Airport Parking News

www.Parctel.com: A Leicestershire man who yesterday successfully pulled an Eastern Airways aircraft at East Midlands Airport (EMA) using just his ears has submitted his remarkable achievement for inclusion in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Manjit Singh (pictured below) from Highfields in Leicester teamed up with award winning UK regional airline to pull the 7.4 tonne Jetstream 41 passenger aircraft 12 feet along the Castle Donington taxiway using his ears.

“I’m so thrilled and happy to have pulled off this new challenge,” said Manjit. “The hardest part was to get the aircraft moving, but once it was, I was able put the pain out of my mind and concentrate on moving it as far as I could. This was definitely the toughest challenge I’ve attempted using my ears.”

East Midlands Airport’s Communications Manager, Ryan Martinez said,
“Manjit is truly amazing…I’ve never quite seen anything like it before, incredible. It was great to be able to offer East Midlands Airport as the venue for this record breaking attempt”.

Darren Roberts, Eastern Airways’ Communications Manager said,
“At first I thought I was hearing things when we were approached, as we’ve taken part in aircraft pulls in the past, but not by anyone using their ears. This is an amazing feat that Manjit has achieved and we’re delighted to have been able to assist him by providing our aircraft.”

Manjit, aged 57, is no stranger to tough challenges and already holds 30 World records including the strongest lungs in the world, pulling a double decker bus with his hair 78.2 metres and lifting 85kgs with his ears.

Sponsorship money was raised by Manjit for the event which will go towards his charity – Manjit Fitness Academy – which plans to give opportunities in sport to children living in Mahilpur, where Manjit was born.

CHRIS JOHNSTON was delighted when he booked a five-week break in the Algarve for just £299.

So you can imagine his fury when he picked up his car at the airport on his return... only to be hit by a bill for £419.

Chris and wife Anna paid £41 for parking before flying out to Portugal. But bungling bosses at Prestwick Airport charged him another £378 when he checked out of the car park.

Retired policeman Chris, 73, and Anna, 68, a retired hospital auxiliary, were switched from a cheap long-stay car park to a short stay one because of building works.

They phoned and wrote to complain after the holiday in March but got nowhere. Chris, of Airdrie, said: "I got bed and breakfast at a four-star hotel for five weeks for £299. But it's hardly a bargain when you're hit with a huge bill for parking.

"I only realised they had taken the money when I got my bank statement a month later."

I got on to the airport and they quickly refunded the £378.

A spokesman said: "We have been working on a series of improvements to our car parks. Unfortunately a small number of customers have been relocated to premium car parks because of the closure of the older car parks.

"In this case an additional charge was made in error and we have offered a full apology to Mr Johnston."

Glad I got them on the right road.

Source: The Sunday Mail

Ampco System Parking, a wholly owned subsidiary of ABM Industries Incorporated (NYSE:ABM), has been awarded a multiyear, multimillion dollar contract renewal with Orlando International Airport, which is operated by the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority. The contract covers all valet and public parking operations for the airport’s parking facilities, encompassing more than 21,000 parking stalls.

“We are pleased to continue serving the airlines, passengers, management and staff at the Orlando International Airport, one of the 10 busiest airports in the nation,” said Rich Kindorf, president of Ampco System Parking. “With our extensive experience in airport and transportation parking operations, we are committed to providing the airport with the type of world-class customer service people have come to expect,” he added.

“We place great emphasis on our ability to provide world-class customer service for our nearly 35 million travelers each year. Key to moving more passengers than any other airport in Florida is our ability to efficiently manage and operate state-of-the-art parking facilities,” says Ron Lewis, director of Airport Operations, Orlando International Airport.

Conveniently located in the heart of Orlando, Florida, Orlando International Airport is served by more than 80 airlines, making travel convenient for more than 30 million passengers annually. Covering an area of almost 15,000 acres, Orlando International Airport encompasses the third largest airport area in the U.S., and has recently been rated as the favorite airport of American travelers according to TripAdvisor.com, the largest travel related community in the world.

Ampco System Parking is an industry leader, operating more than 1,600 lots and garages in 30 states, including parking facilities at or adjacent to such major international airports as Austin, Buffalo, Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, Honolulu, Omaha, Orlando, Philadelphia, San Jose and Seattle.

Source: Business Wire
Contact AMPCO

Recently, I had occasion to go across to Scotland on a brief visit. Being aware that there had been some dissatisfaction over parking charges at Aldergrove, and not having used those facilities for several years, I made a point of asking advice from a uniformed security man where I should park for between two and three days.

He recommended that I leave my car in the short stay car park. On my return, I entered my parking card in the paying machine and was taken aback to read that the charge amounted to £28.50.

Fortunately, I had enough cash in my pocket.

The Aldergrove management, or the holder of the parking franchise, is on to a winner, for there's gold under the tarmac.

Perhaps one or the other would like to say what service was provided to me for the 53 hours that would justify the charge of £28.50.

It's about time a Government regulatory body looked into such unjustified overcharging.

Source: L Cardy Carrickfergus. Letters Page, Belfast Telegraph

Stewart Airport – The new found success of Stewart Airport with the recent addition of two major discount airlines has caused an instant problem with the once near-empty parking lot.

The lot is now overflowing with airport officials scurrying to find alternate parking. One extra parking lot, a couple of blocks from the terminal, has been reopened and other parking is planned, said airport spokeswoman Tanya Vanasse.

“They did put in automatic parking machines in the alternate lot, so the process has gotten a little easier for customers to use that alternate lot,” she said. “We have opened up another area that gives us a little additional parking. We have done some things that were quick fixes that make the process easier.” Airport officials are in the process of paving one area to make way for more parking space near the terminal.

In the long term, the airport will explore other alternatives including the possibility of building decked parking.

Source: Mid Hudson News

PASSENGERS at Manchester Airport are to be sent free up-to-the-minute boarding and departure times direct to their mobile phone.

People travelling through Terminal 1 are being offered the flight details, along with special shopping deals and parking information, as part of a pilot scheme launched this week.

As soon as passengers with a Bluetooth-enabled phone arrive at the airport, they will receive a message asking them if they want to receive the information.

If they accept, they can then tap into a system offering the updates. It is aimed at allowing passengers to relax without the need to continually check departure boards.

The airport's director of innovation Yemmi Agbebi said: "This is an incredibly exciting technology which will help make it easier for our passengers to get vital flight information and find out about special offers.

"Most importantly, they can relax and enjoy a meal or visit the shops knowing that any gate information or changes to their departure time will be delivered straight to their palm."
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Most of the airport's flights to Europe and other package holiday destinations depart from Terminal 1.

If the scheme proves a success, it will be extended to cover flights from Terminal 2, including many to the US, and Terminal 3, where British Airways, Flybe and BMI desks are based.

The technology, developed by Peak Software, could also be extended to other airports across the country. It has been designed to avoid the nuisance factor' for regular fliers by sending only one invitation per month to each mobile phone user.

Source: Andy McFarlane, The Bolton News

www.Parctel.com: On Saturday 21 April 2007, air traffic control operations will move to a state of the art new £50m facility, designed as part of the Terminal 5 project.

Air traffic controllers have undergone an extensive training programme in advance of the move to familiarise themselves with the new view of the airport and new equipment. As a precautionary measure, to ensure the change in operations is undertaken as safely as possible the airport will operate a temporary reduced landing rate.

Reduced landing rates will create additional demand on the peak early morning/evening periods. In order to ease potential disruption, a small number of aircraft will be permitted to arrive early between 5am and 6am in the morning, in addition to the usual flights landing in this period and in the event of a build up of delay, a small number of arrivals and departures after 1130 pm at night.

BAA, NATS and the airlines are working together to ensure that these night time arrivals/departures are kept to a minimum and that normal operations are restored as quickly as possible.

These short term changes are expected to be necessary for a few days after transition.

“We acknowledge that for some local residents this will have an effect on the level of aircraft noise that they experience. We sincerely apologise for the disturbance to local residents during this necessary change to operations.” Mark Bullock, Managing Director said.

www.Parctel.com: A brand new route from Southampton to Frankfurt has launched today. The start of the new route means that business travellers can now fly from Southampton to four key European hubs, including; Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris.

Nick-named ‘Bankfurt’, Frankfurt is largely considered to be the financial hub of Germany, home to the Central European Bank and over 400 banking institutions. Over 12 million visitors travel to Frankfurt annually for international trade fairs and conventions. In addition, the city is rich in history and culture, and provides excellent shopping facilities, including Christmas markets during December.

Kathy Slack, Area Director for South East of England Development Agency (SEEDA), commented: “I am delighted to see further expansion of routes into Germany. Our recent Regional Economic Strategy for the South East has highlighted the need for businesses to be globally competitive and this development will help businesses and the significant growth area of South Hampshire gain a competitive advantage.”

James Chestnutt, the Director General Southampton and Fareham Chamber of Commerce, said: “This is great news for the Airport, Flybe and the Southampton and regional business community. Frankfurt is a very important business centre and a significant addition to the Airports offer of business destinations. We can now fly to four of the biggest European business cities including Amsterdam, Brussels, Frankfurt and Paris, as well as many other destinations. This excellent news further enhances Southampton’s position as the regional city in which to do business.“

Stephen Myatt, Aerospace & Airport - International Trade Sector Adviser, UK Trade & Investment - Team South East, said: “In my role as the international trade advisor of aerospace and airports, I welcome the news. We work closely with the UK commercial officers at the UK Embassy and Consulates in Germany. We have much experience in dealing with the German market and in assisting companies using the routes for their German market development.”

Chris Butler, Managing Director at Southampton Airport, said: “A recent survey conducted by law firm Bond Pearce, highlighted that 95% of Hampshire companies are in favour of the growth of Southampton Airport. This new route is excellent news for the region’s businesses, and will further strengthen our connections throughout Europe.”

www.Parctel.com: Pupils at the Bedfont Junior School returned from their Easter break to find that the school had undergone a spring clean. A group made up of parents, teachers and over 25 staff from BAA Heathrow spent two days painting outside play areas, corridors and reception of the school in Hatton Road, East Bedfont.

