Why is airport parking so expensive?

While most of us don’t mind shelling out a decent chunk of hard-earned dosh for a flight to our dream destination, nobody likes paying big bucks just to park their car at the airport. Sydney airport parking can be expensive however Park on King offers an affordable and stress-free alternative to overpriced airport parking.

Real estate costs

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re probably well aware that real estate prices across the country have been dramatically rising over recent years, particularly in Sydney. What’s more, real estate in the area surrounding Sydney airport is particularly desirable (and therefore expensive) because of its convenient location. Airports – including the tarmacs, runways, terminals and parking facilities – also take up a lot of space, which translates to a very high real estate cost. Airports use the high cost of their on-site parking to offset some of the incredibly high cost of the real estate they occupy, while other providers of off-site Sydney airport parking need to factor in the high cost of real estate in the area surrounding the airport when setting their prices. If you live in Sydney, you’ll already be pretty well aware of this phenomenon, with prices for inner-city parking usually far exceeding the cost of airport parking. It all comes back to the cost of real estate in the area in which you are parking, with high-density areas like the inner city costing the most.

Competition

The airport has a monopoly on parking on-site and as they are within walking distance from the terminals, they can charge as much as they want (or as much as they think people will pay) for the convenience of parking there. However, when it comes to off-site Sydney airport parking, there are more cost-effective options like Park on King, offering highly competitive pricing for airport parking.

Distance from terminals

Unsurprisingly, if you want to park your car within walking distance from your terminal, it’s going to cost you. And the closer you park, the more it will cost. Sydney Airport’s P1 and P2 parking is just a 2 to 5-minute walk from the T2 and T3 Domestic terminals and is the most expensive option for Sydney airport parking. The P3 parking facility has cheaper rates but is a 5 to 8-minute walk from the Domestic terminals. Although off-site parking remains only a couple of minutes from the airport it offers a convenient and much cheaper option than on-site parking.  With Park on King’s on-demand shuttle, it takes as little as 4 minutes to get to Sydney Airport, meaning you might even get to your terminal faster than if you’d parked at the P3 on-site facility.  When it comes to off-site parking, pricing is not necessarily indicative of the distance from the airport. For example, Blu Emu and Park & Fly are both off-site Sydney airport car parks with day rates that are generally more expensive than Park on King day rates, despite them both being located further away from the airport. So, while the distance from the terminals impacts pricing on-site, savvy parkers know that this isn’t necessarily the case when it comes to off-site parking. It’s possible to choose a parking facility that is both close to the airport and very affordable.

Convenience

The convenience of parking on-site and walking straight to the terminal comes at an incredibly high price. For customers who seek a balance between convenience and price, Park on King offers both. Customers can enjoy the convenience of driving to the airport (no taxi fees or awkward public transport commute, your car remains secure and you control your travel timeline) with a dramatically lower price tag. However, it is worth noting, not all off-site facilities offer the same convenience, with the main differentiating factor being the shuttle frequency. If you park at a facility that is a very short drive to the airport with an on-demand shuttle-like Park on King, this means you step out of your car and can be at your terminal within minutes, offering an experience that is as convenient as on-site parking. However, if you choose a parking facility that is further from the airport or one that has limited scheduled shuttle services, you could find yourself waiting for up to 30 minutes, making it a much less convenient option.

The main reasons why on-site parking at Sydney airport is so expensive is because of the cost of real estate and the fact that the airport has a monopoly on the market when it comes to on-site offerings. Luckily, Park on King offers a clever alternative that rivals the convenience of on-site parking, but at a much lower cost. Book now to secure affordable Sydney airport parking for your upcoming trip.