For week‑plus trips, locals skip P1 Long Stay entirely
On trips longer than 7 days from T1 at Falcone–Borsellino, Palermo regulars usually park at independent lots like Piraineto or Parkos‑listed operators instead of the on‑airport P1 Long Stay, because the off‑airport daily undercuts the official long‑stay once you cross several days.
P1 Long Stay sits on the airport grounds near T1 and is an uncovered car park, so your car stays in the open under the Sicilian sun and sea air for the full duration of your stay, unlike some private competitors around PMO that advertise shaded or indoor spaces.
The official P1 Long Stay sells itself as the dedicated option for long‑stay trips with a daily tariff, but on third‑party broker Parclick many PMO users searching “long stay” still end up booking external car parks instead, because the per‑day price gap becomes obvious when you compare totals for 8, 10, or 14 nights.
One TripAdvisor review of nearby Piraineto Airport Parking mentions leaving a car there for 19 days and calling out “low prices and impeccable service to and from the airport,” which is exactly the kind of multi‑week stay where P1 Long Stay tends to lose on value against off‑airport shuttle lots.
In the British Airways Palermo thread, a poster jokes about “Mafia organised parking” when talking about the airport‑run system, a not‑so‑subtle dig at pricing across PMO’s official car parks that includes P1 Long Stay and hints that you pay a premium just for being inside the airport perimeter.
Regulars on forums say their rule is simple: use P1 Long Stay only if you want the on‑foot walk to T1 and you’re parking for just a few days; for anything longer than a long weekend, price out Piraineto and other Parkos or Parclick options side‑by‑side before you lock in.
Practical tip: for a 10‑day holiday from PMO T1, get quotes from at least two off‑airport providers and compare the total against P1 Long Stay’s daily; if the saving covers one tank of petrol back into Palermo, most locals say it’s worth the extra shuttle hop.