hips don't lie: The Crafty Traveller: Make sure your costs don"t take off at the airport terminal

By

Fred Mawer

PUBLISHED:

06:10 EST, 14 July 2013

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UPDATED:

06:12 EST, 14 July 2013

Airports have a new moneymaking ruse this summer – charging passengers for a chaperone to take them through their terminals.

Manchester Airport has introduced a Friendly Guides service that costs £50 for a party of up to four people, while the Gatwick First concierge guiding service, launched in April, will set a couple or family back £99. No doubt these ideas can reduce airport stress.

Step this way, madam…and that’ll be £50 please: A new chaperone service has launched at Manchester Airport, pictured above

But most of us will regard such services as an expensive indulgence. If you’re like me, you’ll want to keep the cost of passing through, and getting to, the airport to an absolute minimum – after all, holidays themselves are enough of a dent on the bank balance. Here are some strategies to help you save money ..

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

If travelling by train to the airport, it pays to book ahead, but allow leeway for your return flight being a little late where you need to fix times.Taking a slower service to an airport – for example the Tube rather than the Heathrow Express – can also save a small fortune. And bear in mind that travelling to an airport by coach (nationalexpress.com) may well be cheaper than by rail.

Early birds prosper: Book ahead for the best deals on car parking

PARKING

Again, book ahead to get the best rates – and the more notice you give, the better the deal. Last week I was quoted £80.49 to park for a week at Luton’s long-term on-site car park, for a booking starting two days later.

By giving two weeks’ notice, I could have secured the Early Bird Saver rate costing just £48.49. While off-site car parks used to be almost always significantly cheaper than closer on-airport options, this is not always the case any longer. Use gosimply.com to compare rates, and also check out the best offers on the airport’s own website.

A budget option worth considering is parking your car on someone’s drive, booked through parkatmyhouse.com. For a week’s parking near Heathrow, I was quoted £32, including transfers – a third cheaper than using a car park.

HOTELS

If you’ve an early flight, staying the night before at an airport hotel can be a sensible option. You won’t be spending long there, so go for a budget hotel. The smart new Premier Inn (premierinn.com) at Gatwick is ideal for both terminals, with rooms sleeping up to four people costing from £35. Holiday Extras (holidayextras.co.uk) is great for comparing airport hotel rates.

SECURITY

Some airports charge for use of fast-track security lanes: for example, it’s £3.50 per person at Manchester and £3.95 at Bristol. To avoid these costs, get to the airport in good time. And remember to bring your own mini resealable transparent bags to take liquids through. Some airports charge £1 for two bags.

Money matters: Avoid airport currency exchanges like the plague if you want to save money

FOOD

The pukka grub at Jamie’s Italian at Gatwick North looks great, but breakfast there for a family of four could easily set you back £40. At the MS Simply Food stores before security, a packet of four pains au chocolat costs just £1.79.

FOREIGN CURRENCY

Bureaux de change at airports offer the worst deals around, if you buy currency there on the day instead of ordering it in advance. Earlier this week at Gatwick’s Moneycorp’s outlets, to obtain €300 without pre-ordering cost £290.09. But if you’d ordered your currency at least a day ahead at moneycorp.com for collection at a Gatwick branch, you’d have paid £263.71.