Edinburgh Airport Parking Guide | Short Stay Parking
Recommended Short Stay Car Parks at Edinburgh Airport
Updated November 2011
Picking someone up at the airport or dropping them off? Then you'll need short stay parking at Edinburgh Airport or drop off zones. There are only two drop off zones at Edinburgh Airport that I've found. One is right outside the terminal building, but it will cost you £1 and you won't be able to linger. You can also find a free drop off zone in the long stay car park, which is about five minutes away from the terminal by bus.
Before I get into more detail about the different short term car parks at Edinburgh Airport, here are a few essentials to know:
- If you are planning on staying for more than a few minutes, you have a choice of two main car parks close to the terminal, depending on the length of your stay. One is for anything from a few minutes to few days; the other is for up to 2 hours only.
- If you're willing to splash out for speedy parking, there's also a third, more expensive car park, fastTRACK Security Xpress; however, the other options are known to be reasonably secure.
- Trailers are not permitted in any of these car parks.
Here's a map showing most of the Edinburgh Airport car parks (PDF).
Overview of Short Stay Car Parking Options
I've only looked at official BAA-owned car parks at Edinburgh Airport (BAA Short Stay Parking, BAA Parking For Up To 2 Hours and BAA Fasttrack Security Xpress) in great detail since they are the most popular ones. However, at the end of this page I've added some third-party car parks with competitive prices. It's worth looking at these because their day tickets may work out cheaper if you're planning to stay for more than 15-30 minutes.
BAA: Short Stay Parking
This car park is for anything from 15 minutes up to several days.
- As of the time of writing, Short Stay parking costs starts from £2.10 for up to 15 minutes, £3.50 for up to 30 minutes, £7.60 for 2-3 hours and £21.50 for a day. You can check Edinburgh Airport official website for any changes, as well as prices for each additional hour up to 24 hours.
- You can pre-book parking from 24 hours to 12 months in advance, and even if ticket prices change, the cost at the time of purchase should remain the same. BAA offer a Short Stay Special, discounted rates for those who book in advance for a stay of at least two days. However, with the Short Stay Special you can't cancel or change your booking.
- Short Stay may work out cheaper than Long Stay, depending on the length of your stay.
- For security, the car park is frequently patrolled, with CCTV and a security detail 24/7.
- The car park is a few minutes' walk from the terminal.
- Blue Badge holders are given 15 minutes' free access. Just show your tickets at the desk. Bays are on the ground floor.
- You don't have to hand your keys in.
You can pre-book BAA short stay parking online
(It should come up as one of the options for bookings of at least two days' length)
I'd recommend this parking option for very brief visits to the airport, but there are definitely cheaper options if you want to stick around for the day (see info on third-party companies below). Its proximity to the terminal is the other big advantage. Unfortunately, online pre-booking for Short Stay requires a minimum stay of at least 2 days.
BAA: Parking For Up To 2 Hours
- Though it does not appear on Edinburgh Airport's official website, other online sources such as Parkopedia suggest that there is parking for up to 2 hours available right outside the terminal building. Depending on different sources, this works out either as cheaper or around the same price as regular Short Stay parking for up to 2 hours.
- Be warned: after 2 hours, the prices here apparently shoot up to around double what you would be paying in regular Short Stay.
- I tried to pre-book on the BAA website for stays of up to 2 hours but it doesn't give me this particular choice.
It's hard to get clear info on BAA for up to 2 hours, so I wouldn't rely on it as a definite choice for short stay car parking. Chances are this got replaced by the £1 drop-off zone, or if it still exists, it's now no cheaper for under 2 hours than regular Short Stay. It also doesn't seem worth risking the extortionate charges levied on you when your couple of hours are up!
BAA: Fasttrack Security Xpress
fastTRACK Security Xpress is another service offered by BAA that gets you through to the terminal at twice the speed of the others, but also at several times the price! I've split this one up into advantages and disadvantages so you can weigh the cost against what you're supposed to get from it.
Advantages:
- It's the fastest and most convenient car parking option at Edinburgh Airport, taking only 1 minute to get to check-in. This could be quite handy for last-minute business types or those who prefer a lie-in.
- Use of fastTRACK lane for up to 2 people
- It has dedicated entry and exit lanes and is right next to the terminal.
- The minimum stay required for pre-booking is only 1 day.
- It is secure, manned and patrolled 24/7. Comprehensive CCTV.
- Can be cancelled or changed until 24 hours before date of booking.
- You don't have to hand your keys in.
Disadvantages:
- It ain't cheap, starting at around £25 for one day.
- A 2 person limit on the fastTRACK lane doesn't really make it an option for families.
- There is no mention of spaces for Blue Badge holders.
- Despite the name, there's no indication of how it's any more secure than regular Short Stay.
- There is a limit of 150 spaces, so you'd have to book in advance.
You can pre-book fastTRACK Security Xpress online
I'd only really recommend the fastTRACK Security Xpress car park if you're very keen on getting to and through the terminal at speed, especially given that regular BAA Short Stay is very close as well. Extra security might be a plus, but I can't really find much info on it.
Conclusion
Of the official BAA car parking options at Edinburgh Airport, I think the regular BAA Short Stay seems like your best bet, but only for very brief visits. Other, third-party car parks offer very competitive prices for day tickets. Here's a quick table below (with prices as of the time of writing November 2011):
Third Party Short Stay Car Parks at Edinburgh Airport:
| Unofficial Car Parks | Prices starting from |
|---|---|
| Secure Airparks | £3 a day |
| Low Cost Parking | £3.25 a day |
| Flying Scot | £3.25 a day |
| NCP Scotpark | £3.49 a day |
Your main worries with third-party companies are likely to be whether they can be trusted for security, and how easy it is to get from them to the terminal. You can find more details on Low Cost Parking and Secure Airparks on our on-airport parking page, and on NCP Scotpark and Flying Scot on our off-airport parking page, for both short stay and long stay parking.
Alternatively, have a look at the option of renting private parking close to Edinburgh Airport.
» Return to Guide to Car Parking at Edinburgh Airport main index
Edinburgh Airport Parking Guide Index:
- Short Stay Parking -- Comparative summaries of the three main car parks, BAA short term, BAA 2 hours and FastTrack based on cost, security, and ease of transfer.
- Long Stay Parking -- Summary of two long stay car parks based on the main differences: off-airport and on-airport parking.
- Off-Airport Parking -- Compares Flying Scot, NCP, Edinburgh Park and Fly (and the Meet and Greet offered by this company) based on cost, security and ease of transfer.
- On-Airport Parking -- Compares Low Cost, Secure Airparks and Long Stay Edinburgh, once again based on cost, security and ease of transfer.
- Airport Hotels -- Reviews of several available hotels close to Edinburgh Airport focused on transfer options, value for money, ability to group book, etc.
- Private Parking Spaces -- Cheaper alternatives to big airport car parks from private individuals living nearby.
- Frequently Asked Questions
Transfer to and from Edinburgh Airport:
How to get to/from Edinburgh airport by coach (Megabus):
