Why You Should Keep It Local and Fly from Bristol Airport

There’s a very good chance that if you live near Bristol Airport, you may never have actually used it for your travel. Of course, it’s much smaller than the major UK airports in the south east. However, Bristol is now the country’s ninth busiest airport, with more than 8.7 million passengers passing through it in 2018. If you’ve dismissed it in the past as being a bit of a backwater and not offering you the choice of destination or price that you need, it’s time to re-evaluate. We’ve highlighted some of its many benefits as well as recent developments and new routes. So if you’re yet to book your holiday for the year ahead, maybe it’s time to see what travel options are available on your doorstep…

 

Destinations and Airlines

Firstly, there’s the most important consideration when it comes to arranging any travel – where you’ll be going. Perhaps you have a specific destination in mind, or maybe you’re open to a few sunny suggestions. Well, you can currently fly to more than 125 different locations from Bristol Airport and let’s just say it pretty much has all short-haul bases covered (as well as a few long-haul ones too). Whatever your preferred type of European holiday, many different destinations are available. Mediterranean sunshine is catered for with flights to 14 different Spanish resorts and cities as well as locations in Portugal, the Canary Islands, Italy, Greece and Turkey. Favourites featured include Crete, Alicante, Porto and Gran Canaria.
For those after interesting city break destinations, there’s plenty to choose from here too. From classics such as Paris and Venice to new favourites like Copenhagen, Krakow and Budapest, it’s easy to explore from your local terminal. And if you’re after some winter sport fun? Well, of course they have all that covered as well. And all of these flights are brought to you by 14 different airlines and 31 tour operators including big names like Easyjet, British Airways, TUI and First Choice.

New Routes – In 2020, Bristol Airport is expanding its flight destinations further still with a number of new routes announced. These include new TUI Airways flights to Almeria in Spain and Sharm El Sheikh in Tunisia. Two other interesting routes that will begin soon are a regular Ryanair flight to Grenoble (for those who are itching to get on the slopes) and a Lauda flight to the beautiful city of Vienna.

Budget Options – We’ve mentioned a couple of big names in budget travel so far in this post, but it’s worth reiterating if you think travelling from a smaller airport always means higher prices. Both Easyjet and Ryanair operate a number of routes from Bristol Airport including flights to Fuerteventura, Bordeaux and Copenhagen so it’s easy to arrange an affordable city break from here.

 

vienna dusk

 

 

Cheap Parking Options

If you live in the south west, then one obvious advantage Bristol Airport is that it’s nearby, or much, much closer than flying from one of the London terminals. And this clearly has huge benefits when it comes to getting to and from the airport. We’re not just talking distance as the crow flies – making your way to the terminal can be a stressful business, either having to navigate public transport with all your luggage (and perhaps children in tow too) or relying on a taxi or lift. And that’s not to mention getting back home again after a long flight. So leaving your car at the airport with long stay parking provision is become increasingly popular for obvious reasons. Of course, this is also an option if you are flying from London, but using airport parking outside of the capital usually offers much cheaper rates as well as saving you petrol money.

If you want to find Cheap Bristol Airport Parking then one of the best things you can do is to book your space as early as possible. It’s possible to find many parking discounts online, but earlybird reservation often means you’ll get a lower overall rate too. As well as having car parks close to the terminal, you can also get cheaper prices by using Bristol Airport car parks that are slightly further away and operate a shuttle service to and from the terminals.

Parking and Hotel Deals – If you have a very early flight, then if can be much less hassle to book a hotel room along with your parking space. And this also applies if you are flying with kids! If this is the case for you, then see if you can find a combined hotel and parking deal to book in advance. This could end up saving you quite a bit of money as well as stress.

Meet and Greet Parking – Talking of reducing stress levels, what is more convenient than having someone meet you when you turn up at the terminal, take your car off your hands and park it for you? And when you come back off from your holiday, it will be there ready to pick up. Yes, a meet and greet parking service is going to cost a bit more, but the same advice applies here too – book early and you’ve got a much better chance of finding a great deal.

 

bristol airport runway

 

 

Shops and Other Amenities

We all love a pre-boarding browse of all the low prices in a departure lounge area, and there’s no denying that the bigger the airport, the more choice you have. But that’s not to say smaller airports such as Bristol don’t have plenty to offer as well. Along with the classic World Duty Free, you can also enjoy shopping in high street favourites such as Superdrug, JD Sports, WH Smith and Claire’s Accessories. And when it comes to finding a bite to eat before you board, you’re spoilt for choice with names like Burger Kind, Costa Coffee, Starbucks and Barburritto.

Airport Lounges – But there’s another way you can achieve peak relaxation before you get on your flight – by taking full advantage of an airport lounge when one is available! And doing this at Bristol Airport doesn’t have to cost the earth. Just like with airport parking, you can book a pass in advance online and get it at a much better rate than buying on the day. At Bristol, the Aspire lounge is for both adults and children and you can relax with complimentary refreshments, wifi and newspapers. And if you’d rather relax with no kids about, then they also have the AspirePlus lounge which is for adults only.

So, if we’ve persuaded you of the advantages of flying out of Bristol for your next holiday, make sure you get the best value from that choice. Search in advance for great Bristol Airport parking deals once you’ve sorted your flights or package holiday, and you’ll make those pounds go that much further. Along with having a much nicer airport experience too!