminals BUT you need to know how long and wide your car is as you move about the North Terminal car park! It’s a bit tricky. Parking fees are VERY high. The first 30 minutes costs over £2 and 1 minute over puts you straight into the 1 hour rate and so on. Over and hour and the rate rockets up.

Parking 4x4’s Mini-busses and larger people carriers.

With the increasing use of 4x4's, larger people (that's larger vehicles, not larger people) carriers and minibuses parking is often a worry. Both North & South terminal have 'high sided' vehicle parking facilities to cover this eventuality. They are not covered and both require a walk.

Parking at London Gatwick Airport (LGW) North Terminal

After leaving the roundabout for North Terminal stay in the right hand lane and follow the signs to ‘short term parking’. There is a tendency for drivers to park as near the bottom of the car-park as possible due to the difficulty of getting around and ease of getting into the terminal building, this leaves more space near the top for the smaller car drivers, or even drivers of smaller cars!

High Sided Vehicle Parking at North Terminal

High sided vehicles are also catered for at north terminal BUT is is a real bugger to get into. High sided parking is at ground level so don't go up any ramps. Follow the signs to the car park but go straight past the entrances. At the end of the building there is another car park, for high sided vehicles only. It’s a bit awkward to get into and is often used by inconsiderate small car drivers. The authorities are getting a bit uppity about this so please, small car drivers, stay out of here as there is nowhere else for bigger vehicles to park.

Parking at Gatwick Airport South Terminal

Parking at south terminal is just as easy as at north. Keep to the right hand lane and follow the signs to ‘short term’ parking. Take your ticket at the barrier. After passing through the barrier you will see the entrances to the multi-storey car parks on the left. Car parks 1 & 2 are best for 'Departures'. Car park 3 is best for 'Arrivals'. It is my experience that people seldom like to walk so they spend a lot of time driving around the level where the main entrance to the airport is looking for a space. I always go up at least one floor extra where there is often more space, two levels extra is no big deal as all floors are served by lifts. Within the car park the car park number, level & row is written on a big sign on every pillar. Make a note so you can find your vehicle easily.

High sided vehicle parking at South terminal

High sided vehicles have their own parking area just past the three main car parks. It is in the open, so take a brolly if it looks like rain.

Long stay parking at Gatwick airport

There are lots of off-airport parking facilities in the Gatwick area. Some are quite close to the airport and some less so. Some are easy to get to and others more challenging. All the main operators offer a coach/mini-bus transfer to the required terminal building and a collection from a designated pickup point when you return. Generally the return pickup point is the same as the drop off point, so remember where it is. We use BCP which is easy to get to and offers both a ‘park and ride’ and ‘meet and greet’ service.

‘Meet & Greet’ off- airport parking services at Gatwick Airport

You will, no doubt, have heard or read the horror stories of cars being parked in the streets around the airport instead of in the promised ‘secure’ compounds. Rest assured, these stories are true!!!

There are some good companies offering ‘meet & greet’ services, there are some less good and some right cowboys! Please be careful, for your own sake. We use BCP, without problems.

Coach Parking

Coach parking is available at South terminal - reached by keeping to the near side lane when leaving the motorway spur road. Parking is sign posted (on the left). There is often a mobile snack bar, in the car park, for coach drivers. If you are parked in a coach then you will need support staff in the airport terminal to handle your passengers. You need to register with the coach park staff and advise them of your flight number and e.t.a. They will send you down to the terminal at the correct time.

Titan Private Hire

Of course you can avoid all the problems, stresses and strains of driving to the airport, parking, collecting your car upon your return then driving home when you are tired, by contacting Titan Private Hire. Let them drive you to the airport and home again upon your return.