The painting was organised by school governor and BAA Heathrow staff member Rachel Heydon, who not only arranged for painting supplies and refreshments to be donated by companies from across the airport, but also for four Community Support Officers and some of the school’s pupils to drop by and lend a hand.

“Painting the school was not only rewarding for all who took part, but also great fun. By getting some of the kids involved, I think we ended up with more paint on us than on the walls!” said Rachel Heydon.

The event was part of a long standing connection between the airport and schools in Bedfont. In 2006, BAA’s T5 charity donated over £3,000 to the Infant and Nursery school to replace books damaged books after a fire in the library. Volunteers from the airport regularly go into the school to help children read.

“Bedfont Junior School is an important part of the local community and it’s great to see the parents, teachers and young people getting together with BAA to help make their school better” said Alan Keen, Feltham and Heston MP who attended the event.

Rachel and her team will be organising another painting event at the school in June/July 2007, and people who want to take part should contact Rachel directly on rachel_heydon[at]baa.com.

www.Parctel.com: More than 10,000 people are using the Nottingham Skylink bus every week according to new statistics released today (17 April 2007).

Passenger numbers have increased by more than 100% year-on-year, since the service was launched back in May 2004. Between 2 April 2006 and 25 March 2007, 425,481 customers travelled to and from East Midlands Airport on the Skylink, compared to 216,463 the previous year (05/06).

East Midlands Airport Bus Partnership Spokeswoman, Kelly McHugh said,
“We’re really pleased that the Nottingham Skylink service is doing so well. These new figures show that more people are choosing public transport as a good, environmentally friendly way of getting to and from the Airport. The service is also widely used by many people working at the Castle Donington site and being 24 hours means that more job opportunities are closer to employees who live in the city”.

Fares start at £5.00 per adult. Couples and groups of up to six people can purchase a family ticket priced at £8.00, or for unlimited travel on the tram and other Nottingham City Transport services to connect onto the Skylink, can purchase a Family Day Network ticket at £8.50*.

The Nottingham Skylink picks up in the city centre at Friar Lane and the railway station. You can also catch it along its route at Trent Bridge, Wilford Lane and Clifton.

For more information call Skylink on 0115 950 60 70 or visit www.skylink.co.uk

www.Parctel.com: A bus service linking East Midlands Airport with surrounding villages Melbourne and Swadlincote has recently had its operating hours boosted thanks to funding from the Airport.

The Airlink 69 service now operates hourly from 4am to 11pm, with another service operating at 1am. During the new late night and early morning times, the service operates further a field to Church Gresley, Castle Gresley and Linton. The new timetable came into place on 25 March 2007.

East Midlands Airport Bus Partnership Spokeswoman, Kelly McHugh, said
“We are delighted that the service can now operate during the night. There has been a great response from employers who can now recruit from these areas for late night shifts. It will also benefit our Airport passengers on early morning flights.”

The Airlink 69 is operated by Arriva Midlands and runs 7 days a week, with fares starting at £3.

www.Parctel.com: The City Council of Oakland, California, has recently approved the purchase of 500 Cale MPC 104 solar powered multi-space terminals, accepting coins and credit cards, the latter to be processed on-line.

The first 500 terminals will be installed as soon as possible, as the city is keen to have the terminals installed and operational.

Once the parking operation of the central commercial areas of Oakland has been transformed from single space meters to parking terminals, the city will then consider how to expand the installation programme further and will work with Cale to replace the remaining single-space parking meters in the city, currently totalling 7700.

The Parking Director in Oakland, Francine Larkrith-Thompson and her staff have worked tirelessly to bring multi-space parking terminals to Oakland and Cale is proud to have her as a long-term partner.

Related Stories: Solar Powered Parking
Green Parking Solution

www.Parctel.com: Austrian-based SKIDATA AG, a member of the Swiss Kudelski Group and international leader in access management and ticketing, has been selected to replace the parking management system at Munich Airport. The contract calls for the replacement of more than 100 entrance and exit columns, and around 70 pay-on-foot machines. 20 of the payment machines are designed specifically for quick cashless payment. The project, which is scheduled to be completed by 2009, marks the continuation of the successful cooperation between SKIDATA AG and long-standing customer Munich Airport. The first SKIDATA® parking management system was installed at the then new Munich Airport back in 1992.

Fritz Steinlehner, head of parking management at the airport, commented the decision by saying, "Be-ing able to provide smooth, easy passenger parking is absolutely crucial at an international hub like Munich Airport. Based on our highly positive experience with SKIDATA so far, we went with them again, as we know them to be a reliable provider of innovative solutions that come fully prepared for future technologies."

Says Robert Weiskopf, a board member and head of the Car Access unit at SKIDATA: "The require-ments at Germany's second-largest airport are very complex. Their passenger car park is one of the largest in Europe, which requires the latest and most powerful technical equipment available."

The SKIDATA® solution supports every possible convenience, from a parking guidance system to closed-circuit TV and intercom systems at all entrances and exits, and even single-space recognition throughout the car park. All of these applications interface seamlessly and can be centrally controlled and monitored. The contactless badges used by airport staff were also easily integrated in the SKI-DATA® system.

www.JustParking.co.uk: A new, 400-space, Castlegate multi-storey car park opened on Monday, April 16, to become the third Q-Park car park in the city – introducing a ‘cluster’ system where all three car parks, including the Riverside and Station multi-storey car parks, share facilities, services and payment options, as well as high standards of safety and security.

The cluster system has been developed by Yorkshire-based Q-Park to offer motorists a real choice in a very competitive market, at the same time as raising the standard of customer service and security.

The cluster in Sheffield includes a wide range of payment options including residential and corporate season tickets, weekenders and overnights.

The opening of Castlegate marks the first time that Sheffield will have ever experienced such high standards of car parking. For motorists, the new services begin with the distinctively uniformed Q-Park hosts who not only man the Lodges at each car park, but also maintain a highly visible presence to help and offer advice to drivers and their passengers. Q-Park will also be introducing its free loans of baby buggies and umbrellas, as well as installing a heart defibrillator in the Lodge and a range of driving aids.

CCTV cameras will monitor movements within the car park, with images displayed in the Hosts’ Lodge and also at Q-Park’s Central Control Room, where they are recorded and held. Security is also enhanced through the use of the latest computer technology for barriers and payment machines.

As a result of the security measures the new Q-Park Castlegate car park will open with the award of the independent ParkMark certificate and the European Standard Parking Award.

In the coming months work will start on another new multi-storey car park at St. Paul’s, in the heart of the city, making Sheffield the first city in the UK to have a cluster of four Q-Park car parks.

“The opening of Castlegate and the launch of the Sheffield cluster marks a standard of car parking that the city has never known before. It is not just a new, high level of service for motorists, but it also complements the major regeneration in the city and provides services to meet increased demands,” says Q-Park Chief Executive Alan Ashbee.

The Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners on Monday unanimously awarded a multimillion-dollar contract to manage parking at Los Angeles International and Van Nuys airports, rejecting strenuous objections from competing bidders.

The board, which also oversees LA/Ontario International and LA/Palmdale Regional airports, considered the contract in closed session because of concern about a possible lawsuit.

Afterward, the board voted to give a three-year contract to New South Parking, with the option to renew the agreement for two more years. The contract will cost the airports agency $122 million over five years.

Staff reports recommended New South Parking because its projected costs over three and five years were the lowest. Five Star Parking, which currently manages parking at LAX and Van Nuys airports, submitted the next-lowest bid.

The contract at LAX, which is to expire at the end of May, is highly coveted, reflecting about 7 million parking transactions annually. Some lobbyists at Monday's meeting called the LAX contract one of the largest in the country.

Last year, Five Star Parking collected more than $75 million for the airports.

Steve McCormick, New South Parking's vice president, said his company has a track record of managing airport parking lots. He said it has increased revenues at some of the lots it oversees, including George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston and Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia.

Several lawyers and representatives of the four competing bidders questioned whether the award of the contract followed procedures set by the state.

Five Star Parking lawyer Louis "Skip" Miller, citing language in staff reports, said the board should give greater emphasis to a bidder's proposed operating costs per hour than to the bidder's overall operating costs.

Five Star Parking submitted a lower hourly bid than New South Parking, even though its overall bid was almost $4 million more than New South Parking's.

Lawyers for other firms also expressed concern over how New South Parking would treat employees. They said the winning bid included significantly less money for security guards and porters than the other four.

"We believe the only way New South Parking could do this is to reduce existing wages and benefits or to replace existing employees with new employees for lower wages and benefits," said Treva Metoyer-Walker, chief executive of Universal Parking, which oversees about 25 porters at LAX. "Either way, the employees lose."

But Ray Whitmer, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 911, said all bidders for the contract had agreed to honor existing wages and collective bargaining agreements.

"We fully expect [New South Parking] will live up to its commitment to us," said Whitmer, whose union represents about 700 parking lot workers at LAX, Van Nuys and Ontario airports.

Source: Charles Proctor, LA Times

www.Carpark-Fly.com: Anyone planning to park at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) can obtain real-time parking availability information prior to arriving at the Airport.

SurePark(TM), MSP's new, up-to-the-minute parking availability information system, offers customers three methods for retrieving parking availability information for both the Lindbergh and Humphrey Terminals' general and short-term parking ramps.

SurePark(TM) is fast, convenient and free. Customers can log on, call in or request a text message:

1. Log-on: www.mspairport.com/msp/parking/realtime.aspx- to view parking availability percentages

2. Call in: 1-877-FLY-PARK (1-877-359-7275) for an audible parking availability message

3. Text message: call 1-877-FLY-PARK from a text-enabled communications device and press 5 to request a text message be sent within a user-specified number of minutes

Customers who wish to receive a text message can simply choose that option from the 1-877-FLY-PARK menu and then key in the number of minutes from that time that they would like to receive an updated message. Parking rates and facility information are also available online and audibly via the FLY-PARK telephone number.

"The Metropolitan Airports Commission is dedicated to seeking out innovative, high-tech means for helping customers to keep informed and stay on schedule," says Arlie Johnson, assistant airport director for landside operations. "The SurePark(TM) system is a first-of-its-kind for an airport parking program, as is our very successful ePark(R) convenient self payment method."

