Five business expansion tips for airport car park owners and operators

As passenger volumes continue to rise, airports are under increasing pressure to grow, not just by scaling their footprint, but by getting smarter about how they operate. 

For car park owners and operators, that means exploring new ways to maximise value from existing infrastructure, tap into passenger behaviour, and deliver the right products at the right price. 

Whether your airport is established or a smaller regional hub, expansion doesn’t necessarily equate to making the site bigger. Often, the real opportunity lies in better commercial strategy, particularly around pricing, product segmentation, and customer data. 

In this article, we’ll share five tips for exploring practical ways your airport car park can grow profitably, sustainably, and in line with passenger expectations.

1) Use pricing as a strategic growth tool

For many airports, legacy pricing models are holding back commercial performance. A one-size-fits-all approach may feel easy to manage, but it rarely reflects diverse passenger needs. 

Fixed pricing often leads to underperformance across key segments, i.e. short-stay parking may seem attractively priced but generate lower transaction value, while long-stay options can become prohibitively expensive and discourage bookings. 

Smarter pricing unlocks smarter growth. Introducing dynamic elements, such as peak-time uplifts, helps match demand with value and makes better use of capacity. It also creates a foundation for longer-term strategy, allowing airports to optimise by season, stay duration, or lead time. 

Many smaller airports lift their drive-up pricing structure and apply it online. But without adapting that strategy to digital behaviour, it’s a missed opportunity. Static pricing doesn’t differentiate between business and leisure travellers, short and long stays, or varying levels of price sensitivity, all of which are key to driving performance. 

2) Let customer data guide your decisions 

Data is critical to any airport’s commercial growth, and pricing is no exception. Yet many operators rely solely on transaction data, which tells only part of the story. 

To build a complete picture, you also need to understand what passengers are doing before they convert. Are they viewing a price and dropping off? Are they clicking through but abandoning at checkout? 

This behavioural insight is where real optimisation starts. Layering CRM and website engagement data onto transactional trends allows you to build a comprehensive view of customer intent. If thousands of people are seeing a price but only a handful are booking, it’s a strong signal that something needs to change. 

The impact of using customer data well can be significant. Airports that act on this insight see stronger commercial returns, better conversion rates, and a clear uptick in modal share, with more passengers choosing parking over alternative transport options. It also unlocks more effective cross-selling and upselling opportunities, because you understand what people are likely to need next. 

3) Start small and scale confidently 

Expanding your car park business doesn’t mean implementing sweeping changes overnight. For many airports, especially those early in their digital maturity, gradual improvements are the most effective and manageable route to growth. 

Introducing small dynamic pricing features, such as uplift during peak periods, gives you a chance to test customer sensitivity and gather insight before rolling out more advanced optimisation. This also reduces internal pressure, as teams aren’t overwhelmed, and customers aren’t disoriented by a complete overhaul of the booking experience. 

This step-by-step approach is especially valuable when you’re building up a data set. Most smaller airports start with limited insight, so beginning with manageable changes allows time to collect and interpret the right information before scaling. 

4) Match the appropriate customer with the right product 

Your car park products may be fixed, but your customer types aren’t. Matching people to the right product and pricing accordingly is a powerful way to increase revenue without increasing footprint. That requires clear product segmentation based on trip type, price sensitivity, and length of stay. 

For instance, business travellers on short trips may be willing to pay a premium for convenience, while long-stay leisure travellers are likely to seek out the best value option. Understanding and pricing for these distinct segments not only improves the customer experience, but it also helps airports optimise revenue across their entire portfolio.

Airports often make the common mistake of opening economy car parks to short-stay passengers to fill space. While that may boost short-term occupancy, it increases operational costs without lifting overall revenue. Over time, it also dilutes the appeal of those products to long-stay customers, who would otherwise deliver higher transaction values. 

By aligning product access and pricing with passenger intent, airports can serve each segment more effectively and avoid missed revenue opportunities. 

5) Invest in the right tools to enable growth 

Optimising your commercial strategy isn’t just about having the right ideas; it’s about having the right tools to act on them. That includes pricing platforms that allow for dynamic testing, segmentation, and real-time adjustments, as well as data systems that can ingest and analyse behavioural trends at scale. 

For airports looking to future-proof their operations, early investment in these systems is key. The sooner you start collecting and using customer data, the more impact you can make, from better price testing to more personalised offers. And over time, that enables smoother operations during peak periods, more targeted marketing, and stronger long-term planning. 

Understanding expected modal share and evolving ground transport trends is another crucial factor. Without this insight, airports risk making pricing and capacity decisions based on outdated assumptions, which can impact everything from layout planning to service levels. 

For many airport operators, the biggest gains come from using what you already have more effectively and aligning it more closely with passenger needs. 

By embracing data, investing in smarter pricing, and tailoring your products to the way people travel, you can grow both revenue and customer loyalty. And by making changes gradually and strategically, even smaller airports can future-proof their parking operations in a way that feels manageable and sustainable. 

The more clearly you understand demand, and the more confidently you can respond to it, the stronger your commercial outcomes will be.