Airport Parking News

www.Parctel.com: How many times have you exited from a shopping centre or the airport just to wander aimlessly around looking for your car?

Even worse is that 'the Airport Parking meter is running', you are tired, jet lagged or hungover and the stress begins taking it's toll.

Help yourself find your vehicle in the airport parking lot by taking a photograph of it with your mobile phone camera as well as the general parking area it is in before you fly off.

www.Parctel.com: Over the past few months, Portland Airport Parking have been testing a new addition to the services we provided at PDX. A new parking guidance system in the parking garage is now operating to help motorists find a parking spot faster than ever.

Upon entering the garage and approach on each level, a sign will indicate the exact number of vacant spaces available on the floor. Once on the floor, additional signs and individual space detectors direct the parker to available spaces. An overhead green light will direct the parker to an open parking spot beneath it.

www.parking-at-gatwick.com: When last did you get excited enough to write about the fact that your newspaper arrived on time? Like everyone else in this 'busy' world we are quick to anger, quick to complain but really slow to praise. And when it comes to the even more 'mundane' items such as Airport Parking then we only seem to complain. The parking spots are always too far, with never enough protection from the elements and always far too expensive.

Occasionally someone comes along who has an eureka moment and points out just how convenient, time saving and just plain wow such a mundane thing as booking your Gatwick Airport Parking in advance can be.

The following entry was spotted on the gimme a break blog:

I don’t know how many times I’ve posted complaints about parking on this blog. But such is the hassle of having a car, for crying out loud.

When I came across the concept of Gatwick Airport Parking, I was completely bowled over. What a brilliant system!

It allows you to book your parking spot online so that when you get there, there’ll be an actual parking spot waiting for you.

When you travel with kids especially, it’s hard to get everyone out the door on time to get to the airport.

So what you can do is reserve your parking spot online for up to 8 days in the event you want to leave your car at the airport. Check into the hotel which is just a stone’s throw from the airport terminal.

Sleep over the night before your trip so there’s no rush on the day of travel, no heart attacks that you might miss the flight. Brilliant, don’t you think?

The Airport Parking industry thanks you for taking the time to express your satisfaction.

A COVERT operation mounted by a Langford resident has revealed that a developer has been using a mushroom farm as a car park without permission.

Two days after Bristol Park and Fly unveiled its plans for a park and ride scheme at Monaghan's Mushroom Farm, to serve Bristol International Airport, a villager found a website advertising airport parking at the farm.

The woman, who has asked not to be named, called a number on the website posing as a tourist and was given directions to the mushroom farm.

At least two further websites direct tourists looking for parking to the site in Stock Lane.

Bristol Park and Fly's managing director, Steven Merry, said: "There was a mistake with our booking agents and some have gone ahead but it will not be used until we have planning permission.

"We have spoken to North Somerset Council's enforcement officer about this and there does not seem to be any problem."

Mr Merry outlined his plans for a 1,200 space car park at a meeting attended by more than 70 residents two weeks ago, where fears were raised over noise, light and air pollution.

A council spokesman said: "If we do not receive an application then enforcement action may result."

A planning application will be submitted later this month.

Source: The Weston Mercury

A Colorado-based company plans to build a 210-unit garage complex near the intersection of Dorchester Road and Interstate 526. But unlike the operators of most pay-per-day lots, the developer, Airport Garages, plans to sell its parking spaces outright and shuttle owners to and from nearby Charleston International Airport.

The purchase comes with access to a clubhouse that will offer updated flight schedules and beverage service, as well as the ground transportation.

The concept is aimed partly at second-home owners who have property in places such as Kiawah Island, downtown Charleston and Isle of Palms, said Scott Rotermund, one of the partners in Airport Garages.

Prices range from $39,900 for a single stall to $109,900 for an 18-by-50-foot space that can hold about six sport utility vehicles. Owners also would pay a monthly maintenance fee of about $40.

In contrast, the airport's parking garage costs $12 per day.

The company said buyers like the fact that their vehicles are protected from the elements and in a secure environment.

The company compares its airport parking concept to the "dockominium" trend in which marina owners sell off boat slips instead of renting them, Rotermund said.

Airport Garages hopes to complete the North Charleston complex in early 2008.