Use of MSP's parking facilities is at an all-time high, with Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays being particularly busy. Customers who use the SurePark(TM) system will know in advance if the Lindbergh Terminal parking facilities are full or nearly full, so they have time to plan ahead and park at the Humphrey Terminal.

"Travelers who park at the Humphrey Terminal ramp but will be boarding their flight at the Lindbergh Terminal should allow an extra 30 minutes to park and take the shuttle to the Lindbergh Terminal," said Johnson. This free shuttle bus operates between the Humphrey and Lindbergh Terminals every 10 minutes. The shuttle bus stop is located in the Ground Transport Center on the ground level of the Humphrey Terminal parking ramp.

Scheduled to open in July 2008, a new parking ramp, currently under construction and adjacent to the existing Humphrey Terminal parking ramp, will add 4,300 parking spaces at MSP.

For more information, visit www.mspairport.com.

www.Parctel.com: It’s been confirmed that the passenger whose abandoned baggage caused a major security alert at Durham Tees Valley Airport on 12 April has been interviewed by security services—including the FBI—on her arrival in the United States.

Meanwhile both the Airport and police say that the arrangements for dealing with yesterday’s incident worked well—but they have stressed the need for people not to be irresponsible in leaving luggage unattended…and to raise the alarm if they notice anything untoward.

Said Chief Inspector Bill Dutton of Durham Police “We have established that the owner of the suspect case was travelling from Durham Tees Valley to Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam and then on to Atlanta. When challenged at check-in at Durham Tees Valley over overweight hand luggage it appears that she decanted some items and then simply abandoned one of her bags.

“The army bomb disposal team used their remote robot vehicle to open the case which was found to contain only travel brochures.

“On arrival in Atlanta the passenger was met by a number of different security organisations—including the FBI—and interviewed for some two hours. It was established that there was no criminal intent but she was certainly made aware of the problems she had caused.

“Our arrangements for dealing with incidents of this kind worked efficiently and smoothly, but the thoughtless actions of one individual caused disruption to the travel arrangements for many hundreds of people and underline the importance of people acting sensibly and not leaving luggage unattended.”

Added Airport Managing Director Hugh Lang “We were grateful for the way in which the police and the bomb disposal team handled the incident and worked with our own staff in dealing with a potentially very difficult situation. Inevitably it did lead to significant disruption for passengers but I am sure they recognised the need to put safety as our paramount concern.

“What this underlines it the need for people to take into account the regulations on luggage—including weight and size restrictions—and act responsibly when travelling…in the interests of safety and security not just for themselves but their fellow passengers and staff.”

It’s nothing illegal, but there’s definitely some monkey business going on near a South Florida Airport. There’s no smuggling involved and nothing that customs wouldn’t approve of.

Wild monkeys are—well—monkeying around the Park ‘N Fly lot near Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. But the big question is, where are they coming from?

Employees and travelers using the lot have noticed the wild monkeys, walking around, swinging and going up trees in the area of the discount parking lot.

The primates from Africa are called Vervet Monkeys and they have been on this Broward County territory for decades.

"They are escapees from a roadside attraction, about 40 years ago that went out of business," said Shelby Via, of the Wildlife Care Center.

How the monkeys have survived, one can only speculate that a Chiquita produce packing plant and some trees that produce berries are their main sources of food.

Source: Carey Codd, CBS4.com
Click this link to see the Monkeys

Motorists have been hit by 10-fold increases in parking charges in parts of the country - at a time when fines have also soared to record levels.

Research commissioned by motor insurer Direct Line found average charges jumped 40 per cent from 86p for two hours in 2000 to £1.21.

But in some areas the rises were even bigger with prices rising from 10pence for two hours to £1.08 in parts of Hertfordshire - an increase of more than 1,000 per cent.

The survey found a quarter of car-owners said the extortionately high prices were forcing them to "knowingly park illegally".

Almost six million motorists received parking tickets in the past two years as drivers attempt to avoid the car park fee hikes.

One in six (17 per cent) of Britain's 33.8 million drivers were penalised as parking charges surged and councils cashed in on new powers to fine offending vehicles.

Motorists in Berkhamstead, Hertfordshire, were hit by the highest price rise from 10p for two hours in 2000 to £1.08 last year.

They were followed by drivers in the leafy upmarket Northumbrian dormitory village of Ponteland near Newcastle - home of former England striker Alan Shearer - where the price for parking for two hours has risen from 20p to £2.00 for two hours.

Drivers in St Mary's Bay in Kent have seen charge rise from 17p to £1.60 for two hours, with stockbroker belt Gerrards Cross residents enduring rises from 30p to £2.49 for two hours.

Even Prince Charles's hometown of Tetbury in Gloucestershire has seen parking charges soar from 30p to £1.46.

The most expensive place overall in the UK to park is Westminster in London - with an average £7.99 on for two hours – though fees in the capital can be as high as £10 an hour.

Westminster was followed by Islington (£7.32 an hour) and Heathrow Airport (£7.02 an hour).

But even outside the capital - and still among the top 20 worst offenders - tourists to the Lake District should watch out for charges of £3.84 for hours at Bowness on Windermere, while Manchester hits £3.68, Chester £3.49, Cardiff and Leeds £3.35, Birmingham£3.27, Reading £3.20 and Darlington £3.00.

The Direct Line Research showed that, nationally, drivers pay an average of £10.27 a month at car parks – equivalent to £123.24 a year and £4.2 billion in total across the country.

The report revealed that 5.7 million motorists have been fined an average of £74 since the beginning of 2005.

And it said councils coined in £425 million as penalties of up to £120 were doled out by traffic wardens.

More than one in five – 22 per cent – said lack of spaces forces them to park illegally and risk a fine.

Half say they steer clear of expensive car parks on principle against "extortionate" car park charges. About 1 in 8 (13 per cent) claim they cannot afford to pay exorbitant rates.

Councils are also under fire for actively removing car parking spaces in a bid to deter families from driving into town centres.

Direct Line's Emma Holyer said: "Parking is a bone of contention for most drivers. It is an absolute nightmare in some places.

"A lot of councils employ private parking companies who are simply in it to make money."

Miss Holyer added: "Our research shows that rocketing costs and limited spaces are forcing drivers to break the law. It is outrageous. There are less and less parking spaces and more and more charges."

The figures follow a recent report that showed the number of fines quadrupled in five years as more councils took over responsibility for parking enforcement from the police – up to 139 authorities in 2005.

Three-quarters of the 2,468 adults questioned by YouGov for the new survey insisted there are not sufficient parking spaces for the UK's 33.3 million vehicles – including 26.5 million cars.

Paul Watters of the AA said: "Motorists are being milked by councils as cash-cows. This has increased dramatically as councils have been given powers to run privatised wardens and keep the cash. It's win-win for councils who set high paring charges and then send out a parking attendant around every corner.

"But motorists would be mad to try and avoid high parking charges by parking illegally."

Source: This Is London

PRIVATE COMPANIES offering parking for people travelling to and from Larnaca Airport are making big profits by taking advantage of the lack of adequate public transport on the island.

With an agreement in principle between the Municipalities Union and the Government Planning Department in February to create a viable transport system from city centres to the island’s airports yet to come into force, alternative services are being provided.

According to a recent report in Greek daily Politis, even though private companies that have acquired or are renting large acres of land near Larnaca Airport are providing people with an alternative to using taxis, such services are mostly used by businessmen that are regular travellers.

There are currently five such companies located within 10 minutes from the Larnaca Airport. The five companies are ‘You fly, we drive’, ‘G Theo’, ‘Stop and fly’, ‘Sky Park’ and ‘Drive & Fly’. The latter has the most experience in the field, as it has already been operating for a decade.

The prices vary considerably from company to company and are formulated according to customer preference. Some companies like ‘Sky Park’ do not offer customers the service of picking up their car from the airport but will provide transport to and from the airport free of charge.

‘Stop and Fly’ provides the cheapest deal, offering customers parking in an open space for £1.50 a day. Each company however provides various packages and in most cases, a car wash is included in the price.

According to Politis, these companies have increased their customer base mostly through word of mouth, with the manager of ‘Sky Park’ – operating for three and a half years now – saying, “every customer we have had has brought us another one”.

Another alternative for people travelling is to park at the Larnaca Airport at a charge of £5 for the first five days. From the sixth day onwards the price drops to £3.30.

General Manager of the Government Planning Department, Andreas Moleskis, recently told the Cyprus Mail that the lack of options regarding public transport to and from the airports was a major deterrent for people wishing to come to Cyprus.

“It is not possible for someone coming to Cyprus from Greece or other neighbouring countries for £50 and then needing the same amount of money to arrive at his destination which is located elsewhere on the island,” he said.

Athos Germanos from the Municipalities Union said in February that if everything went according to plan, the proposal on public transport from various points in towns to the airports, designed to raise the quality of service to tourists and Cypriots travelling abroad, would be in place by 2008.

Source: By Nassos Stylianou, Cyprus Mail

www.Parctel.com: Passengers will soon have safer and improved access to the airport's front door. Beginning April 16, commercial vehicles - taxis, airport and hotel shuttles, limousines and buses - will only be allowed to use the outer lanes of the upper level roadway in front of the terminal.

In the past, commercial vehicle drivers arriving at the departure level could use any lane they wished including the lane next to the terminal building. Now, the closest lane to the terminal is for private vehicles - for active loading and unloading only. We hope this improved traffic flow will make it easier for you to drop-off and pick-up family, friends and business associates at PDX.

www.Parctel.com: Today, Liverpool John Lennon Airport saw the launch of a brand new children's storybook written by Nicky Lees, JLA's Chaplain. The colourful storybook called 'Wack and the Airport Palm Tree' went on sale at JLA soon after the book was unveiled at a ceremony next to the John Lennon statue.

The imaginative tale is about a young mouse called Wack and his family living under the John Lennon statue, who help make a dream come true for Toby, the Airport's tug. The book is a small tale of friendship, the Airport and Airport Life. The idea came about as Nicky often shows school visits around the Prayer Room and as the children ask her so many questions, Nicky thought she could answer them by writing a fictional tale.

Nicky Lees has been Airport Chaplain since 2003 and her role is to be there for all passengers, staff or visitors whatever their need may be. Nicky, has worked with children for 20 years and has wrote poetry and other short stories but this is her first published book.

