Parking your car at the airport cost less this summer than last year, according to new booking analysis from UK parking specialist APH.com. The company looked at roughly one million customer bookings across 19 UK airports and found that the average daily rate actually paid was lower than in 2025 for five months in a row, from April through August 2026.

The drops during peak season were the most striking. In June, the average daily rate fell from £10.58 to £10.00 — a 5.6% decrease — and July saw a similar slide from £10.28 to £9.73, down 5.4%. Even August held steady at 2.9% below last year's levels, so the savings carried through the entire late-summer getaway rush.

Not every airport cut prices equally. Glasgow came out on top with an 18.1% year-on-year reduction, by far the biggest fall in the country. Birmingham followed at -7.2%, then Luton (-5.3%), Gatwick (-5.0%) and Edinburgh (-4.8%). Notably, these drops came at the same time as more people were booking — a sign that competition and wider product choice are working in travellers' favour rather than demand drying up.

Where you park matters too. Off-airport car parks, which involve a short shuttle to the terminal, delivered the deepest discounts: customers paid 14.3% less than advertised rates on average, with almost 70% of those bookings getting some kind of discount. Meet and Greet services discounted by an average of 10.8%, and on-airport parking by 9.8%. If your priority is the cheapest possible holiday maths, a few minutes on a transfer bus can be worth real money.

APH's managing director Nick Caunter summed up the pattern: despite busy travel demand and rising headline inflation, parking has become more affordable because travellers are getting sharper — comparing options, booking ahead and hunting out value products.

Who should care? Anyone planning to drive to the airport for an autumn or winter trip. The message from the data is simple: rates are softening, but the biggest wins go to those who book early, compare across parking types and don't assume the official on-airport car park is the best deal. If you're flying from Glasgow, Birmingham or Gatwick this season, you're in the strongest negotiating position simply by shopping around before you travel.