The project is the company's first on the East Coast. The company already operates garages near Colorado ski resorts and in Salt Lake City.

At least one other company offers off-site parking for Charleston International. Park & Go opened in 2001 on West Montague Avenue. Its rates start at $7 a day.

Source: By Katy Stech, The Post and Courier

Affiliated Computer Services, Inc. (NYSE:ACS) today announced that its airport parking applications in North America will begin accepting MasterCard PayPass contactless payments. ACS is the leader in large airport parking systems, with more than 20 current installations at the nation's busiest airports.

MasterCard PayPass is a fast, cashless payment option that enables ACS customers to pay for parking simply by tapping their PayPass-enabled MasterCard card or device on a PayPass reader. ACS will begin to implement PayPass at selected, existing customer sites this summer. PayPass readers are anticipated to be installed in four to six airport sites by the end of 2007. ACS' airport revenue control solutions will continue to accept traditional magnetic-stripe payment cards along with this contactless payment technology and will continue to work with all payment card providers.

"This enhancement to airport parking is driven by MasterCard PayPass' ability to make purchases more convenient for customers by helping them move through lines more quickly and easily. After a long trip no one wants to be stuck in slow lines when exiting airport parking," said T.J. Sharkey, Group Head, Merchant Sales, U.S. Commerce Development, MasterCard Worldwide. "ACS is an innovative and proven provider of best-in-class technology solutions, making it an ideal partner for MasterCard to improve the experience for busy airport travelers."

With MasterCard PayPass, consumers no longer need to fumble for cash and coins or swipe a card for purchases. With the PayPass option, customers do not have to sign receipts for purchases under $25, which further speeds the payment process. In addition, under MasterCard's Quick Payment Service (QPS) program, no signature is required to complete a purchase and a receipt is optional for transactions up to $50 at parking garages.

"MasterCard's selection of ACS to expand MasterCard PayPass acceptance to airport parking facilities demonstrates our focus to simplify our customers' lives by providing innovative alternatives," said Michael Huerta, Managing Director of ACS Transportation Solutions. "Airport parking is an ideal setting for contactless payments because this technology streamlines a sometimes time-consuming activity for clients who frequently do not have time to spare."

ACS offers a wide range of transportation solutions, including public transit agency, toll collection agency and car park operator solutions that rationalize and automate revenue collection. A high service level optimizes revenue intake, while user-friendly tools enhance the customer experience. ACS solutions can be seamlessly integrated into existing environments and are geared for the requirements of the future. At ACS, transport infrastructure operators can find a complete range of products and systems for fare collection, parking and toll collection. The "one-stop shopping" principle enhances tailored solutions and long-term investment protection.

www.parking-stansted-airport.com: For those days when you have forgotten to book your Stansted Airport Parking in advance and have the right vehicle, you could always park at the airport like this guy:

Guy can't find a parking spot at an airport, so he creates one. 'Airport Parking' Video is 53 seconds long.

www.Parctel.com: Lessons to be learnt by both the travel company and traveller here. More and more we see that first impressions count. And the air traveller's first impression is always Airport Parking. If your reception at the aiport parking lot is smooth and unstressed then that good first impression will excuse a lot of niggles later. Book your Airport Parking before arrival and hopefully what happened to Alan Johnston will not happen to you. His blog rant is titled Dear British Airways and Iberia Airlines.:

You offer a unique travelling experience through your “co-operative partner service” to Ibiza - one that should work very well - but in reality does not deliver as smoothly as it should.

Booking on-line through Iberia.com is a very easy, straight forward service - electronic tickets issued all very efficient.

The problems first occur at airport parking and choice of terminal - tickets state very clearly which terminal you should go to - all OTHER evidence and instructions at car parking and in airport brochures indicate that you should in fact be going to another terminal - first stressful decision has to be made - we followed the ticketing advice (the right decision) quite a few followed the permanent advice provided by the shuttle buses and airport information services ( the wrong decision). They caught us up about 90 minutes later after having gone to the wrong terminal.

We check in and get a boarding pass for first flight - but not the second - which was so odd we came back out to check it was OK and were assured it was. All our baggage was checked through to Ibiza.

Click HERE to read more.