Archive for the ‘Airport Parking News & Information’ Category

eathrow Airport Parking, Gatwick Airport Parking, Liverpool Airport Parking, each airport has different parking facilities all of which can make it difficult to decide which parking provider to choose. This article explains what to look out for when deciding who to leave your vehicle with when you take that trip, be it for pleasure or business.

The tips below are in no particular order, as all are in valuable when parking:

Distance To The Airport
Just how far is your chosen car park from the airport you are travelling from? This is an important factor as this will depend on what time you have to leave for the airport. Generally the further away, the cheaper the price.

Insurance
Always check what sort of insurance the car park has. Some less reputable companies out there will not have any insurance at all, so if anything happened to your car you wouldn’t have a leg to stand on. Car parks do not generally advertise their level of insurance so make sure you ask. If they are reluctant to tell you then avoid them like the plague as generally there will be a reason for that.

Security
Just how secure is your vehicle? Most car parks will give a brief outline of their security measures by stating things such as 24 hour security, perimeter fencing etc. These sort of statements can be hugely exaggerated so again, please ask the question. Companies with nothing to hide will not have a problem telling you.

Awards
There are many safe parking awards out there such as the Police Park Mark award. These are given out buy the local police in reward for meeting their stringent parking safety standards. Some companies advertise the fact that different car parks have them and some dont. Its worth booking with a car park that has won awards as they have gone that extra mile to ensure your vehicle is safe.

Car Location
Some car parks offering Edinburgh Airport Parking & Stansted Airport Parking have recently been in the media because they were found out by under cover journalists to be moving vehicles once they have been parked up. The customers believed their vehicles were in the same place when in actual fact car park staff and owners were moving them from place to place. With the introduction of tracking devices it is becoming increasingly difficult to get away with this. One sure fire way to avoid this is to insist on a written mileage check when leaving your vehicle and check it when you collect.

Shuttle Frequency
Car parks offering a park and ride service will generally have a shuttle service running. Make sure you check whether it is a dedicated transfer or a shuttle bus that runs continually. If the service is a continuous service then you could be waiting some time both ends to be taken to the airport or dropped back off at the car park.

Damage to your vehicle
This is hugely important. Always get a written record of damage when leaving your vehicle and always check it upon your return. If you do see any damage please make sure you report it before you leave the car park. The reason for this is that most companies will not accept liabilty for any damage claimed after the vehicle leaves the car park.

Price
Remember not to go for a company purely based on price. The cheapest isn’t always the best. The old adage also applies to airport parking – you definately get what you pay for.

Reviews
Most booking agents have a review section on their websites. You will find good feedback and bad feedback here. Make a point of spending a reasonable amount of time reading these reviews as these reviews are from real people who have used the service before. This tip is probably the best tip of all of the tips in this article. After your trip has finished, remember to leave a review of your chosen car park so as to help others make the correct decision for their parking provider.

Disabled and Child Facilities
This may seem obvious but a lot of people just take it as sorted. If choosing a meet and greet parking provider there is no need to check for disabled or child facilities as you will be in your own vehicle. If however you choose a park and ride facility make sure they carry a range of child safety seats to suit the age of your children and also that their vehicles have wheel chair access.

There are many many more things to check when choosing and experiencing airport parking no matter which airport you are travelling from. By following the above guidelines though, you shouldnt go far wrong.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to journey across the ocean to discover a culture or place that is unlike anything you are accustomed? If you wish to travel to a beautiful place one of the first places to visit should be Edinburgh Scotland. In 2007, Edinburgh Airport UK allowed over 9 million passengers to travel to and from Scotland. The M9 as well as M90 motorway very easily accesses Edinburgh Airport. There are multiple forms of transportation for access to the airport.

The Past
Have you ever stop to wonder how places were built or the history behind the building? The current building serving as terminal was actually constructed back in 1977 by a designer by the name of Robert Matthew. However, the control tower was not completed until 2005. Since 1977, the building has been upgraded with new facilities. The original terminal has quite an exciting history.

Edinburgh Airport was once known as Turnhouse Aerodrome, which was a base for defense during World War I. It was opened in 1915 and use to house airplanes used during the war such as DH 9As and Hawker Hind light bombers among others. The airstrip for this facility at this time was just grass. Then in 1918, this facility was turned into the RAF Turnhouse. RAF stands for the Royal Air Force. This base also was a part of World War II. After the fighter command took charge there was roughly 4,000 feet of pavement laid in order to handle the aircraft known as the Vickers Supermarine Spitfire.

After many years under military control, the first services used commercially were in 1947 when British European Airways was developed. This airline flew between Edinburgh and the city of London. Then in 1952, 6000 feet of pavement was poured to extend the runway. In 1980 there were two international flights to Amsterdam as well Dublin. The next two places were France and Germany.

