Bristol Airport has hiked up the cost of parking a car there by almost 30 per cent in the run-up to Christmas - the third highest Christmas increase among airports in the country.
Researchers from parking reservation service Your Parking Space looked into the cost of parking at airports for a week between December 23 and December 30 - and then compared it to the same length of time in the middle of January.
And they found that while many airports didn’t increase the price at all, the three biggest increases were Luton Airport, Heathrow and Bristol Airport.
Read next: Why do Bristol Airport car parking charges change so regularly?
The cost of parking at Bristol Airport varies depending on the time of day, which day of the week, how far in advance a space is booked and the time of year - with prices going up when demand is higher and the airport is busier.
And with the Christmas getaway, the prices have gone up again. Your Parking Space’s research showed that the cost of a week’s parking at the airport’s own car park between December 23 and December 30 was £150.99, while the seven days between January 13 and 20 was £116.99. That’s an increase for the Christmas week of 29 per cent, and is the third highest increase in the country. London Luton Airport has more than doubled its parking charges from £56.99 in January to £129.99 in December, while the charges at Heathrow are 48 per cent higher over Christmas than in January.
Most airports have increased their charges, the research has shown, but generally by only around ten per cent. Around half a dozen airports, including Cardiff and London City have not increased their car parking charges for the Christmas week at all.
Harrison Woods, the CEO at Your Parking Space said people should be prepared to pay more if they want to park at the airport. “Anyone travelling over the Christmas season will be stunned by some of these sky-high increases in car parking fees - where some airports are increasing costs to cash in on the busy winter travel period. If you are travelling over Christmas, head to Your Parking Space website to find off-site convenient and affordable parking for your journey.”
In August, Bristol Airport explained why their parking charges vary so much depending on demand - and encouraged people to look for alternatives to getting to the airport, like the Airport Flyer bus services.
A spokesperson for Bristol Airport said, "We have a choice and a variety of car parking options for customers and booking online with us direct guarantees the best price. Prices are determined automatically based on demand so the best prices are obtained the earlier you can book. Bristol Airport has a free one-hour car park for pickups and drop offs, with courtesy buses to the terminal.
"Alternatively, there are many direct bus and coach services linking the airport with the city, south west, and south Wales.” You can head to Bristol Airport's website to get a quote for the car parks here."
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