Nicky Lees, Airport Chaplain at JLA, said:

“I'm absolutely delighted to see the storybook finally launched at today's ceremony. The John Lennon statue is a symbol of the Airport and since it was unveiled in 2001 it has been photographed on so many occasions it has now become a recognisable landmark. Having the tale centred around the John Lennon statue just seemed so fitting and from a child's perspective having mice living under the statue is very believable, that's why I thought it would be fun to write the tale. Culture takes many forms and this latest venture is another contribution by the Airport to the Capital of Culture Year in 2008.”

Young passengers Oliver and Carlos Clarke, aged 5 and 4 were the first passengers to hear Wack's tale. The pair were travelling back home to Madrid after spending ten days on holiday with their grandparents in Shropshire when they spotted Wack the mouse by the John Lennon statue and were delighted to have a reading by the author herself.

Wack and the Airport Palm Tree comes complete with a fluffy toy mouse, exclusive to JLA and is now on sale at Impressions of Liverpool and at other retailers based at JLA over the coming months. Local football fans may be interested to know that there are two mice characters available to buy - Wack and Scruff, one with a blue scarf and one with a red one.

www.Parctel.com: Unique pleasure flight operator, Air Atlantic Classic Flight, are giving the people of Yorkshire the chance of an unforgettable experience from 19th to 22nd April by offering pleasure flights from Leeds Bradford Airport in a vintage DC-3 Dakota aircraft.

Classic Flight has been operating these unique pleasure flights for some years and their fleet includes a range of vintage military and commercial aircraft including the Chipmunk, Anson and Tiger Moth.

The DC-3 Dakota aircraft has a particularly special link with Leeds Bradford Airport as they were used by BKS, the first scheduled airline to operate from ‘Yeadon Aerodrome’, back in 1955.

American Airlines were the first to use the Douglas DC-3 commercially in 1936 and then with the advent of the war, orders for the DC-3 poured in from both the military and commercial Airlines. Between 1935 and 1947 Douglas had built a total of 10,654 DC-3’s and now, 63 years later there are still almost a 1,000 in flying condition.

Today, the DC-3 is still finding its greatest use in specialised roles with some third world military forces and is commercially useful in some back country and bush areas particularly because of its operating costs, its ability to perform from rough fields and with its low maintenance.

Richard Parr from Classic Flight says, “Flying in a vintage aircraft is a truly unique experience as they all have their own distinctive characteristics. The DC-3 Dakota is an iconic aircraft representing as it does the men whose first experience of battle was to jump out of them, or on more peaceful missions dropping vitally needed supplies in far flung parts of the globe.”

“Climbing aboard up the slope of this tail dragger and then to hear the throaty reverberation of the P&W Twin wasp radials is just fantastic.”

At a cost of only £55, a flight on a vintage DC-3 Dakota is a fantastic experience for any aircraft enthusiast or a unique gift for that special occasion.

Vintage DC-3 Dakota - part of Classic Flights Fleet

www.Parctel.com: The number of passengers using Exeter International Airport in the past twelve months has reached one million. This is an increase of 15 per cent on the previous twelve months and makes Exeter one of the fastest growing airports in the UK.

To mark this historic milestone, the airport identified Helen Veale who was flying from the airport on Tuesday 10 April 2007 and she became the first ever Millionth Passenger in one Year.

Helen, who was travelling with partner Michael and daughter Ellie Star were notified of their significance after check-in and given vouchers for travel and shopping plus free parking at the airport. Before boarding the First Choice aircraft to Tenerife the 'special' passengers were also given a bottle of Champagne together with a certificate which stated their importance. When asked by the TV and newspaper reporters how she felt about being the one millionth passenger, Helen replied, "Its not what I expected when we left our home in Cornwall this morning... it was a great surprise when we heard that we were special and the gifts have been wonderful."

John Spooner, Acting Managing Director for Exeter International Airport said: "This is a momentous occasion in the history of the airport. The airport welcomed it first flight 70 years ago but the growth in passenger traffic has been phenomenal in recent years." The airport's growth has been significant since since the spring of 2004 and the introduction of Flybe scheduled services. In that year the airport had a 70% passenger number increase and reached the landmark of a half million passengers for the period."

Mike Rutter, Chief Commercial Officer for, Exeter based airline, Flybe said: "Flybe has been responsible for nearly three quarters of the passengers that have made up the million and we congratulate the airport on attaining this landmark figure in its growth."

The airport offers 23 scheduled service routes, which will soon be increased to 25 and a similar number of summer charter holiday destinations from Exeter. This year travellers from the south west will also have the choice of two carriers on the route to Toronto.

Helen Veale, travelling partner, Michael and Helen's Daughter, Ellie Star.

www.Parctel.com: Passenger numbers have increased by 5.5% at Southampton Airport, with over 146,400 passengers travelling during the month of March 2007. The summer schedule has kicked off with the announcement of 3 brand new routes to Nice and Frankfurt with Flybe, and to Verona with Inghams.

A new route from Southampton to Nice in France began on 25th March. The destination will be served 4 times a week by Flybe, and there are now 12 French destinations available from Southampton Airport.

Flights to Frankfurt will begin on 16th April with Flybe. The route will mean that travellers can now access 3 key German destinations, including Dusseldorf and Hanover, with 25 direct flights from Southampton each week. Flybe flights can be booked online by visiting www.flybe.com or calling 0871 522 6100.

Mike Rutter, Chief Commercial Officer at Flybe, comments: “As Europe’s largest regional airline committed to boosting local economies, Flybe is delighted to see continued growth in regional air travel as travellers avoid the lengthy journey times into London airports, opting for more convenient, local departure points. Flybe has significantly increased its presence at Southampton over the past year, introducing exciting new domestic and European routes, so it’s great to see passenger numbers increasing as the public take advantage of the wealth of travel options available."

Inghams have also announced a weekly flight to Verona in Italy from 14th May this year. Lynsey Devon, Public Relations Manager from Inghams, said: "We are thrilled to introduce the first direct flight from Southampton to the Italian city of Verona from May this year. Inghams now offers a choice of 11 resorts around Lake Garda, which is a popular summer destination and the largest of northern Italy's great lakes.” Inghams holidays can be booked online by visiting www.inghams.co.uk or by calling 020 8780 4433.

Travellers can now fly from Southampton to 47 destinations around the UK, Europe and Channel Islands. Further information on all of the flights on offer from Southampton can be found online at www.southamptonairport.com or by contacting the dedicated Timetable Hotline on 023 8062 7098 to receive a free copy of the programme for Summer 2007.

www.Parctel.com: Birmingham International Airport (BIA) handled 673,515 passengers during March, including 549,575 scheduled passengers and 123,940 charter passengers spread across the two passenger terminals; a decrease of 0.2% over the previous year.

John Morris, Head of Corporate and Community Affairs said: “March reflected a slight decrease in passenger figures here at Birmingham International Airport. With the cancellation of some of the BA Connect flights this impacted on the figures. Following Flybe’s acquisition of BA Connect and having now moved their operation to Terminal 2 we are looking forward to a positive summer with flybe and all of our airlines.”

In March, growth was achieved on Non EU of 14.3% and the Irish Republic 0.9%. Long Haul routes continue their positive trend with an increase of 16.7% on Asia traffic and +4.6% on Transatlantic flights.

As part of its long-range financial planning, a Richmond airport oversight group yesterday discussed raising the garage's daily parking rate by $2 -- from $10 to $12. The increase is needed, officials said, to generate more revenue to finance construction of a $55 million garage.

"No one ever likes to raise parking rates, but it looks like we're heading in that direction if we want enough parking," said Robert F. Norfleet Jr., chairman of the airport's finance and audit committee.

The committee discussed various options -- including phasing in the $2 increase over two years -- that will be considered at the April 24 meeting of the Capital Region Airport Commission.

If approved, it would be the airport's first parking-rate increase since 1999, officials said. The regional airport does not receive local tax revenue and must generate all of its operating income and much of its capital-improvement money.

The $2 increase could take effect July 1. Or the airport commission could approve a $1 increase for July, with another $1 increase next year.

The $6 economy-lot rate would not change. Neither would the short-term parking rate of $2 per hour in the garage.

The commission is considering the increase to cover the costs of a $55 million bond issue this fall to build a 2,600-space garage beside the north garage. That space is now used for surface parking.

Given the airport's recent record growth -- including a single-day record of 6,822 passengers boarding last Friday -- officials said the clock is ticking to meet growing demand.

The airport's 4,000 parking-garage spaces typically are at least 70 percent full, but "there are days during holidays when they are 100 percent," said Jon Mathiasen, the airport's president and chief executive.

Despite the economy lots with $6-a-day rates, business travelers remain fond of parking closer to the airport terminal.

"I very much want us to stay ahead of the parking curve," said commission Chairman Beverley "Booty" Armstrong.

The finance committee pondered whether a rate increase might drive some travelers to the economy lots, resulting in a loss of revenue. But Mathiasen said he doubts that most travelers would change their habits.

"I think it will have an impact on a very, very small percentage of people," he said. "I don't think it will affect our frequent fliers."

Parking revenue generates more than 43 percent of the airport's annual operating revenue of $36.9 million. A $2 increase would add about $1 million in revenue in fiscal 2008, which starts July 1 - enough to cover the long-term debt needed to build a garage.

Source: Chip Jones, Daily Progress

With another storm looming Sunday, record crowds at the Portland International Jetport, and flight delays increasing across the nation, officials are warning travelers to prepare for busy highways, airports and parking lots.

"We are running at 80 to 90 percent capacity" in the airport parking lots, said Jeff Monroe, Portland's director of transportation.
Monroe said the airport garages will probably fill up this weekend and travelers will be directed to the remote lot.

Although shuttle service is fairly frequent from the remote lot, it can add 20 to 25 minutes to a trip, said Greg Hughes, airport marketing manager. The 2,762 spaces available at the airport and remote lots have never reached capacity, but airport officials are encouraging passengers to avoid parking at the airport if possible.
Record numbers of passengers are flying in and out of Portland's airport this year. In January, 102,331 passengers went through the airport, and in March there were 122,218 passengers. The only reason February failed to set a record was a big snowstorm that shut down Jet Blue and other air traffic for days, Hughes said.

