Prebook and enter
How to prebook and enter with a QR code
Prebooking parking at Melbourne Airport takes a few minutes and removes the least enjoyable part of the drive. This page walks the whole sequence, from picking a car park to scanning out at the end of your trip.
At a glance
When you can book
The online system opens 12 months ahead and closes 2 hours before arrival. That is a wide window, and it means there is rarely a good reason to drive in unbooked.
What you drive in with
A QR code lands in your confirmation email. It is tied to the specific car park you chose and is scanned at the gate machine on the way in and on the way out.
What decides the rest
Your terminal comes first. After that it is a straight choice between close-walk parking and the shuttle network, and that choice depends on trip length and luggage.
Step one
Work out your terminal before anything else
Before you open a booking form, know which terminal you are flying from. Getting this right first turns the rest of the booking into a straight choice rather than a guess.
Who serves which terminal
If your plans move between terminals later, update the booking rather than driving to the wrong gate.
Terminal first, car park second — the order that keeps the booking simple
Step two
Decide between walking and shuttling
Close-walk parking
Terminal, premium and valet parking put you within walking distance of the doors. You park, you walk, you are at check-in. Nothing waits on a timetable, which is the part that matters on a short trip or when the bags are heavy.
Suits short trips, early departures, and anyone moving more than a carry-on.
Shuttle parking
The value car parks, including Value South, use the free shuttle that runs every 15 minutes, 24 hours a day. You park further out, hand the luggage to the bus, and ride the last stretch to the terminal.
Suits long holidays, where the rate matters more than the last 100 metres.
Neither option is better in the abstract. The choice comes down to trip length and how much luggage you are moving. For long holidays the value network usually wins on rate; for short trips or heavy bags, close-walk parking tends to be the one people do not regret.
Step three
Book inside the window
Melbourne Airport's online booking system opens 12 months in advance and closes 2 hours before arrival. Booking early matters most during school holidays and long weekends, when the close car parks fill first.
If you are booking flights and parking at the same time, you are already well inside the window. That is the moment to lock in your preferred car park rather than taking whatever is left on the day. Booking parking on the day of travel is possible right up to 2 hours before arrival — after that you would be arriving without a booking and paying the drive-up rate at whatever car park has space.
Worth knowing
A prebooked rate is fixed at the time you book. The drive-up rate at the gate is whatever that car park charges on the day, and it applies to anyone who arrives without a booking.
Peak periods are the practical constraint. School holidays and long weekends are when the close car parks run out first, and when waiting until the week of travel costs you the choice.
Step four
Save the QR code before you leave home
Your confirmation email holds the QR code, and it is tied to the car park you booked. Save it to your phone wallet or take a screenshot before you travel.
Do this at home, on wifi, rather than in the car park where signal and battery are both less reliable than you would like. The code is what opens the gate at both ends of your trip, so it works as your ticket. An email you cannot open on roaming is not a usable QR code.
One code, saved once, opens the entry gate and the exit gate on the same booking.
Step five
Entry at the boom gate
On arrival, drive to the car park you booked and scan the QR code at the gate machine. There is no ticket to collect and no booth window to deal with.
The gate reads the code, confirms the booking and the arm lifts. The common failure here is arriving at the wrong car park. The code is matched to your chosen location, so it will not open a gate somewhere else. If you have switched terminals since booking, update the booking rather than trying the code and hoping.
At the gate, in order
Step six
Exit on your return
The same QR code gets you out. Scan it at the exit gate when you leave, whether you are collecting the car after a two-week holiday or a single night.
Because the exit runs on the code rather than a ticket, there is nothing to lose between the terminal and the car. Keep it saved on your phone for the whole trip, and leave it in your wallet when you tidy up notifications at the departure gate.
Arrive back at the car park you booked and scan out at the exit gate with the same code.
If your plans change
You can book as late as 2 hours before arrival, so a late change of plan does not automatically leave you unbooked. If your return flight shifts, the QR code still opens the exit gate. A delay does not lock you out of the car park.
For changes made before you travel, check the terms attached to your booking in the confirmation email. The general principle is that the earlier you make the change, the more options you have, particularly in peak periods when the close car parks are full. That is also why it pays to know your terminal before you book, rather than after: a booking tied to the wrong car park cannot be fixed at the gate.
Mistake one
Booking one park, driving to another
The most frequent error. The code is matched to the car park on the booking, so it will not open a gate somewhere else.
Mistake two
Not saving the code before travelling
An email you cannot open on roaming is not a usable code. Save it or screenshot it at home, on wifi.
Mistake three
Choosing value parking without the shuttle wait
The free shuttle runs every 15 minutes, 24 hours a day. Add that interval to your timings and the morning stays calm.
Questions travellers ask before booking
Short answers to the four things that come up most often when people prebook airport parking at Melbourne Airport.
How far in advance can I prebook Melbourne Airport parking?
Online bookings are available from 12 months before arrival up to 2 hours before you arrive.
How do I receive the QR code?
It is issued in your confirmation email. Save it to your phone wallet or take a screenshot before you travel.
Can I use the QR code at a different car park?
No. Melbourne Airport states the QR code is tied to the specific car park booked, and it is scanned at the gate machine on entry and exit.
Can I book parking on the day of travel?
You can book up to 2 hours before arrival. After that, you would be arriving without a booking and paying the drive-up rate at whatever car park has space.
Ready to lock in your car park?
Know your terminal, decide between walking and shuttling, and book inside the window. It takes a few minutes now and removes the guesswork on the morning of the flight.
Still need a hand
Melbourne Airport Parking Prebook, Level 2, Terminal 2, Departure Drive, Melbourne Airport, VIC 3045, Australia. Open 24 hours, 7 days.
Phone +61 3 9297 1600 or email [email protected].