JetParks 3 Manchester Airport Review: What It’s Really Like

Whenever we fly from Manchester Airport, we always book JetParks 3 for our airport parking. We’ve been using it for at least five years now and, although we always compare the different parking options before we book, we keep coming back to JetParks 3 because it’s easy, reasonably priced and we’ve never had a bad experience with it.

If you’re considering booking JetParks 3 at Manchester Airport and wondering what it’s actually like, I thought I’d share our experience of using it, including how easy it is to find, what happens when you arrive, how the shuttle buses work and how long you need to allow to get from the car park to the terminal.

Finding JetParks 3 and getting in

Finding JetParks 3 couldn’t really be much easier. We literally put the postcode into Apple Maps and it takes us straight there, so there’s no drama trying to work out where we’re going as we get closer to Manchester Airport.

When we get to the entrance, the barrier magically lifts for us which, I’m told by my partner, means that it has recognised our number plate from our booking. Either way, there’s no ticket to find or booking reference to dig out. We just drive straight in.

JetParks 3 is huge and I do think it can look a bit overwhelming when you first get there. You drive in and there are what looks like thousands of cars around you while you’re slowly driving along looking for a space.

We’ve learned not to panic and grab the first space we see. We tend to drive a little further round and we’ve never had an issue finding somewhere to park. The last time we used JetParks 3 was in August and we found a space within two and a half minutes – I actually timed it especially for this review. 😂

What are the parking spaces like at JetParks 3?

The parking spaces are normal sized. We have a big Skoda Kodiaq and we’ve never had any problems fitting into a space, so I wouldn’t be concerned about parking there if you have a larger car.

One thing we really like is that you park your own car and keep your keys with you. There’s no handing your keys over and nobody needs to move your car while you’re away.

The ground around the car park is quite gravelly rather than being a completely smooth surface, but we’ve never had any problems wheeling our suitcases over it.

It’s also well lit. We’ve arrived at JetParks 3 at all sorts of times over the years, both day and night, and on our most recent trip we arrived at around 4am with no issues at all.

I can’t tell you how visible the security presence is because I’ve genuinely never looked for it, but the car park is barrier controlled on the way in and out.

Getting the courtesy bus from JetParks 3

The beauty of JetParks 3 is that although the car park itself is pretty big, there are bus stops throughout it, so wherever we’ve parked we’ve never had far to walk with our cases.

We’ve never waited more than about ten minutes for a bus and we’ve never had one arrive so full that we’ve needed to wait for the next one.

The buses have proper luggage racks with plenty of room for cases and we’ve always found the drivers brilliant. They’ll often leave their cab to help people lift their cases onto the racks and they always make sure everything is safely stowed before setting off.

In our experience, the buses serve all of the terminals. There may be additional services at busier times, but every bus we’ve used has travelled around the terminals dropping people off where they need to be.

How long does the JetParks 3 bus take?

The journey itself is pretty quick, although the exact time obviously depends on which terminal you’re flying from.

The approximate journey times are:

• Terminal 1 – 15 minutes
• Terminal 2 – 19 minutes
• Terminal 3 – 12 minutes

We’re quite cautious when it comes to airport timings, so we allow ourselves around 45 minutes from arriving at JetParks 3 to getting to the terminal.

That gives us time to find a parking space, get our luggage out, triple check that we’ve locked the car, walk to the bus stop, wait for the bus and then make the journey over to the airport.

We’ve generally got time to spare, but I’d much rather have that than be standing at a bus stop stressing about whether we’re going to get to the terminal on time.

Remember where you parked!

My biggest tip for using JetParks 3 is ridiculously simple: take a photo of the bus stop where you get on.

The car park is massive and after a holiday there’s absolutely no chance I’m relying on my memory to remember exactly where we left the car.

Taking a quick photo means that when you get on the bus at the airport on your return journey, you know exactly which stop you need to get off at.

Getting back to JetParks 3 after your holiday

Coming back is just as straightforward. The bus stops are outside the terminals, so once you’ve collected your luggage and made your way out of the airport, they’re really easy to find.

The queues do seem to be bigger on the way back than they are when you’re travelling to the airport, which makes sense as everyone is waiting together at the same stop rather than being spread across all the different stops throughout JetParks 3.

We’ve still never had to wait for a second bus though.

Once you’re back at your stop, you find your car, load up the luggage and drive towards the exit.

It’s basically the same process as when you arrived. You drive up to the barrier, it recognises your car again, gives you a little goodbye message and the barrier lifts.

And that’s it. You’re off home.

After travelling, collecting luggage and getting back to the car, the last thing I want is another complicated process just to get out of an airport car park, so I really appreciate how easy this bit is.

How much does JetParks 3 cost?

JetParks 3 is one of the cheapest official parking options at Manchester Airport. JetParks Ringway is usually a little cheaper, but after that the price starts to go up as you look at the other parking options closer to the terminals.

We still tend to choose JetParks 3 over Ringway. We’ve used it for years, we know exactly where we’re going and how everything works, and JetParks 3 is that little bit closer to the airport too.

The actual price you pay will depend on your dates, how long you’re going away for and how far in advance you book, so it’s worth comparing the different options for your own trip rather than relying on a particular price someone else has paid.

I also always check TopCashback before I book to see what cashback is available through Holiday Extras. JetParks often comes up as an option, so I can usually get a few pounds back on the cost of the booking.

It’s not a massive saving, but if I’m booking the parking anyway then I might as well get a little bit of it back.

Why we keep choosing JetParks 3

One thing I don’t think I’d really appreciated until we’d used JetParks 3 a few times is that it means we don’t have to drive right into the busiest parts of Manchester Airport.

The roads around the terminals can get ridiculously busy, whereas we can drive straight to JetParks 3, leave the car and let the bus driver deal with the airport traffic.

For me, that’s another point in its favour. I’d much rather sit on the courtesy bus for the last part of the journey than be navigating busy airport roads when I’m already thinking about checking in, luggage and whether I’ve remembered everything.

We’ve been using JetParks 3 for at least five years now and we’ve never had a bad experience. It’s easy to find, we’ve always found a space quickly, the buses have been reliable and the whole process at the beginning and end of the holiday is straightforward.

It’s not the closest parking option to Manchester Airport and you do need to factor in the shuttle bus journey, but that’s the trade-off for choosing one of the cheaper official parking options.

For us, it’s a trade-off we’re more than happy with, which is why we keep booking JetParks 3 every time we fly from Manchester.