Hughes said the airport will get even busier this summer, when the daily average of roughly 2,465 seats on flights in and out of the airport jumps by 600 to 700 seats. Jet Blue, Northwest Airlines and AirTran Airways will add flights in June.

Source: BETH QUIMBY, Portland Press Herald

www.Carpark-Fly.com: Presently at Cincinnati / Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) anyone can download a coupon good for discounts or free days in the airport's parking garage or long term parking lot.

Anyone who has a parking receipt dated between October 1, 2006 and April 8th, 2007 has until April 16th to submit an entry form for a chance to win a new Tahoe or Corvette car from a local dealer.

Register Your Parking Receipt HERE.

SOUTHAMPTON is one of the most expensive places to park in the south of England, according to a new report.

A survey of parking charges showed that while airports topped the table as the priciest places to park, Southampton's Portland Terrace car park came in at seventh.

The figures, produced by car park workers' union GMB, put Luton Airport in first place with one hour's parking costing £6.50 and up to four hours running at £26.
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Heathrow and Gatwick came in second, third and fourth with prices ranging from £3 per hour to £3.90, and Brighton came in fifth and sixth at £2.80 per hour.

However, Portland Terrace came seventh, also at £2.80 per hour (which works out at between 4p to 5p per minute) or £11.20 for four hours, while the city's Charlotte Place car park also crept in at 24th place with £1.50 an hour or £6 for four hours.

Rob Kelsall, from GMB, said: "The charges demonstrate the extent to which car parks are being used to extract money from motorists."

Source: Chris Semple, This Is Hampshire Network

Editors Note: The savvy parker, books in advance and online and saves up to 60%. Try one of our sponsors below for a quote on Airport Parking.

www.Parctel.com: Parking structures are vast solar traps and ideal for the use of alternative forms of energy production, thereby redusing our carbon footprint and, hopefully, slowing down global warming. The construction, at California State University, Fresno of a solar panel-topped parking structure system Chevron Energy Solutions, a Chevron (NYSE: CVX) subsidiary, is surely a step in the right direction and something that airport carparks must consider in the future.

Photovoltaic panels installed atop 10 metal shelters that will shade more than 700 parking spaces from the San Joaquin Valley sun, will convert the sun's energy into 1 megawatt of electricity. That's about 20 percent of the university's base demand and equivalent to the power needs of 1,000 homes, said Cynthia Teniente-Matson, Fresno State vice president for administration and chief financial officer.

The $11.9-million project received approval from the California State University Board of Trustees last summer and is scheduled for completion by this fall.

The work will be done in phases to minimize the impact of parking lot closings on students.

Phase 1 will start with renovation of the south part of student parking Lot V, which is at Woodrow and Shaw avenues, directly west of the Student Recreation Center, said Bob Boyd, associate vice president for facilities management.

University Police Department is working with the contractors and Save Mart Center officials to minimize the impact of the project on big events at the arena by opening some of the construction area to parking. Most events, however, occur in evenings when there are the fewest students, faculty and staff on campus. A substantial part of the work will occur after Commencement (May 19) and the end of spring semester classes, which decreases parking demand.

Using alternative power will ease the burden on local power supplier Pacific Gas & Electric Co., and the entire California power grid, especially during peak electricity demand periods such as those that occur during very hot weather. It also reduces greenhouse gas emissions and fuel consumption by power generating plants.

Fresno State President John D. Welty said the solar power project is "a great example" of the university's goal to "lead the way in helping to advance sustainability initiatives and utilize scarce natural resources."

"Solar power is an important resource in the global energy portfolio," said Jim Davis, president of Chevron Energy Solutions. "Through this project, Fresno State is demonstrating that clean, renewable power is commercially viable and growing in demand."

The photovoltaic solar project is in keeping with our Strategic Plan and is part of our comprehensive Campus Master Plan currently in progress.

"The Strategic Plan addresses our need to become a more environmentally aware campus by expanding recycling, sustainability in building design and construction, improved energy efficiency and environmental education," said Teniente-Matson.

This project also is integrated with the educational mission of the university, aligned with the College of Engineering and the Physics Department. In both of those areas, an information kiosk will provide online, real time status of the photovoltaic production, conversion and electricity output.

"All aspects of this project will expand and enhance our campus education on sustainability and our community's knowledge of solar energy while reducing our energy cost for the next 30 years," said Teniente-Matson.

The solar-power project is just one of the university's "green campus" initiatives, many of which are part of the Campus Master Plan, which will guide development of the 363-acre academic campus through the next decade and beyond.

Parking is a major consideration in the master plan as the university seeks to add spaces to meet growth needs, but not at the expense of committing more than the current 75 acres devoted to parking.

In addition to the solar panels for electrical generation, the covered parking areas will provide ultraviolet and environmental (tree leaves, etc.) vehicle protection including much-welcomed shade in the summer months, said Teniente-Matson.

The solar project also is part of the California State University system's commitment to "green" programs, sustainability, energy efficiency and environmental education. CSU trustees recently revised the 23-campus system's energy policy with a goal of reducing consumption by 15 percent, following a 10 percent reduction from 1999/2000 through 2005.

Chevron Energy Solutions
Related Story: Solar Powered Parking

www.Parctel.com: The new car park is part of an £11m investment by Q-Park and represents a number of firsts for the company:
* It’s the first multi-storey to be built at Heathrow for twenty one years;
* Q-Park’s first purpose-built multi-storey car park on an airport site; and
* The first airport car park in the country to take a genuinely hi-tec approach to the safe keeping of vehicles within their care.

The car park is open 24 hours a day all year and motorists do not have to pre-book – they can just turn up and deliver their car for parking.

Q-Park London Heathrow opens in Spring 2007 and will incorporate all the core Q-Park values of safety and security, a welcoming and bright reception area and uniformed, trained professional staff. Security has been a priority from the design stage. The 10-stage security checks include the physical presence of trained and uniformed Q-Park Hosts; scanning and logging of all vehicles, registration plates and drivers; and a system of barriers. In addition, the latest CCTV technology captures images at every stage of reception and booking, as well as parking by Hosts, delivery to customers and departure.

The car park is situated just off the A4 and is clearly signed from the main road. On entering, drivers’ cars are automatically scanned using high resolution, cutting edge scanning photography and number plate recognition equipment. Modern variable messaging technology then directs customers to clearly defined reception marking bays in front of the main building. Covered reception bays offer easy pedestrian access to the new, bright, purpose built, main reception hall.

Using the latest booking technology, check in is quicker, smoother and more convenient with a team of trained staff on hand for assistance. Transport to and from Q-Park London Heathrow to the airport terminals is believed to be the fastest for any long stay car park at Heathrow, with just five minutes drive to the road tunnel feeding Terminals 1, 2 and 3, and frequency of a bus at least once every 10 minutes.

On entering Q-Park’s safe-keeping customer vehicles are then logged and secured with the first application of tracker key technology within an airport parking environment. This ensures that, as cars are valet-parked for customer’s convenience within the brand new, multi-storey facility, every detail of the on-site journey is recorded for customer’s piece of mind. In addition, the parking facility itself provides the added convenience and security of undercover parking and 24-hour manning by Q-Park hosts.

Safety and security remains a priority while cars are in Q-Park’s care. Q-Park London Heathrow will carry the recognised ParkMark award, and all security is supported by the latest generation of CCTV monitoring. Camera images are shown and recorded within the car park Lodge and they are also logged and recorded at Q-Park’s remote Central Control Room.

“Q-Park Heathrow represents the most modern airport car parking system and service in the country,” says Q-Park Chief Executive Alan Ashbee. “We are not only breaking new ground by building a multi-storey car park at the world’s busiest international airport, but we are setting news standards of safety, security and overall customer service.”

www.Parctel.com: Glasgow Prestwick Airport today issued a message for Scottish flyers – your bags are much safer with us!

It emerged this week reveals that Europe’s other major airlines lose, on average, 30 times more luggage than Ryanair, whose only Scottish base is the Ayrshire airport.

A consumer report issued by the Association of European Airlines found that while Ryanair lose, on average, 0.5 bags for every 1,000 passengers, competitors would lose an average of 15.

The report also revealed Ryanair can boast Europe’s best punctuality record and the least cancellations in the short and medium haul sectors.

Mark Rodwell, Chief Executive of Glasgow Prestwick Airport, commented: “There is nothing worse than arriving at your destination, or arriving back home, and finding out your bags have disappeared but clearly that is happening to a lot of people.

“We would like to congratulate Ryanair on these figures, which demonstrate what a fine job both they and their airport partners are doing.

“Ryanair offers an excellent choice of destinations across Europe and passengers can fly from Glasgow Prestwick safe in the knowledge they are 30 times less likely to end up at the lost baggage desk!”

The Palm Springs International Airport will offer up to a week's free parking in May and June for travelers returning from Hawaii or any international destination.

The Palm Springs City Council approved the program 4-0 Wednesday, with Mayor Ron Oden absent.

"To use other airports with more nonstop service means more time and money spent in gas, parking and traffic," said Richard Walsh, director of aviation in a news release. "We're offering this program to try and change some of those customer decisions."

The goal also is to remind travelers that Palm Springs is an international airport, said Walsh. In addition to nonstop flights to Canada, Palm Springs can get people anywhere in the world, in most cases with just a single connection, he said. And the more the public uses flights out of Palm Springs, especially in the summer, the more chances there are to get more flights in the future, he added.

It works like this: Any vehicle leaving the Long-Term Lot from May 1 to June 30 can show a boarding pass from an international or Hawaiian airport showing the date of the same day or one day prior and qualify for up to seven days of free parking. The max amount per vehicle is $56.

Even if your trip begins prior to May 1 or ends after June 30, you still are eligible for free parking.

Source: Stefanie Frith, The Desert Sun

You might want to take a cab or bum a ride to catch your flight at Tampa International Airport starting this summer.

Parking prices would go up $1 or $2 a day July 1 at all airport parking facilities under a recommendation Thursday from Louis Miller, executive director of the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority.

Drivers using the new remote economy garage would feel the biggest jolt: a $2 increase to $9 per day. The airport would raise the fee to $10 as soon as November 2008 under the proposal.

