What to Do and Not Do when Airport Parking in the UK.

In this article you will learn what to do and Not do when using an Airport Parking carpark in the UK. Some of them may be the opposite of the other list.

What To Do.

1. Book with a website that processes the booking through an agent, unless you have used the carpark before or it is recommended by friends or family who have used it. Agent’s don’t like to be associated with ‘rogue’ or ‘bad’ carparks so you are more likely to be booking a good carpark.
2. Always book using a credit card. Credit cards give more protection than debit cards. If you need to get a refund for whatever reason, you can usually do that through a credit cards. Tip: a good reason is if it is ‘not as described’.
3. Always allow extra travel time when setting off to the airport parking carpark. The adage of Murphy’s law states: “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.” Car accidents, roadworks, diversions, etc happen somewhere every day, so allow more than enough time to get to the Airport Carpark.
4. Triple check you have got all passports, purses, wallets, credit cards, documents, medication and anything else you need to take with you before setting off.
5. Make sure you take your flight numbers with you. Many people arrive at the airport parking carpark without their flight numbers. The departure flight can be looked up online, but the return flight is not as easy.
6. Make sure you know which terminal of the airport you are flying from. Some airlines fly from more than one terminal and in those cases, if you tell the carpark the wrong one, you may be taken to that one on the bus.
7. Check your car the day before setting off. Check the tyres, oil, water, screenwash etc. If you have any unusual noises get them checked out. If you feel your car might not make the journey, consider using a different car.
8. Check you know the name and location of the airport parking carpark.
9. Notify the airport parking carpark of any major changes to your booking e.g. arriving in a different car, cancelled flight, different return date, or changed flight number etc.
10. On your return, only call the airport parking carpark when you have got all your luggage and are ready to leave the airport terminal. Sometimes the bus driver is already on his way for other customers and may be there in five minutes. They can not wait at the airport.
11. Get on the correct pick up Bus. Some returning customers are so keen to get home that they get on the wrong bus and end up at a different carpark!
12. Give the bus driver a tip if you feel like it. They often miss their breaks, work longer hours than they are meant to, and work on their day off to make sure people get to and from the airport on time.
13. Leave an honest review of the airport parking company after you get home, they are important.

What to Not Do.

1. Insist on the carpark bus driver taking you immediately to the airport because you’re running late. Everyone gets taken to the airport in order of arriving. If you leave more than enough time to get to the airport parking carpark, you should not be running late. Some carparks will give you priority but other customers may be before you.
2. Dump your litter (e.g. McDonalds etc) on the ground next to your car when you arrive at the carpark. Use the bins provided.
3. Expect a refund because you did not use the whole booking.
4. Have your flight numbers. It wastes possibly precious time if you are running late and the departure flight has to be looked up. The return flight is also important so that the carpark know when to expect you back. Good carparks will actually be tracking the return flights so they know when you have landed and are expecting your phone call for you to request your pick up.
5. Give the wrong terminal details. Some airlines fly from more than one terminal so make sure you give the correct terminal. If you give the wrong terminal, you may be taken to that terminal!
6. Call the airport parking carpark to say you are ready to be picked up from the airport when you have not yet got ALL your luggage. It can take a long time for luggage to arrive and bus drivers are not allowed to wait at the airport bus stop.
7. Get on the wrong bus picking up from the airport. Several different airport parking companies have to use the same bus stop letter (e.g. A,B,C etc), they are allocated by the airport. People often make this mistake and get on the wrong bus. It will take you to the wrong carpark. That will cause considerable delay and you may not be able to get back to the airport straight away.
8. Leave your car without closing windows and doors. Some customers are in such a rush to the bus to the airport they leave windows and even doors wide open! As you know in the UK it is very likely to rain while you are gone and if you leave a window wide open your car will probably be soaked when you get back. Do not abandon your car!
9. Do not leave the headlights on as your battery will be flat a week later.
10. Leave anything you really need in your car as you may not have time to return to the carpark and return back to the airport. The carpark may charge for using the bus more than normal.
11. Arrive in the most disgustingly dirty car, especially if you are leaving the key. Some poor guy might have to get in it to move it. I once had to move the dirtiest car in the world. I swear, I think this guys dog might have lived in the car! I had to move it and I am allergic to dogs! I felt like I needed a shower afterwards!
12. Expect to be the only people in the bus taking you to and from the airport. Sometimes you may be lucky and have the bus to yourself, but not usually. Carparks have to get as many people to and from the airport as quickly as possible.
13. Leave your luggage on the bus. It will probably end up back at the carpark office. It happens.
14. Do not take someone else’s luggage from the bus by mistake. It happens.
15. Criticise the driver or controller because you had to wait a while to be picked up from the airport. Sometimes several planes land at approximately the same time and there are too many customers returning to the carpark at the same time. The buses can only carry so many people.

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