Melbourne, Sydney sky-high for airport parking costs

Parking fees at Melbourne Airport are among the highest in the world. Photo: Pat Scala

Australia's airports may not officially be using their monopoly positions to gouge air travellers for car parking, but they still charge hourly rates that dwarf their international counterparts.

The hourly rate of parking at Melbourne and Sydney airports is significantly more expensive than the fees charged at other airports around the world, including New York, Paris and Frankfurt.

To park all day at Melbourne and Sydney airports is more than three times expensive to do so at Hong Kong and Singapore.

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A Productivity Commission draft report, Economic Regulation of Airport Services, released yesterday found there was no misuse of market power by Australia's five major airports when it came to airport car parking and land access.

The findings differed from an Australian Competition and Consumer Commission report released last year, which found Australian airports appeared to be exploiting customers on car parking fees.

The Australian Airports Association welcomed the latest report, saying it confirmed there was little need to more tightly monitor the nation's airports.

Despite the findings, Australian parking rates are more expensive than at most major airports.

While Sydney offers a free stay for 20 minutes, Melbourne does not offer a period of free parking unlike many international airports.

Los Angeles' LAX offers a free two-hour "cell phone lot" within 500 metres of the terminal and most airports have at least 10 minutes free parking.

Singapore and Dallas offer the cheapest hourly rate at $1.92, a pittance compared to the $15 drivers are slugged in Sydney and $12 in Melbourne.

Auckland, Heathrow and Frankfurt are the only other airports to charge more than $5 an hour.

If you plan on staying for the day, Heathrow is hardest on the hip pocket. The $78.39 charged there is 50 per cent more than the $52 charged in Sydney and Melbourne, despite the hourly rate being only $7.16.

The low daily rates in Hong Kong [$13.44] and Singapore [$16] are cheaper than some meals at Melbourne and Sydney airports.

Parking rates (all figures in Australian dollars)

Hourly

Dallas $1.92

Singapore $1.92

Hong Kong $2.40

LAX $2.88

Paris $4.97

Frankfurt $5.52

JFK $5.76

Heathrow $7.16

Auckland $7.20

Melbourne $12

Sydney $15

Daily

Hong Kong $13.44

Singapore $16

Dallas $18.24

LAX $28.80

JFK $31.68

Frankfurt $34.50

Auckland $35

Paris $37.81

Melbourne $52

Sydney $52

Heathrow $78.39