Posts Tagged airport

Understand Eleven Reason Why You Should Not Park Directly At The Airport

Travel means taking parking decisions. There are many options you could park at the airport lot or at car parking facilities situated near the airport. Airport parking means searching frequently moving from one full lot to another, or commuting to the terminal by a shuttle from the other end of the airport, and paying a parking fee that may be more than the cost of your air ticket. The experience could make you want to tear your hair out.

Parking at the airport would mean:

1. Starting out early to reach the airport at least an hour before reporting time as many a time a parking spot many not be immediately available and you may have to drive around quite a bit before discovering a place.

2. Carrying luggage from the car to the airport itself or to the shuttle service.

3. Budgeting for settling the short term or long term parking costs. Airport parking can prove to be more expensive than you thought. At many airports the rates for parking vary from day to day and during peak season. Often you may need to pay as much as $ 150 for parking for five days. Economy parking is hardly ever available and you may have no selection except the more expensive lots.

4. Finding all lots full and having to make a dash for private parking facilities at the last moment. This could delay getting to your gate in time.

5. During holidays, rush hours, and travel seasons for European travel tours there could be a great jam or arriving and departing cars all making a bee line for the gate house or token counter. The chaos is compounded by long queues at every gate and at the security and this could mean a 400 yard or more dash to the gate carrying your mound of luggage.

6. Security measures instituted with little or no notice can spoil even the best made plans. A rule like no parking within a distance of 300m could mean that you will have to park a great distance away. And due to alerts there can be random security checks of all entering vehicles leading to considerable delays. The traffic will not just slow down to a crawl but many of the closely located short-term spaces will be shut down.

7. Due to repairs and construction work often unanticipated detours need to be made while trying to access airport lots.

8. The car park may be located at a great distance from your terminal and if you are not in the airport immediately , you may choose to park diagonally opposite to the terminal.

9. Valet parking is not a free service; one will have to pay to have the car parked to save you valuable time.

10. Many trolleys only function on feeding in a coin. Even if the coin is refunded later it just means remembering to take along a coin of the right domination.

11. The large volume of passengers at any given time at busy airports just means that the transfer buses are not just overcrowded but slow and uncomfortable with people and their luggage jostling for space.

Why board a plane for European bus tours angry, tired, and frustrated. As a modern traveler for Europe bus tour there are many conveniences you can opt for. Parking at off-airport lots, is organized and hassle free. Even if the lots are some distance away the conveniences are such that it would be a time and money saving decision.

, , , ,

No Comments

Manchester Airport Parking Facilities Are The Best Resourced Anywhere

Heathrow Airport Car Parking Facilities Are The Best Resourced Anywhere

In total the traveler choosing to fly from Heathrow Airport Parking has a choice of over thirty different parking facilities, and these provide a range of solutions to fit particular needs, preferences and pockets. The first option, and the one which will need least preparation or planning, is parking your car at the airport with no prior booking arrangement in place. This is referred to as either the airport drive on price of airport gate price, and will be rather expensive compared to the wide range of bookable facilities which could be arranged before you even leave home or the office.

With airports, including Heathrow Airport Parking, continually expanding, the available land for providing parking near Gatwick is becoming increasingly under pressure, and with space a premium, prices have risen to reflect this. As far as general Gatwick Airport parking provision is concerned, you have a choice between three main facilities: off-airport parking, on-airport parking and a ‘Meet and Greet’ service.

The off-airport services, which include APH Gatwick, Courtlands and Cophall Farm, are secure compound areas which provide a level of security that is significantly higher than those found within the airport itself. Typically you will be asked to leave your keys at reception, and your car will then be parked for you. This provides peace of mind in terms of security and convenience, but with a greater distance to the airport itself, this may be less convenient if you have a large amount of luggage.

On-airport parking includes the Summer Special facility, NCP Flightpath and Parking Express South. These facilities are quite large, and when you arrive you will be given a designated area in which to park. It is wise to make a note of this area in order to help locate the car at the end of your trip. You will need to park your car yourself, and then use a transfer coach to the airport terminal itself. A good tip is to drop off family and luggage at one of these bus stops, and to then park the car.