The Present
Moving forward into the present, the air traffic tower reaching a height of roughly 190 feet was completed in 2005 costing approximately £10m (€16m). There were six gates added in 2006. The main runway’s resurfacing was completed in November of 2008. Because of this the runway will last another 15 years before anything needs to be done. Along with the resurfacing of the runway, the construction of the departure lounge began in December of 2008.
The Future

Let’s jump ahead to the future of Edinburgh Airport UK. The tram network for Edinburgh is projected to make a connection to the airport by 2011. Throughout the next decade a total of £250m is to be spent on upgrading the airport. By 2030, the numbers of travelers are expected to exceed 26 million each year.

In Conclusion
It’s exciting to think that a facility could grow from a small military base all the way to a major airport. There have definitely been an amazing amount of work put into making the airport what it is today. It looks like there are some really great things in store for the Edinburgh Airport UK.

Males Garage was the first Manchester Airport Parking Company at Manchester Airport but what follows is the story of how Manchester Airport Parking was born and how it has evolved over the years. From the cinder area of yester year to the huge industry it is today.

1953 and 1954 were massive years for Manchester Airport as they started to operate cutting edge aircraft such as the Convair liners and flying out to more European destinations. Long haul aircraft such as the DC-6 started to turn up in ever increasing numbers as air traffic increased at Manchester Airport.

Manchester Airports terminals by 1954 were expanding at a phenomenal rate as passenger figures reached approximately two hundred and fifty thousand. Three months after officially changing its name to Manchester Airport they reached their one-millionth passenger who incidentally travelled to the glamorous destination of the Isle of Man.

All this growth at Manchester Airport saw an increase in motor traffic and an opening for the first Manchester Airport car park. One young person was about to fill this gap. Jack Males the owner of Males Garage, an ex serviceman who had recently returned home to Wythenshawe opened up a small tractor repair company a short distance away from Manchester Airport not knowing the opportunity that was about to come his way.

As well as the rapid growth of Manchester Airport Males Tractor Services also expanded and branched out into plant hire and construction work. During this expansion of both businesses people would travel from Manchester Airport and at the time the car parking at Manchester Airport consisted of nothing more than a small cinder area close to the terminal with the capacity for only fifty cars. Upon their return travellers would have problems starting their vehicles so naturally went looking for help at the nearest place possible. Luckily for Jack Males and Males Garage they were the closest, so benefited from this extra trade by starting vehicles and providing small repairs.

This simple act of help would revolutionise the Manchester Airport Parking industry, as we know it today. Males Garage car storage was born, offering a secure alternative to the standard cinder path that was previously used, as well as still offering the convenience of being close to the airport. Over the years Males Garage went from strength to strength and for fifty-three years have been at the top of the parking food chain offering excellent customer service resulting in many customers returning year after year.

It was inevitable that during those fifty three years Males Garage could not possibly continue to be the only off airport Manchester Airport Parking provider and other companies started to spring up to keep up with the growth of Manchester Airport and its ever increasing passenger list. Despite this ever increasing growth in off airport parking companies Males Garage continued to operate and saw so many smaller companies come and go.

In 2007 a minimum of twenty two million people passed through Manchester Airport with still more to come. Manchester Airport decided they wanted the land where Males Garage stood and after fifty-three years of trading made Jack Males of Males garage an offer he could not refuse. I am sure all of the other Manchester Airport Parking companies in the area who have grown businesses as a result of Jacks insight all them years ago would like to say a huge thank you to Jack for the birth of Manchester Airport Parking as we know it today.

Standing at the carousel at Manchester Airport after a long or short haul flight hoping and praying that your luggage will appear. After what seems to be an eternity of waiting, you finally decide that your luggage has not arrived back with you and wonder what you are supposed to do next. This article describes what you can do to get your luggage back as quickly as possible.

First of all we need to understand why luggage goes missing in the first place. Missing luggage can usually be put down to human error. There are many different people who will interact with your luggage during its long journey and you are dependent such people as baggage handlers, check in personnel and security staff all getting their individual jobs absolutely right. Unfortunately we do not live in an ideal world and things will go wrong and unfortunately it could be your bag that gets lost.

Once you have realised that your bag is missing the first thing you need to do is report it missing at the lost baggage desk. At Manchester Airport these desks can usually be found in the baggage return areas but. Any member of staff will be able to direct you to the nearest desk should you have difficulty in locating them.

When reporting your lost luggage be sure to give as detailed a description as you can as it is much easier to locate a bag if they know what they are looking for. You may also be asked for a description of your luggage contents, again as much detail as possible but not totally necessary as nobody will expect you to know everything you have packed in your luggage.

Unfortunately there is no set time limit for finding lost luggage and airlines will more than likely not declare your luggage as officially lost until approximately 21 days so with any luck it will turn up naturally before then. There are various agencies that can help with lost luggage and are not difficult to find. they are off airport companies and more than likely a member of staff will give out their details. After the twenty one day period if your luggage still has not turned up you are entitled in most cases to claim compensation from your airline for your losses. I realise that this really is not what you would like but at least if you are aware of this fact you may get something back, then its not a total loss. In some cases airlines may be obliged to pay up to eight hundred pounds per person for lost luggage.

