Where to park?

Parking at Gatwick airport in London, England can be a difficult task to accomplish.  Gatwick airport is very busy.   According to the official Gatwick airport website (www.gatwickairport.com): Gatwick is the busiest single runway airport in the world, the second largest airport in the UK and the seventh busiest international airport in the world. Around 90 airlines operate from Gatwick's two terminals, serving around 200 destinations. If you're planning to park at Gatwick, knowledge of the airport and planning ahead can save you a lot of time, trouble, and money.

Knowing Gatwick is comprised of two terminals: the North Terminal and the South Terminal, will help you in deciding where to part.  Each terminal has a short-stay and a long-stay parking facility.  Likewise, you can book your parking in advance and save money.

For parking stays of five hours or less and for picking up or dropping off passengers, you'll find the short-stay parking the most appropriate.  According to British Airport Authority (BAA), which owns Gatwick airport, the short-stay parking is a 2 to 5 minute undercover walk from the airport entrance.  The short-stay lots are well-lit, security-patrolled 24-hours a day, offer additional services such as a free jump-start service and fee-based hand car wash, and have a 6 ft. 6 in. height restriction on vehicles (no trailers allowed).

For an additional charge, you can use the Valet Parking service.   The Valet Parking service provides the easiest and fastest Gatwick parking.  You drive up to a designated drop-off location in either the North or South terminal (departure side) at the appointed time and give your car keys and booking reference number to the staff members.  They will park your car for you as you immediately go to your departure flight.

For longer stays, the long-stay lot is appropriate.  According to BAA, the shuttle-buss from the long-stay lot to the airport runs every 7 to 10 minutes with about a 7-minute travel time.  The minimum stay for pre-booking is two days.  This lot has no height restrictions, but you can't bring a trailer into the long-stay lot.   BAA staffs the lot 24x7 with frequent security patrols.

Parking in the long-stay lot is less expensive than parking in the short-stay lot.   If you pre-book parking, you can save even more money.  You can call or go online to pre-book your parking.