Holiday parking at Heathrow

[teenagersandatoddler]

We are driving to Heathrow and a weeks holiday. Could anyone recommend a meet and greet parking company at Heathrow?

We shopped around for Heathrow parking a couple of weeks ago and the cheapest option was just the Heathrow long stay car park. Do you specifically want meet and greet rather than get on a bus for a few minutes?

@hellcatspangle - happy either way. I thought meet and greet could be easier

Meet and greet can cause delays when you arrive back and you are hanging about waiting for your car. It is also the most expensive. I would look at other parking options, make sure they are official though; take a look on Heathrow's own website to be certain. There are some unlawful parking operations out there, so be careful.

Also , consider looking at hotels which are offering parking and an overnight stay. There are few things worse than sitting in a motorway hold up on the way to the airport, with one eye on the clock and getting into a minor panic about the time.

We always use valet parking (official airport version). If you book far enough ahead it’s not that much more expensive than other options and totally reduces hassle on departure (no bus to catch with luggage etc) and a v quick exit on arrival

We use an app called Holiday Extras to book Meet and Greet parking. Make sure it's one that has a desk at drop-off. Eg. Blue Circle as we had a nightmare wait one year with company that we had to call.

Does Heathrow have it's own Meet and Greet? We often use the one at Manchester, run by the airport rather than an offsite contractor.

You drive your car to the appropriate location, which is a minute or two on foot to the terminal, leave your keys and they park your car in their own car park in the same area.

When you return, you pick your keys up and drive your car away from the pick up area, no waiting around. They photograph your car on the way in, in case there are any disputes about damage while they have it, and we use the link in the cheap airport parking section of Moneysaving Expert, or direct with the airport via quidco, for the best price. It's usually slightly more expensive than the long stay, but quicker and easier as you don't have to find a space or get on a bus.

I always price up the official Heathrow meet and greet, Purple Parking meet and greet (used many times without issue) and (if using terminal 5) the pod parking and go with whichever is cheapest. It is usually Purple, but not always.

Maybe we have been lucky but never had to wait for meet and greet, always had the car waiting even during covid. Long stay with buses will be cheaper but for me depends on how long your return flight is and what time you arrive back, meet and greet much nicer if you are knackered.

I've also used Holiday Extras and booked the Raddisson Hotel with 3 weeks parking. Believe there is a shuttle between the hotel and terminal 5.