Daily parking would increase to $20 from $18 in the short-term garage and to $15 from $14 for the long-term parking decks. Hourly parking for the two garages would rise to $3 from $2.50, although the first hour would still be free.

Rapid passenger growth and popularity of the new garage have put seasonal squeezes on airport parking. Design is under way for a second economy garage with 5,600 additional spaces.

Higher parking fees would help pay for the $71.2-million structure and ease demand on the economy garage, said Miller.

The pricier long-term garage handled two-thirds of overnight parking before the new garage opened. Now, slightly less than half the overnight vehicles park there.

"The difference between $7 and $14 was too much, forcing too many people down there to economy parking," said Miller.

Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio pointed out that at the proposed 2008 rate of $10, Tampa International's cheapest daily parking would cost more than economy parking in Orlando ($9) and Miami ($8).

Those airports, however, have remote lots instead of covered parking, said Miller. New rates for Tampa's remote garage would be the same or less expensive than garages at comparable airports in Phoenix. Baltimore and Minneapolis.

Iorio and other agency board members didn't raise other concerns. They will vote on rate changes at meetings in May or June.

Tampa International faces tight parking during the winter holidays and summer months. In addition to just under 20,000 regular spaces, airport officials make room for 4,000 more vehicles by squeezing them into unused spots in the garages and opening overflow grass lots.

This year's Thanksgiving/Christmas season shouldn't be a problem, said operations director Robert Burr.

But summer of 2008 could be a pinch as construction for the garage takes up existing surface parking. "We'll be close to capacity but think we can get by," he said.

If all goes on schedule, the first phase of the new economy garage with 3,700 spaces, will be open just before Thanksgiving 2008. The remaining 1,900 would be finished by May 2009.

Source: Steve Huttel, St. Petersburgh Times

With many years experience in the business sector, Bristol Airport-Parking is a new venture that provides secure local parking to clients wishing to fly from Bristol Airport. Set-up in 2007, the company is situated in Hewish (Weston-Super-Mare).

The company provides a professional parking service to Bristol airport which is designed to be cost effective. With secure premises and an online payment facility, they have the services in place to make sure customers get the best service.

Featuring transport to the airport and back, the company delivers a full and reliable parking service that is perfect for anyone wishing to fly from Bristol airport. Available online at competitive prices, the parking can be booked and confirmed instantly.

Top Port of Portland managers are endorsing the agency's move from downtown into a new building at Portland International Airport.

Bill Wyatt, the Port's executive director, said Wednesday that he would ask the agency's nine commission members to approve the move at their regular meeting Wednesday. His recommendation ties construction of a new headquarters to plans for a new airport parking structure.

Although approval is not assured, the commission generally approves staff recommendations.

The seven-story garage project, which could break ground as soon as August, is planned next to the existing terminal garage. The headquarters would add three stories on top of part of the new garage, designed for 3,500 spaces. Total cost estimate: $231 million.

The garage plan has been in the works for 18 months, with midweek parking demand so high that the new structure has appeared to be a foregone conclusion. But as recently as June, Wyatt was saying that the combined project's total price tag was high enough that he wasn't sure he could recommend the headquarters portion.

The offices would cost about $69 million. Wyatt and other managers say the Port stands to save money in the long run by locating most employees in one building instead of splitting them between the airport and downtown.

Although the Port is a public agency and is in part supported by property taxes, the garage-headquarters construction would be financed from an airport fund supported primarily by parking revenue. If the headquarters is built, the Port would pay that fund roughly $600,000 annually in rent.

Furthermore, if the existing headquarters is sold, it could bring as much as $28 million into the Port's general fund. Wyatt said the money would help pay the Port's debts for cleaning up the polluted Willamette River, and for other projects.

The Port's current office building in Old Town was completed in 1999 for $20 million.

Wyatt and Steve Schreiber, the Port's chief financial officer, said the agency expects to save $3 million to $4 million annually by eliminating duplicated costs such as reception areas and security in separate buildings. They said Port employees spend about 15,000 hours a year driving between downtown and airport offices -- the equivalent of work performed by more than seven full-time positions.

Additionally, they said, a move to the airport signals a shift in the relative importance between the Port's air and marine activities. While Wyatt is careful not to dismiss the value of shipping activities to the region, the agency's operating revenue from the airport is nearly triple that generated by marine operations.

That's a stark change from the mid-1990s, when the two figures were roughly equal.

"The Port's center of gravity has clearly shifted in the last decade to aviation," Wyatt said.

Source: ALEX PULASKI, The Oregonian

Airport parking often falls to the bottom of the list when travellers are planning their trips, frequently resulting in them paying high 'turn up on the day- airport prices or booking a 'too good to be true- meet & greet through a rogue operators website.

Nick Caunter, managing director, APH said: 'With a little advance planning and some simple research, travellers can find real bargains and make sure they book their car into a recognised, professionally run car park.-

Top five top things to look for when booking airport parking:
1. Good reputation - Look for a car park that has been in
operation for many years. Ideally, use one that you have used before or one that a trusted friend or relative has used. On some websites customer ratings are given. APH has been established for 27 years and 97% of APH customers surveyed say they would rebook the same car park.

2. Safer car parks - The Park Mark® Safer Parking Award is the only current, recognised award for car parks which have passed stringent safety and security tests. Look for this logo: [Insert logo]. Each of APH's three car parks located at Gatwick, Birmingham and Manchester Airports hold the Park Mark Safer Parking Award as do the vast majority of car parking services sold through www.aph.com.

3. Competitive pricing - The price of car parks varies regularly depending on the season and spaces available and how early you book, so a little shopping around may pay off. Prices for the same car park will typically be the same whichever booking agent you use, However, if you belong to a membership scheme or have used the car park before you may qualify for extra discounts. For example, APH offer AA members and previous customers discounts of up to 20%.

4. UK Call Centre or Safe online booking - Look for a company that provides a UK call centre or if you are booking online a website that has a UK contact address, company number and VAT number. Never, never choose a company where you have to pay by cash on arrival! APH's call centre is based near Gatwick and its website is an accredited member of ISIS (Internet Shopping is Safe). This means that customers can book online knowing safe in the knowledge that the retailer trades in a manner that is legal, decent, honest, truthful and fair.

5. Environmentally responsible - Look for a company with some Green credentials - All park and ride parking is more environmentally sound than getting a lift to the airport but is the company you selected doing more? Is the company carbon balanced? Does it offer the chance to offset or part offset your flight through a donation to an environmental charity? APH is a carbon balanced company and makes regular donations to The World Land Trust. To date it has helped purchase 800 acres of Belize rainforest through donations totalling more than £20,000. APH has just announced a scheme which gives £2.50 donation to the World Land Trust for drivers of ‘greener vehicles'

For further information or to book contact Airport Parking and Hotels
on 01342 859 515 or visit www.aph.com

www.Parctel.com: Two times a week service to the hedonistic island from just £34.99 one way including taxes

bmibaby the award winning airline with tiny fares, has today announced the launch of a new two times a week service to the Balearic Island of Ibiza from Cardiff International Airport. Fares start from just £34.99 one way including taxes and charges and are on sale now.

bmibaby the award winning airline with tiny fares, has today announced the launch of a new two times a week service to the Balearic Island of Ibiza from Cardiff International Airport. Fares start from just £34.99 one way including taxes and charges and are on sale now. Flights start on 16 July 2007 and continue until 7 September 2007. The new Ibiza route brings the total number of destinations served by bmibaby at Cardiff to 13.

Ibiza is the perfect destination for a summer escape with its stunning beaches and relentless sunshine. The island is a haven for walking, yoga breaks, horse riding and swimming. Travellers can also discover the real Ibiza with its hidden Moorish towns and quiet rocky coves.

By contrast, hedonists will love the famous party scene of Ibiza, from Pacha, the original and first club on the island, to the so hip it hurts El Divinio club near the marina in Ibiza town. Clubbers need not even go to sleep as Space opens at 6am and stays open until the afternoon.

Launching the new route today at Cardiff International Airport, Steve Burns, commercial director, bmibaby, said:

"I am pleased to be able to announce another new route from Cardiff International airport with the launch of our new two times a week service to Ibiza.

With fares starting from just £34.99 one way including taxes and charges, we advise passengers to book early to take advantage of these really low prices."

Jon Horne, managing director, Cardiff International Airport, said:

"Although any new destination added by bmibaby to their Cardiff International network is welcome, I must admit this latest addition of Ibiza can only be described as a very clever move. The Balearics are enormously popular in Wales and the West of England marketplace."

Flights to Ibiza depart from Cardiff airport on Monday and Thursday from 16th July until 7th September 2007.

Related Story and Photograph

www.JustParking.co.uk: A prestigious award presented to Durham Tees Valley Airport following major refurbishment work of its car parking facilities has been described by Airport Managing Director Hugh Lang as ‘a tribute to the co-operation between ourselves and the police and good news for all our customers.’

The Park Mark Safer Parking award—run by the Association of Chief Police Officers—was presented to Mr Lang by acting Chief Inspector Bill Dutton of Durham Police following a number of recent improvements in parking facilities at the Airport, including space for more vehicles, changing pedestrian walkways, introducing 24 hour CCTV coverage and installing new lighting columns.

Said Hugh Lang “We are now confident that the measures in place will make a significant contribution to deterring criminal activity and creating a safer environment for passengers and staff at the airport. In fact over the last 2 years we have witnessed a significant reduction in car related crime which is testament to the investment by Peel Airports and the help and support we have received from the police.”

Chief Inspector Dutton added, “This is an excellent demonstration of the achievements that are possible by businesses in partnership with the police to reduce crime and disorder. Forming part of the Durham Constabulary “Streetsafe” initiative, these security measures have led to a significant reduction in the amount of vehicle crime experienced by people using the Airport.

“The inconvenience and upset caused by finding your vehicle has been stolen or broken into while you have been away is enough to ruin an otherwise enjoyable holiday or business trip. Customers of the Airport are reminded to ensure their vehicles are left locked and secured, with the windows closed, as we approach the warm summer months. The number of incidence of vehicle crime at Durham Tees Valley Airport is now exceptionally low, at a tenth of its previous level.”