The Meet and Greet services available take parking your car at Gatwick Airport to a new level of comfort, convenience and peace of mind. These services reflect a growing demand amongst both business passengers and holidaymakers for a service which delivers maximum convenience.

The Meteor Meet and Greet and Cophall Farm are just two examples of this service, and in all cases you will simply need to drive straight to the terminal, and hand the keys over to a driver who will park your car for you. At the end of the trip the driver will return your car directly to the terminal again.

These Stansted Airport Parking services come at a price which is higher than the standard services, but if you have a good deal of luggage, or are in a hurry, have young children or find the whole experience of airports quite stressful, then they are certainly worth every penny. More on this service later.

It is worth being aware that a growing number of car parks at Heathrow Airport Parking are charging for a minimum of three days’ parking. If you are only going away for a day or two you may find it cheaper to use the long stay car park which is closest to the terminal itself.

The long term car park facilities are best booked in advance in order to make significant cost savings. During the summer months the airport is, quite naturally, very much busier than during the winter, and using the long term car park or a Meet and Greet or Valet service is beneficial.

Clearly these prices reflect the need to consider pre-booking your parking, and this can easily be done online. If you’re spending time looking at online booking facilities for car parking at Gatwick Airport, you might be interested to review the Meet and Greet services, sometimes referred to as either Valet Parking or Chauffeured Parking. Imagine arriving directly outside the terminal, and being met by a driver who will help you with your luggage, then drive your car to a secure compound. If you are parking near Gatwick, you generally don’t have to pre-book.

After your trip, your driver will meet you, with your car, directly outside the terminal again, and will assist you with any luggage. If you travel very frequently, are in a hurry, have children, elderly passengers of anyone with any form of disability, having a lot of luggage or simply want to be pampered right from the start, this is certainly one of the finest Gatwick Airport parking services offered. Searching for your car amongst seemingly endless car parks at the end of a holiday is not much fun, and at less than

No Comments

Heathrow Airport Noise Pollution

In a recently published noise action plan BAA (British Airports Authority) have admitted, for the first time, that over 700,000 people are actually affected by noise from Heathrow airport. This figure is more than double the number that was previously published.

BAA have launched a 16 week consultation period to gather feedback from people affected by aircraft noise from around Heathrow airport. In their new action plan BAA have acknowledged that over 700,000 people are actually affected by aircraft noise from Heathrow air traffic. Campaigners have criticised the EU requirements for member states to draw up noise action plans as they say the requirements don’t go far enough as they don’t contain plans to reduce noise from various airports.

BAA is contacting residents in the areas surrounding Heathrow airport and the outlying Heathrow parking facilities, to encourage them to submit their views by means of a questionnaire. The questionnaire focusses specifically upon noise from air traffic and doesn’t ask any questions related to airport expansion or the land required to meet increased demand for airport parking space. Residents have been told that they can also attend one of the three public sessions that will be held at the airport to discuss the noise issues. BAA have said that the consultation on noise is not linked to the controversial proposed plans to expand the airport. The enquiry, which will run until October 2009, will present a draft Noise Action plan to the Transport Secretary.

The campaign grounp Hacan Clearskies, dedicated to representing those who suffer due to aircraft noise, have said that ‘At long last BAA has been forced to creep into the real world and admit many more than 300,000 people are affected by aircraft noise. But even this is an underestimate. The World Health Organisation estimates more than a million people are affected.’

Previouss BAA figures estimated that 258,500 people were affected by high noise levels but this was derived by averaging noise levels over a 16 hour day. The new EU requirements result in far more accurage measurements of noise pollution by averaging readings over a full 24 hour period.

Hacan have pointed out that the location of Heathrow airport was never planned. It is located where it is due to an historical accident and nobody was able to predict how big it was to become. Most of the runaways at Heathrow are directed over London, due to the prevailing wind, and with the wind is from the East aircraft must take off over heavily populated areas raising significant safety concerns.

As the airport has grown, air traffic has increased and ever more Heathrow Hotels have been built to meet the demands of travellers. Noise is just one of the major concerns of local residents who have had to tolerate increased levels of air pollution and huge rise in the volume of traffic on the roads surrounding the busy airport. Although BAA have acknnowledged that over 700,000 people are affected by Heathrow aircraft noise it is anticipated that the true figure is in excess of one million.

, , , ,

No Comments