A very important note that everybody should know and not many people do, is that most airlines will try and persuade their customers to claim for any lost luggage through their own personal travel insurance. You are well within your rights to push the airline for direct compensation as under the Montreal Convention if an airline accepts any item as checked baggage it must accept liability for it. Most travel policies do not cover lost luggage but if they do they will no doubt be claiming the money back directly off the airline anyway.

The long and short of lost luggage is, that there really is no hard or fast or even guaranteed way to get your luggage back. Only ways and means to try. Armed with this information you will stand more than a fighting chance of getting your luggage back or at least some money to help ease the pain.

We have all experienced the nightmare of the check in desk when travelling from any airport let alone Manchester. The long queues, slow check in personnel and the family in front that have numerous children who are all excited about going on holiday and who’s parents cannot find their passports without emptying hundreds of bags first.

None of this helps to get your holiday off to a stress free start like you deserve. Manchester Airport is one of the biggest airports in the UK and along with the likes of Jet2.com, BMI Baby and various other airlines they have come up with various ways to reduce check in times. Read on to find out how to beat the queues at Manchester.

Online Check In

Online check in normally opens 24 hours prior to flight departure and is available from various airlines that fly out of Manchester Airport, a list of which can be found in the resource section at the bottom of this article. This service is only available for passengers travelling with hand luggage only, and all the usual security restrictions still apply.

Express Check In

Online check in is the brainchild of the airlines whereas Express Check in is Manchester Airports contribution to speeding things up. This system is advertised by Manchester Airport as “no queues no hassle”. All sounds to good to be true but in reality this service is a lifesaver and a long time in coming.

Express check-in kiosks can be found scattered all around the departure lounges at Manchester Airport and are brightly coloured for easy spotting. There all touch screen and extremely easy to use. All you need to do is input your passport, e-ticket or credit card number, follow the on screen instructions and produce your own boarding pass. All that is left for you to do then is drop your luggage off at the designated drop off point and head straight for security.

Sounds to simple and puts a lot of people off as they are required to process their booking themselves. Fear not. The kiosks are designed with simplicity in mind and are all touch screen with clear and easy to follow instructions. A dedicated member of staff is always at hand to assist you in the use of these machines so there really is no need to worry about making a mistake.

Online and express check in has categorically reduced waiting times at Manchester Airport and will continue to reduce them as long as people continue to use them. These services are not advertised nearly enough by Manchester Airport or the airlines so it is important to spread the word.

Long queues plague the airport industry Globally. The UK is lucky enough to have a handful of some the best and most efficient airports worldwide Manchester being one of them. Anybody who has travelled back from another European airport will no doubt agree with this.

I’m sure there are variations on Express and Online check in through out the world so let’s hope that all airports take a leaf out of Manchester’s book and adopt them sooner rather than later.

Park and ride parking is the oldest and cheapest form of Airport Parking there is, and this article gives the low down on exactly what can be expected if you book this kind of service.

As park and ride airport parking is cheaper than meet and greet the whole process is slightly longer. In past years park and ride was nowhere near as good or efficient as it is today and is now holding its own against the likes of meet and greet airport parking.

With park and ride airport parking the customer drives to the car park and hops on a transfer coach that would then take them to Manchester Airport for instance. Upon the customers arrival back into the country they would hop back on the transfer coach and be taken back to the car park where they then collect their vehicle.

There are still airport car parks out there who do not run dedicated transfer coaches which im sure you can appreciate slow the whole process down. In the main most park and ride providers generally follow the same procedure.

The customer drives direct to the car park where he parks in the arrival bay and gos to the reception. They will probably be asked to fill out a small form with such details as mileage registration etc and asked to hand over their keys. The customer’s luggage will then be placed onto the transfer minibus and the customer will be taken to the airport terminal.

Once the customer has left the car park their vehicle will be removed from the arrival bay and parked securely in the main car park where it can be accessed upon the customers return.

When the customer arrives back into the country they will call the number provided upon their departure and the airport parking provider will despatch the minibus to collect them and bring them back. Most companies now will run to and from the airport with one customer on the minibus but some airport parking providers will still insist the minibus is full before leaving. As a result please check the more info pages on our site  for details of this.

When the customer arrives back at the car park their car will be waiting again in the arrival bay. Your keys need to be collected from reception and the car will be released.

Overall park and ride parking is a much cheaper but with all businesses there are sharks out there so be sure to check out the airport parking provider carefully. MF Airport Parking are local to Manchester Airport and offer Manchester Airport Parking only. As we are a local company we are familiar with all of the airport parking providers we use and can guarantee their professionalism. We are always on hand to answer any questions you may have about any of the Manchester Airport Parking car parks we offer so please feel free to email us at info@mfairportparking.com

We at MF Airport Parking are continually trying to improve the parking process and like to lead from the front. We are always eager to hear from our customers or potential customers so if anybody has any views on park and ride or can simply think of a way to improve the service then please get in touch, either by posting a comment here or by emailing us at info@mfairportparking.com