The Park Mark scheme is aimed at reducing the crime and the fear of crime in parking areas. It is given to car parks if the police judge that measures are in place to deter criminal activity and anti –social behaviour.

Hugh Lang accepting award from Chief Inspector Bill Dutton at Durham Tees Valley Airport Parking

www.Parctel.com: Thousands of North Easterners are expected to make their great Easter getaway from Durham Tees Valley Airport this bank holiday weekend.

Around 6000 passengers are expected to fly over the Easter weekend (Fri 6th – Mon 9th) to destinations including Tenerife, Faro, Alicante, Malaga, Palma, Barcelona Girona, Dublin and Amsterdam.

Emma Ormerod, marketing and promotions executive, Durham Tees Valley Airport comments “Passengers over the Easter weekend are taking advantage of the increasing range of destinations and city breaks offered from their local airport. The flexibility and affordability that low cost airlines such as flyglobepspan and Ryanair are offering to people is the reason why more and more fly over the busy bank holiday.”

Only this week four routes—to Palma, Alicante, Faro and Malaga— commenced with award winning airline, flyglobespan. This is just the beginning, as in June the programme will be greatly expanded, with the introduction of more flights to five more destinations Ibiza, Nice, Menorca, Jersey and Pula (Croatia) while the frequency of flights to their original destinations will increase considerably.

Ryanair has launched a brand new service to Barcelona Girona, a move it hopes will prove as popular as its direct flights to Dublin and this summer will also see the arrival of another new airline, Wizz Air, offering low cost flights to Warsaw in Poland.

The airport will commence its summer charter flying programme next month with operators offering over 16 popular holiday destinations from Durham Tees Valley including Dalaman and Bodrum in Turkey, Bulgaria, Reus (Costa Dorada), and Lanzarote.

www.Parctel.com: Bridgepoint has today been announced as the preferred bidder for the sale of 100% of the share capital in Leeds Bradford International Airport, with Barclays Private Equity with Churchill Airports, as the reserve bidder. Both bidders have been nominated subject to final bid confirmation.

The announcement follows meetings involving all five West Yorkshire councils with shareholding interests in the airport. A joint agreement was reached this evening.

Both the preferred and reserve bidder have developed ambitious plans to sustain passenger growth and invest significantly in the airport over the next ten years. Much of this will focus on improving the airport’s customer facilities and infrastructure, expanding the route network and ensuring the airport can compete efficiently with other airports in the region.

Both bidders will now be given six working days to confirm their bid price following the receipt of final vendor due diligence reports and other commercially sensitive contractual information.

A joint statement from the five West Yorkshire councils, said:

“This sale has proved to be a very competitive process at all stages and with very strong bids from both the preferred and reserve bidders, it is likely to remain so until the deal is completed in a few weeks time.’’

‘’ This is a very exciting opportunity and we are delighted to announce Bridgepoint as the preferred bidder at this stage. They have clearly demonstrated not just their financial standing and their plans for growing and developing the airport, but also their commitment to the region as a whole and the airport’s crucial part in its economy.”

“We’ve attracted a strong field of bidders and each bid was evaluated fairly. Both the preferred and reserve bidder have demonstrated positive and significant investment plans and we are confident that the chosen preferred and reserve bidder will be in the best position to continue the airport’s development as a successful international airport which will support the region’s increasing economic importance nationally and internationally.”

Leeds and Bradford councils each own 40% of the airport with the remainder split equally between Kirklees, Wakefield and Calderdale. The airport will continue to remain under the planning control of Leeds City Council and all of the five west Yorkshire authorities will also retain a ‘special share’ in the company.

The special share protects the name of the airport and its continued operation as an international airport.

The final price for the airport is still subject to final bid confirmation.

The joint statement concluded:

“Council officers have worked hard to make this sale a success and secure the best outcome for council tax payers and I know they are looking forward to working with the two bidders and bringing the sale to completion.”

www.Parctel.com: Plans to construct a 157 bedroom three star plus hotel and an 869 space multi-storey car park at Liverpool John Lennon Airport (JLA) have been approved by Liverpool City Council.

A short stay multi-storey car park with parking over 5 levels with a 6 story hotel on top will be built on the site of the existing car park directly opposite the terminal. Work is due to commence on the £25 million development shortly, with the project taking 18 months to complete.

The Airport has worked closely with the council planning officers in recent weeks to agree the best design for the airport and the region. Key features of the hotel include an elliptical meeting/conference area offering panoramic views of the Airport and Mersey Estuary and a large 11m x 6 m video display screen on the hotel exterior. This screen will be used to display images of John Lennon and The Beatles to highlight arts events in the City and the region to arriving passengers. The multi-storey car park design includes projected coloured glazed boxes on the exterior to add visual interest to the front of the car park.

Hotel guests and car park users will be able to walk over to the terminal in minutes via a new enclosed link bridge that will span the road in front of the terminal.

With JLA now handling in excess of 5 million annual passengers, this development is being constructed in response to increasing passenger demand for such facilities.

With the low cost operators easyJet and Ryanair now basing 15 aircraft at JLA, many inbound visitors to the region arrive on the last returning flights of the day and the hotel is expected to prove popular with passengers on such flights who prefer to avoid having to then make onward travel arrangements, sometimes late at night. The hotel will also be used by departing passengers who have early morning flights to catch and wish to avoid travelling to the airport in the early hours by staying on site the night before.

There is a demand for a short stay multi-storey car park at the airport, particularly from the growing number of business travellers who prefer the convenience of parking close to the terminal. At the same time as enhancing car parking facilities, the development also provides for improved access by buses and taxis for both passengers and airport staff.

The development will improve general traffic circulation at the airport and further enhance access for all, particularly those with special needs. The construction will be carefully managed to ensure any disruption is kept to a minimum.

Neil Pakey, Managing Director Liverpool John Lennon Airport said:

“With flights from over 60 scheduled destinations now serving Liverpool, this development is a natural progression of improved on site facilities to satisfy the needs of today's 5 million passengers.

Any international airport of our size needs a hotel adjacent to its terminal. This caters for both the inbound arriving passengers often coming in late in the evening, or for UK originating passengers with often very early departures in the morning. In terms of design we have added a large media screen to promote public art and we have also started to work with both the Southport Flower Show and the Tatton Flower Show in the hope we can bring some unique landscaping to the area. All in all it's a very exciting development.”

www.Parctel.com: This Bank Holiday weekend is forecast to be the busiest Easter ever with record numbers of passengers using Liverpool John Lennon Airport.

Around 61,000 passengers are expected to travel through JLA between Good Friday and Easter Monday - an increase of over 5% compared to the same period last year.

Recently confirmed by the Civil Aviation Authority as still one of the UK's fastest growing regional airports, the Easter weekend at JLA is set to continue this trend with passengers from the North West and beyond setting off to sunnier climes or taking in a spot of sightseeing over the holiday period.

Once again, popular destinations this Easter include the Mediterranean hotspots of Alicante, Malaga, Nice and Faro, City breaks to Rome, Granada, Seville, Madrid, Berlin, Krakow and Barcelona and closer to home the Irish destinations of Cork and Dublin. There are even some passengers catching the last of the skiing season on flights to Geneva.

Robin Tudor, General Manager - Corporate and Community Affairs at Liverpool John Lennon Airport commented:

“This year we have an even wider range of destinations available to suit a cross section of travelers. Already this week we have seen increased numbers of passengers using the Airport as passengers from throughout the North West take advantage of the low fares and great deals available with airlines flying from Liverpool.”

www.Airport-Carpark.co.uk: Car parking charges range from £7.30 an hour to just 10p, according to a huge study of rates across Britain. The GMB union said its findings proved that private equity firms have targeted car parks as a "cash cow" in recent years.

The survey of more than 300 car parks showed the most expensive were in London, including £7.30 an hour near Oxford Circus and £6.80 in nearby sites.

The cheapest car park was found in Reading, Berks, at just 10p an hour.

This was followed by 25p an hour at a park and ride in Belfast.

According to the report, the cheapest one in Edinburgh was 75p an hour.

The most expensive out of London was Luton Airport at £6.50.

"The charges demonstrate the extent to which car parks are being used to extract money from motorists," said GMB official Rob Kelsall.

"Private equity companies have targeted car parks as a cash cow and have taken over £1 billion out of the industry in the last few years.

"While this money has been taken out, the numbers employed in each car park has been reduced as workers have been replaced by pay machines, automated barriers and CCTV cameras."

Save up to 60% and book your Airport Parking online and in Advance from Airport Carpark.

www.Parctel.com: Want to get in on the ground floor and work your way up in the dog eat dog world of Airport Parking?

Looking to increase your jealousy factor by at least one hundred fold?

Then apply for the following position advertised on The Greensheet:

PERSON NEEDED to wash cars for a parking garage. Work Sunday through Friday mornings $6.50 hour. Must be able to pass background and drug screen. Apply in person at PreFlight Airport Parking: 7901 Airport Blvd. (713)645-2231.

Eds Note: Maybe they should advertise the position in India as the advertised wage is more than what a software engineer earns in that country!

www.Parctel.com: The Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) gurus always tell you that in order to succeed you must serve and dominate your niche. Now when it comes to Airport Parking we at www.Parctel.com have an airport parking directory accepting free site submissions from all Airport, Airport Parking and Travel Related Web Sites.

It is just our small way of helping you get your Airport Parking site listed in the Search Engines.

Now, about that niche, I bet that you thought that the smallest niche in Airport Parking was to put up a web site and domain dedicated to that airport, and you would be ..................... wrong.

