Costs and expenses associated with air travel are a critical factor for all travelers.
decisive factor. Already the way to the airport or after arrival to the final destination can be associated with considerable costs: cab, local transport or parking fees for one’s own car entail variously high costs. Beyond the security checkpoint at the latest, passengers are then exposed to prices charged by retailers, restaurants and service providers.
It is well known that the airport is a place where prices for goods and services are often higher than elsewhere. But that doesn’t mean this circumstance doesn’t present travelers with challenges. Especially for families on their way to vacation, the high prices at the airport can be a financial burden and tear a first hole in the vacation budget even before arriving at the destination. Frequent flyers, who often spend time at the airport to catch connecting flights or beat delays, may also be negatively impacted by high prices. But which are the most expensive airports in Europe?
To find out, Alpen Air’s data analysts evaluated various selected cost items that passengers are particularly likely to encounter for 20 of the largest airports in Europe. Analyzed were expenses for:
- Long-term parking (24 hours)
- Cab fares (to/from the city center)
- Local transport (to/from the city center)
- Coffee (behind security)
- Burger (behind security)
- Access to the airport lounge
- Night in airport hotel
A statistical analysis of the obtained data provides information about the most expensive airports in Europe and the following ranking.
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Further informationOslo-Gardemoen OSL is the most expensive airport in Europe
Looking at the various relevant cost items, from parking to coffee to go, Oslo’s international airport, Oslo-Gardermoen Airport, emerges as the most expensive airport in Europe. At 90 euros, a cab ride from the airport to the city center (or back) is more expensive in no other city than in Oslo. The car ride takes about 50 minutes.
It is much faster and also cheaper by public transport. A train ticket from the airport to downtown Oslo costs about 11 euros. By international standards, however, even the 11-euro ticket is relatively expensive. On average, a local transport ticket to the airport costs 6.41 euros in the European cities surveyed.
Parking at German airports: between 30 and 70 euros a day
Driving to the airport in your own car and then parking it there for a few days can be quite expensive. When comparing long-term parking fees at German airports, Hamburg Airport is still the most affordable with a rate of 30 euros for a parking period of 24 hours.
The parking garage operator at the capital’s airport BE charges more than twice as much.This makes Berlin the city in Europe with the highest parking fees. In Munich, Cologne/Bonn and Frankfurt, the daily rate is 39 euros, in Stuttgart 35 euros. The cheapest parking for travelers is at Istanbul Airport for a slim three euros a day.
High security, high prices
A coffee to pass the time or a burger for the small appetite: airports offer a wealth of retail, gastronomy and other services in the gate area behind the security checkpoint. However, the exclusive location and special security precautions can drive up prices. Just like passengers, all items for sale must pass through the security gate.
A burger is a popular snack that is readily available between flights. Therefore, passengers can find branches of well-known fast food chains in all the airports analyzed. In terms of price, however, there are significant differences between the destinations. A burger is cheapest at Istanbul Airport, where it costs around 2.66 euros. By contrast, it is most expensive at Dublin Airport in Ireland. The small snack costs an average of 8.65 euros locally. For a better comparison, menu prices were not taken into account. This can be expensive, especially if the whole family is hungry or if you are a frequent flyer and have to stay in Dublin more often.
Mallorca travelers can expect the cheapest coffee
At least when it comes to coffee, no conspicuously horrendous prices can be found at Europe’s airports. But there is a wide range of prices. While travelers at Palma de Mallorca Airport can get a cup for around 1.53 euros, passengers at Istanbul Airport pay an average of 4.18 euros for a quick cup of coffee. At an average of 2.91 euros, a cup of coffee at European airports is no more expensive than in city center cafés, for example.
Airport lounge for everyone from just 8 euros
Is the airport lounge only for business class and first class passengers? Not necessarily. For a fee, all travelers can gain access to the exclusive airport lounge to wait for boarding in peace. At Rome Airport, lounge access is quite affordable at 8 euros, especially if you have to wait a few hours for a connecting flight.
On average, access to airport lounges is considerably more expensive than in Rome, at around 36 euros. The most expensive is the one-time access to the lounge at London’s major airport Heathrow. For 63 euros, the door to the Plaza Premium Lounge opens to everyone. In return, passengers get a selection of food and non-alcoholic beverages, fast Wi-Fi, comfortable seating, and access to shower and washrooms.
Staying overnight at the airport costs between 57 and 237 euros
Particularly early departure times or exceptionally long transfer times sometimes make it necessary for travelers to take a hotel room. Almost every airport therefore has appropriate airport hotels in the immediate vicinity of the airport. Of course, this service also has its price. The most expensive place to stay is Brussels Airport, where a short-term hotel room near the airport costs about 237 euros. Much cheaper options are offered by the airport hotel industry at London Heathrow Airport, where a room can be had for around 57 euros per night.
The cost of a hotel room at German airport hotels ranges from 65 euros in Munich to 180 euros in Frankfurt. In Stuttgart, a room is available for as little as 98 euros, in Berlin the overnight stay costs 111 euros, at Cologne/Bonn Airport around 150 euros and in Hamburg 163 euros. In this point rather short term offers were considered. Who books earlier, probably gets away also more favorably.
Lisbon LIS is the cheapest airport
The best price-performance ratio awaits passengers at Lisbon Airport in Portugal. Not only is the outward journey surprisingly inexpensive at 20 euros for a cab or 1.95 euros for a local transport ticket, but all other services are also surprisingly affordable. Even a night in the airport hotel, at 101 euros, costs even less than the European average. Travelers can get into the lounge for a fee of 25 euros. This makes Lisbon LIS the cheapest airport in Europe.
Methodology and sources
For the study, 20 of the largest airports in Europe were initially selected. The size refers to the passengers handled per year. For reasons of relevance to German consumers, German airports and destinations frequented by many air travelers from Germany were selected preferentially.
The factors considered were selected for their overarching relevance to air travelers. They provide an indicator of how affordable a stay at the airport is when taking advantage of the selected services and offers.
All factors and expenses were carefully researched and checked for plausibility. All prices mentioned refer to the time of the research. The investigation was carried out in February 2023. All sources used can be found in this document.
For the ranking, a statistical calculation was used with the aid of a point system. The higher the expenditure in the respective factor, the more points were attributed to the corresponding airport: Between 0 and 100 points were awarded. The airport that received the most points in total occupied first place in the ranking of the most expensive airports.
