29.01.06
The cost of Sydney Airport parking is among the most expensive in the world, eclipsing rates at Heathrow Airport and New York's JFK. The revelation has alarmed consumer groups, especially after recent figures show the airport's operators are making profits of almost AUS$170 million a quarter.
The Sun-Herald newspaper used official websites to compare the cost of parking at Sydney Airport with top airports in America, Europe and Asia. For a 30-minute stay, Sydney is the most expensive airport to visit, with drivers paying $7. Even Narita in notoriously expensive Japan costs $5.30 for 30 minutes. At Heathrow, the charge is $5.22. At Paris's Charles de Gaulle, the 30-minute price for parking is $4.73 while at JFK it costs $3.99.
The pattern is repeated when fees for one-hour parking are examined. Sydney tops the list at $13, followed by Heathrow, JFK and Toronto. Next are Amsterdam's Schipol Frankfurt and Narita.
But Sydney Airport is better priced for longer-term airport parking. The most expensive airport to park for seven days is Paris at more than $268. Heathrow, Frankfurt, Toronto, JFK and Narita cost more than Sydney's $119 for a week, but Singapore's Changi, Schipol, Rome and Hong Kong are cheaper.
'It's pretty surprising that parking fees in Sydney are higher than some of the more congested and expensive cities around the world,' said Gordon Renouf from the Australian Consumers Association. 'When governments sell airports they need to make sure the regulatory regimes are in place to make sure there's no price gouging resulting from their monopoly position.'
A spokesman for Sydney Airport said that when customers chose different time scales - such as four- or five-hour stays - parking was cheaper than at some international airports, such as JFK and Heathrow.