The smallest niche would be a domain that caters for the wrong spelling of an Airport or Airport Parking lot, have a look at these:

• Teeeside Airport Parking - www.teeeside-airport-parking.com - Book your Airport Parking at the Durham Tees Valley Airport online or call one of our friendly consultants with your booking. Book in your airport parking in advance and save money.
• Teeside Airport Parking - www.teeside-airport.com - Airport Parking at the Durham Tees Valley Airport online or call one of our friendly consultants with your booking. Book in your airport parking in advance and save money.
• Teesside Durham Airport Parking - www.tees-valley-durham-airport.com -
  Teesside Durham Airport Parking - Book your Teesside Durham Airport Parking online or phone one of our friendly consultants on 0870 013 4953 for prompt parking bookings
• Durham Tees Valley Airport Parking Bookings - www.teesside-durham-airport.com - Phone 0870 013 4953 to book Durham Tees Valley Airport Parking or use our lowest price finder and save up to 60% when you Book online.
• Airport Car Parking at UK Airports - www.tees-valley-durham-airport.com - Durham Teesside Airport
  Compare prices and book your UK airport car parking online in advance to save up to 40% on gate prices at Durham Tees Valley Airport

Submit your Airport, Airport Parking or Travel Related Site for free on www.Parctel.com.

www.Parctel.com: Zoom Airlines will continue their successful service linking Belfast International Airport to Vancouver throughout the winter season for the first time.

The new weekly scheduled flight will operate from Belfast to Vancouver on Thursdays between October till April. Prices start at £129 one-way plus taxes, fees and charges. Zoom offers the lowest scheduled transatlantic airfares from Northern Ireland, with prices on the Toronto and Halifax routes starting from £99 one-way plus taxes.

This winter, Zoom has experienced an unprecedented level of demand for its low-cost full scheduled flights to Canada, highlighting Canada's popularity as a year-round holiday destination. This level of demand has also been encourage by excellent snow conditions experience in Canada's main ski resorts of British Columbia, Alberta and Quebec. This new route will allow Zoom to tap into the localised and thriving snow-sports market.

News of the expanded winter programme follows hot on the heels of Zoom's recent launch of new direct weekly services from Belfast to Halifax this summer. It is also doubling its popular service to Toronto, increasing to two flights per week this summer. In addition to the winter flight to Vancouver, weekly services to Toronto will also be maintained throughout the Winter 2007/8 schedule.

Jonathan Hinkles, UK Managing Director of Zoom Airlines said: "We are delighted to be announcing our new weekly Belfast to Vancouver flight throughout winter. This new flight has strengthened our position as the leading leisure airline in the Northern Ireland-Canada market.

"Our new winter Vancouver flights are ideal for snow-sports enthusiasts wishing to experience some of the world's top ski resorts including Whistler and Big White at prices equivalent to European fares."

A full scheduled service is provided onboard including in-flight entertainment, meal and free soft drinks for the duration of the flight. A generous 20kg baggage allowance is on offer on all flights with no additional carriage charge for ski or sporting equipment.

Premium class seats are also available on all Zoom flights from an additional £79 each way, offering additional legroom, superior in-flight meals, and complimentary drinks throughout the flight plus check-in and luggage benefits.

At present Zoom operates from five UK hubs (Belfast, Glasgow, London Gatwick, Manchester, Cardiff) and Paris to eight Canadian destinations including Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Halifax, Ottawa, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Montreal.

Parking rates at Montrose Regional Airport have changed to allow free, short-term parking for the first 30 minutes. It is hoped the new parking option will reduce the number of people parking in front of the airport to drop off or pick up airline passengers, county management said in a news release.

Formerly, it cost 75 cents to park for 30 minutes in the lot, operated by Republic Parking.

Paid parking has also changed to eliminate the need for customers to give or receive coinage as part of their parking fees. Now, whole dollar amounts will be used and credit cards will be accepted, the news release said.

The new fee schedule is:

31-60 minutes, $2
Each additional hour, $1
Daily maximum, $7
Weekly maximum, $35
Employee monthly, $45
Non-employee monthly, $65
Annual rate, $550

Source: Montrose Daily Press

Parking attendants at Detroit Metro Airport called off a strike threat after reaching a tentative labor deal with Motor City Central Parking, the contractor that runs the airport’s 21,000 spaces.

After 12 hours of bargaining Saturday, the cashiers union, Teamsters Local 283, reached a deal with the company at about 1:30 am this morning, said Steve Hicks, the local’s president.

The tentative contract, which next will go before workers for a vote, would eliminate a $3 daily parking fee that the company had charged parking attendants.

The proposal would not eliminate a two-tier wage system, which has been a sticking point for the union. But it would give workers who earn the lower rate, of about $11 an hour, raises for the next three years. At the same time about 25 workers making the higher rate of $15 an hour, would see their wages frozen during the 3-year contract. The union was able to negotiate retroactive raises for both tiers of workers, resulting in payments of $1,200 per employee, Hicks said.

The proposed contract also rolls back a company proposal to charge workers for a portion of their health care.

"I’m pretty relieved," Hicks said. "The wages could be better, but in this day and age… this is a pretty good contract."

Hicks expects that workers will have a chance to vote on the contract proposal by Thursday or Friday.

JEWEL GOPWANI of the Free Press
Previous Related Story

www.JustParking.co.uk: Along with progress comes frustration and loss of revenue as the frustrated vent their anger and disappointment. Blogger, Dirtyglasses, had the following to say about a recent trip to Luton Airport which is undergoing major roadworks on it's access roads:

Whilst driving to Luton Airport to pick up our son jetting in from Morocco I had read before leaving that there are major road works on the M1 between Junction 6 and 10.

We raced off the M25 and speeded around a long sweeping right bend and ran straight into a traffic jam to top all traffic jams. Cars went from 60mph to a dead stop and it was a miracle that there were no accidents. Crawling along the slip road we nosed our way onto the M1 and spent from Junction 6 to Junction 10 the Luton Airport exit cruising at a top speed of 10mph or less. Junction 10 was a welcome sight that is until we began another crawl along the East Luton Carriageway road that strangely enough had some major repairs being done to it at the same time.

Attempting to meet a 1.30pm arrival we arrived at Luton Airport just after 2pm and made our way past the endless queues of traffic to the Terminal building. Luckily our son’s flight had landed but he had not reached the arrivals area yet.

I took the opportunity to pay a visit to the toilet and what greeted me as it did all visitors to this country landing at Luton was an ill kept public convenience, it smelt, it was not clean and overall it was untidy. Welcome to the U.K I thought as I proceeded to a cash point to get some as I knew there would be an exorbitant parking fee to pay on exit. All three ATM’s were out of order and it was good to see that out great British reputation for excellent service was holding up well here in Luton Airport.

In addition to the major road works currently underway on the M1 motorway, Luton Borough Council's 'East Luton Corridor' road works project, on the main approach to the Airport, moved into a critical phase from 5th February and is envisioned to continue until May 2007.

From this date, the contractor, Birse, will begin works that will involve the complete reconstruction of the roundabout adjacent to the Holiday Inn Express at London Luton Airport. In order to ensure that the works are delivered safely and expeditiously, the alternative route into the Airport, Percival Way, will be closed to through traffic. For those travelling from the East, diversions will be in place.

The road closure of Percival Way will seriously affect access to London Luton Airport and will cause significant traffic congestion in the local area, particularly at peak times.

But, Dirtyglasses, as a result of a frustrating trip will now see everything to do with Luton Airport in a negative way and goes on to highlight the following problems:

We walked to the departures area where signs glowed saying `Cash Dispensers` that alerted me where to go but as I homed in with card in hand these three ATM’s were out of order as well.

Needing cash we decided to buy some sandwiches and some drinks at the Simply Food M&S food shop with the hope that they would have a cash back facility. £8.50 obviously meant that the prices won’t included in the Simply statement otherwise it would have to be called Simply Pricey and that wouldn’t be allowed.

Once outside the Terminal the car park paying machines were lined up neatly and I am sure I heard music coming from them and it was a song called `Give us your money geezer`.

£5.50 for around 1 hours parking is a nice little earner especially when the car park amounted to some rough ground next to the terminal, no gleaming concrete helter skelter here like at Gatwick. The queues of cars trying to leave the car park stretched well back into the car park itself so we decided to sit in the car for a while and eat our overpriced sandwiches whilst waiting a while.

A good lesson for any airport that has any form of control over or that is planning on expansion - "Make sure that you have all bases covered, because if you don't, people will complain and find fault with everything, and, make no mistake, this will impact on your business!"

Union officials representing cashiers at Detroit Metro Airport's parking lots are to return to the negotiating table today for contract talks with Motor City Central Parking, hired to manage the airport's more than 21,000 spaces.

But even if they don't reach a deal, a strike on Sunday is not likely, said Steve Hicks, president of Teamsters Local 283, which represents about 125 cashiers and maintenance workers at Metro's parking lots and decks.

Hicks said union leaders expect to decide today whether they should direct members to walk off the job, or have off-duty workers set up picket lines.

But a strike is not out of the question, Hicks said. If picket lines don't work, the union could later tell workers to walk off the job. Either way, airport officials say the lots and decks will be open on Sunday, expecting Motor City Central Parking to have a plan to deal with a potential strike.

The company said it has a plan but would not discuss it.

Talks ended early Friday afternoon. The contract's latest extension is to expire tonight.

Issues for the union include a $3 daily parking fee and a two-tier wage system.

Source: JEWEL GOPWANI of the Free Press

www.JustParking.co.uk: At 7.30pm on 31 March 2007, Sydneysiders - businesses and individuals - turned off their lights for just one hour, Earth Hour, as a sign of their commitment to reduce global warming.

Earth Hour is just the start of a campaign that aims to reduce Sydney's greenhouse emissions by 5% in 2007. The event will demonstrate how simple actions can make the world of difference if everyone takes part. And it sends a powerful message that we care about the future of the planet.

The Earth Hour initiative got us to thinking that even mundane items such as airport parking meters could also join in the fight against global warming as they also have power and cabling requirements that contribute to global warming.

Nearly 90% of parking meter manufacturing company, Parkeon's customer base now opt for solar powered parking meters.

In Europe, Parkeon offers the Varioflex™ range of pay-on-foot systems for off-street parking. This comprises automatic and manual pay stations, car park entry / exit terminals and barriers.

Could this mean the end of the airport parking attendant?

Solar-powered parking machines are not only environmentally friendly and use a source of free solar energy, but are also quick and easy to install. Excavations are minimal, as there is no cabling required, and they do not require the involvement of the power companies, which saves time, connection charges and administration.

The next question is; "With the widespread implementation of solar powered parking meters will parking become cheaper?"

There is one sure way of ensuring a cheaper parking rate at all airports in the United Kingdom, though, book in advance with Just Parking.