Here I will list what facilities that all the Best Airport Parking carparks should have and why. This will help you to decide whether the Airport Parking you are considering to book is a good place or not.
If you have read the home page you will be aware that I used to run the office at a busy UK Airport Carpark and so I know that not all Airport Parking is the same. Some are better than others.
Most Airport Parking in the UK is good and ran by reputable companies and will have most if not all the facilities I am going to detail. Unfortunately, some Airport Parking does not and some are ran by unscrupulous people who do not care about their customers or their cars. Those are the ones I want to help you to avoid.
Secure Airport Parking
The carpark you are considering to book with should be secure airport parking. This means people should not be able to hop over a fence to get access to the cars. If you think about it a carpark containing over 200 cars probably has a combined value of over £5 Million! That is a lot of value sitting there. If car thieves could get in and out they may try. Sadly, many Airport carparks are not as secure as they should be.
Secure Airport Carpark
A secure airport parking carpark should ideally be out of sight, so that potential thieves can’t even see it. Most are manned 24 hours a day 365 days a year and don’t usually have any security issue.
The secure airport parking carpark should ideally have a security gate to allow people in and out. I don’t think ‘on-site’ Airport Carparks have this but as Airports are patrolled by the police, I doubt it is a concern.
Secondly, it should have CCTV throughout the carpark in case something relative minor happens such as another customer scratching a customer’s car, which does occasionally happen.
Floodlit Airport Parking Carpark
A good Airport Carpark should have sufficient lighting. This means it needs to be effectively floodlit. This is important as if you are departing at night, you need to be able to drive around the carpark and find the spot you have been given (if that is the case), or find a spare space. On returning at night, it helps if there is enough light to find your car! Remember, if you left your keys with the Airport Parking company, your car may be in a different space.
Often carparks can have tight corners and if it is dark you could have a nightmare start or end to your holiday where you hit another car! This can and does happen. Sufficient lighting can prevent this type of minor accident.
In addition to driving it is far easier loading and unloading suitcases etc when there is sufficient lighting. All these factors are increased in winter when the days are shorter.
And finally it is important for the staff to be able to see what they are doing so that your information is taken correctly. Additionally, if the secure airport parking carpark is floodlit, it is less likely for the staff who move cars to have any mishaps with your car!
Insurance
Every Airport Carpark, like any business that has customers entering the premises has to have, public liability insurance. This is to fully insure the staff and customers against injury etc.
ParkMark membership
ParkMark is a voluntary safer parking scheme that is approved and inspected by the police. Carparks that are members have lower crime incidents. Many carparks are members and it is another good sign of a reputable safe carpark.
Shuttle bus service
The shuttle bus service applies to ‘off-site’ Airport Parking companies. Nearly all ‘off-site’ Airport Parking companies include a shuttle service to and from the Airport. If they do not, I would not book with them as you would then have the extra cost and hassle of booking a taxi to and from the airport.
Toilet facilities
Toilet facilities should be available for customer use as many customers have driven a long way to get to the airport parking, and if delayed, may not have had time stop on the way. The toilet at the carpark I worked at must have been used by at least 100 customers per day.
Disabled Airport Parking Spaces
Every Airport Parking carpark should have disabled carpark spaces. The spaces should be larger than the other spaces to accommodate drivers with disabilities and should be situated near to where the customers need to go, e.g. the office or where the bus is situated. They should also be clearly marked as disabled and should only be used by those possessing a blue disabled badge.
Car Battery and Tyre Assistance
A typical Airport Parking carpark can hold hundreds of cars and therefore it is quite common for cars to have minor problems. This is partly because the cars are typically parked for long stay (a week or more). The most common minor problems are the car having a flat battery, or a flat tyre.
A good airport parking carpark should have a car battery booster available to customers. This needs to be kept fully charged so that a customer can be helped immediately. At the carpark I worked at we had one and it was needed several times per week.
The second most common problem is a flat tyre. This is usually a slow puncture that the customer is unaware of and may have picked up on the way to the carpark. A simple solution is a tyre inflator which is plugged in to the car lighter and inflated the tyre in about five minutes. This is something the airport parking carpark should have available for the customers as most people do not carry one in their car.
These are both minor things but customers absolutely love it that the carpark quickly and easily solves their problem. An example of good customer care.
Office with customer seating
Every good airport parking carpark should have an office with customer seating. There are times when customers might have to wait a short while for the shuttle bus and if it is raining it is not good to be stood out in the rain with your family and luggage. With a simple seating area you and your family can keep out of the rain until the bus arrives and off you go to the airport.
Large Rubbish Bins
Any good Airport Parking carpark should have more than one large bin for customers to put their rubbish. Many customers are driving quite far and often make a quick stop at somewhere like a McDonalds. They will typically use the drive through as they need to get to the airport carpark and catch their flight.
They don’t typically have time to sit in and leisurely enjoy their meal, they eat it on the way. Often they have quite a bit of rubbish and can’t leave it in the car for a week or two! Therefore large rubbish bins are needed and get used every day.
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