Home › Airport Parking vs Taxi: Christmas Costs Compared

Airport parking or a fixed-fare taxi? What a week away really costs

Long-stay parking, meet-and-greet parking and drop-off charges at London airports compared with a return fixed-fare car, with the hidden costs most people forget.

Parking costs

Long-stay parking at Heathrow or Gatwick for a week over Christmas is typically well over £100 even pre-booked, plus the shuttle bus, plus the drop-off and pick-up charges applied at every London airport forecourt (included in our fares). Meet-and-greet parking costs more again.

Taxi both ways

A fixed-fare car each way, luggage included, flight tracked for the return, no de-icing the car at 5am and no parking charges. For a week or more away, two cars are normally cheaper than parking for most of London and Kent.

Our fares

Shown below from our live rate card, per vehicle one way.

What a fixed-fare car costs

Destination	Heathrow saloon / 8-seater	Gatwick saloon / 8-seater	Stansted saloon / 8-seater	Luton saloon / 8-seater
Dartford	£105 / £165	£101 / £161	£114 / £174	£131 / £191
Bromley	£86 / £146	£85 / £145	£119 / £179	£118 / £178
Sevenoaks	£110 / £170	£86 / £146	£137 / £197	£143 / £203

Fixed fares from our live rate card, per vehicle one way, tolls and airport charges included; exact fare confirmed before you pay. Christmas & New Year airport taxis · Book now

Get a fixed price 020 8888 9988 · WhatsApp

More travel help from Taxi On The Go

Updated October 2026. Operated by Get London Transfer Ltd, TfL private hire operator licence 11588.

Airport drop-off charges (seen 15 Oct 2026)

Dropping someone off by car now costs money at every London airport. With a fixed-fare taxi the driver uses the forecourt and the charge is included.

Heathrow drop-off
£7 each time a vehicle enters a terminal drop-off area
Free alternative: Free drop-off at Heathrow Park & Ride car parks (formerly Long Stay) with free bus to terminal · source

Gatwick drop-off
£10 for 10 minutes, +£1/min up to 20 min, max £30; pay by midnight next day
Free alternative: Drop off, pick up or park free for up to 2 hours in Long Stay car parks with free shuttle · source

Stansted drop-off
Express Set Down: 15-minute period; price not shown on the airport page (reported at £10 up to 15 min)
Free alternative: Free drop-off area at Mid Stay car park with free shuttle bus to terminal · source

Luton drop-off
Drop Off & Pick Up Zone £9 for 12 minutes, then £1/min, 30-min max
Free alternative: Long Stay car park: up to 2 hours free, shuttle every ~20 min (approx 10-min ride) · source

London City drop-off
£8 per visit for the first 5 min, then £1/min; max stay 10 min
Free alternative: None stated on airport pages · source

Southend drop-off
Express Pick-up & Drop-off £8 per visit, up to 10 minutes; pay online by midnight next day
Free alternative: None stated on airport site · source

Facts as published on the airports’, operators’ and venues’ own sites, seen 15 Oct 2026 – each entry links to its source. Entries marked “2025 dates” are last season’s and will be updated when 2026 dates are announced.