A visit on site shows what no online listing tells you: where the car really goes, who keeps the keys, how long the trip to the terminal takes, and who is there when a flight lands late. That is why we drive out to our partner car parks in Belgium, France and Switzerland, instead of relying on paperwork alone.
Why it matters to you: on a screen, two car parks at the same price look alike. On the ground, one drops you at the terminal within minutes with a clear procedure, the other leaves you hunting for the entrance on an industrial estate. You only see it by going there. We go there for you.
In short
Paper is not enough: a signed contract and checked documents are the base, the visit shows the rest.
On site, we look at the entrance, the car and the keys, the shuttle or walk to the terminal, the opening hours, and where the cars are actually parked.
Same price does not mean same service: the difference shows at 6 in the morning and at midnight.
We talk with the owner, meet the valet companies and make test bookings, like a customer.
The Verified by Comparkly badge marks a visited car park, with the date of the visit.
Why we go on site
Every partner signs our partner contract, and we check its documents: company registration, insurance, the right to operate the site. That is essential, but a document does not show you a gate, a shuttle or a reception desk.
So we go. Not for a photo of the front, but to follow a customer's journey: find the entrance, park or hand over the car, get to the terminal, and understand how the return works. Visits happen city by city, and they are ongoing.
Three car parks, three ways to look after a car
The photos from our visits make one thing clear: there is no single model of airport car park.
The underground car park
The car is under cover, inside a building. What we look at: the size of the access, the signs that help you find the entrance, and where the welcome desk is. A desk you can see from the entrance makes all the difference when you arrive stressed with suitcases.
The open-air storage car park behind a gate
Often, staff move the car and park it in a closed area. What we look at: the fence, the gate, who can get onto the site, and above all where the keys go while you are away. This is where the key handover has to be clearest.
The indoor car park near Geneva
An indoor car park. What we look at: the route to Geneva Airport, the real transfer time, and the instructions for getting in and out. We also film the access, so you know what the entrance looks like before you arrive.
Meeting the teams and following the customer's journey
The questions we ask
A car park is people first. On our visits, we talk with the owner or manager, then with the team on site, and we ask the questions customers rarely think about until something goes wrong. Who is there when a return flight lands three hours late? What happens if a customer loses their ticket? Where are the keys kept, and who can reach them? How is the car's condition recorded?
Precise answers are reassuring. Vague answers tell us just as much.
The valet companies
When a car park works with a valet company, we meet that company too, in person. They are the ones who take your wheel and your keys. We want to know who drives, how the car is moved, and where it spends the week.
Where the cars are really parked
A meeting point is not a car park. With a valet, the car is often collected outside the terminal and driven somewhere else. We check the storage site itself, not only the handover point: the fence, the access control, and that the cars are really there.
The shuttle, for real
On a listing, shuttle included fits in two words. On site, we look at how long it takes from arriving at the car park to being dropped at the terminal, how you call the shuttle on return, and whether the hours cover the first and last flights. Our guide to shuttle airport parking explains how much time to allow.
The key handover
For a key handover, we follow the whole process: where you leave the car, who takes it, what document you get, and how you collect it. If it is a valet service, our article on airport valet parking explains what to ask for.
Test bookings: we book like you do
An announced visit shows a car park at its best. So we also make test bookings, like any customer. We check the car handover, whether times are kept, the shuttle, the return, including a late return, and how support responds when we call with a question.
It is the only way to see the service from where you will be standing. What we find counts in our decision to keep a car park on Comparkly, or not.
Same price, very different services
This is the most useful lesson from the field. Two car parks with the same total for your dates can offer very different services. One has a desk that opens early, a shuttle running continuously and a clear procedure for late returns. The other may have tight hours and a phone that stops answering in the evening.
That is why we show the total for your dates, all fees included, and spell out the service: shuttle or valet, hours, access. Price alone is not enough to choose. France's national consumer institute (INC) also advises comparing offers and favouring car parks that are watched over, with cameras or staff on site.
Why we turn some sites down
Not every visit ends in a partnership. We say no, for example, when the operator cannot prove the right to use the land, when cars are parked with no fence or access control, when nobody can explain where the keys go, or when the documents we ask for never arrive.
The risk is not theoretical. In March 2025, the French motoring site Caradisiac reported cases of cars returned with several hundred extra kilometres, and car parks operating without authorisation, near several European airports. We would rather list fewer car parks than list one we would not recommend to our own family.
What the Verified by Comparkly badge means
A car park showing the Verified by Comparkly badge has been visited by our team. The date of the visit appears next to it. In practice, we have checked the entrance, how the car is handled (you park it yourself or a valet does, and where the keys go), where the cars are parked, the shuttle or walk to the terminal, the opening hours, and we have met the people who run it.
A car park without the badge has signed our contract and provided its documents, but we have not visited it yet. Visits continue city by city. Either way, we only list car parks we trust.
FAQ
Does Comparkly visit all its car parks?
We visit our partner car parks city by city, and the visits are ongoing. A visited car park shows the Verified by Comparkly badge with the date of the visit. A car park without the badge has not been visited yet.
What do you check during a visit?
The entrance and signs, how the car and the keys are handled, where the cars are actually parked, the shuttle or walk to the terminal, and the opening hours. We also talk with the owner or manager, and we meet the valet companies we work with.
Why are two car parks at the same price so different?
Because the price says nothing about opening hours, how often the shuttle runs or how late returns are handled. Compare the service as closely as the total for your dates.
Is a car park without the badge less reliable?
No, it simply has not been visited yet. All our partners sign our contract and we check their documents: company registration, insurance and the right to operate the site.
Do you make real bookings to test car parks?
Yes. We make test bookings, like a customer, to check the car handover, timing, the shuttle, the return and how support responds. It adds the experience of a real stay to what our visits show about the site.
Can I report a problem I noticed on site?
Yes. Write to us or call our support: a real person answers Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 17:00. Common questions are also covered in our FAQ.
Want to leave with a car park we know? Compare car parks at your airport on Comparkly: the total for your stay is shown with all fees included, and the Verified by Comparkly badge shows you the car parks we have visited, with the date.
