Airport Parking News

www.Parctel.com: What has Airport Parking got to do with the title; "Click Throughs Happen"?

Stay with me whilst I wander all over the airport parking lot gathering my thoughts together. On a daily basis I wade through hundreds of references to Airport Parking, partly as an obsession, partly to find inspiration, partly because a major part of this news site is dedicated to interesting stories and links to Airport Parking. Of course we at Parctel also get to 'meet' some interesting people that certainly brighten our lives up.

The following item was posted in the Orlando Business Journal:

Parking fees at Orlando International Airport took off again at the beginning of this month -- something less-expensive off-site parking proprietors want to parlay into more paying customers for themselves.

The daily parking fee at Orlando International's satellite parking lots went up by $1 on Oct. 1, making it $10. In addition, non-guest valet parking at the airport's Hyatt hotel now will cost $23 per day, instead of $21.

"Hopefully, this will mean more business for us and all off-site lots -- but mostly us," laughs Doug Yuen, general manager of Park to Fly on Frontage Road.

His lot charges $7.99 per day, an amount that increases to $9.19 when airport fees and taxes are factored in.

And in the sidebar of the above story is a reference to an off site airport parking lot named; "Park Bark and Fly". As far as business and domain names are concerned, this is one that really makes you want to have a closer look, especially seeing that it is difficult to get the correlation between 'parking' and 'barking'. A quick Google search and I was on the site.

It turns out that they have 'partnered' with Dog MaHall and Cats 2, which is a luxury pet hotel in the Florida area around one mile from the Orlando International Airport. And THAT is where I got stumped because when I clicked through to the DogMaHall site the bandwidth limit had been exceeded - "The server is temporarily unable to service your request due to the site owner reaching his/her bandwidth limit." Damn.

Valuable lessons for site owners.

www.Parctel.com: SIX YEARS after Republicans took control of the Philadelphia Parking Authority in a political coup d'etat, the number of people on its payroll has doubled and top salaries have soared, making the patronage haven one of the best-paid addresses in municipal government.

In 2001, when House Republican leader John Perzel engineered the takeover, the Parking Authority had 512 full-time employees. Only two of them were making six-figure salaries.

Six years later, the full-time payroll has grown to 1,051 people, including 20 who are making more than $100,000 a year.

The authority's top job now belongs to Vincent J. Fenerty Jr., a longtime Republican ward leader who joined the authority as a booting supervisor in 1983, initially earning less than $28,000 a year.

Fenerty now makes $194,830 annually as the authority's executive director - more than any of the doctors, lawyers and other professionals on the city payroll, and $50,000 more than Mayor Street.

Meanwhile, the agency has delivered just a sliver of the money that Republican leaders promised to the Philadelphia School District when the GOP takeover sailed through the Legislature - just $4 million in six years.

The authority's growth is fueled in part by new and expanded duties.

On top of its old functions - writing parking tickets, collecting coins from parking meters, booting and towing scofflaws - the authority now runs the mammoth lots at Philadelphia International Airport, tows the cars of drivers who are caught without valid licenses or insurance, administers a new traffic-light camera program that catches drivers running red lights, and regulates the city's taxicabs.

Read the Full story on Philly.com

www.Parctel.com: Taxi-drivers and shuttle bus operators have blasted new traffic lights on the Brisbane airport roundabout as a "pointless" exercise that has doubled peak-hour congestion.

Four sets of lights were installed on each corner of the roundabout at the end of August to improve safety and traffic flow.

The Department of Main Roads says the $1.48 million project has reduced to zero the number of accidents on the notorious trouble-spot.

But businesses that rely on access to the airport say the new system has turned a traffic headache into a congestion nightmare, with cars banking up back to the international airport on a daily basis.

BAP Airport Parking General Manager Andrew Bell says his business has been inundated with complaints from frustrated customers.

Full story on the Brisbane Times

www.Parctel.com: Weather permitting, work to finalize road realignments near PDX spans from Monday, Oct. 22, through approximately Sunday, Oct. 28. Workers will keep at least two lanes open daily between 5 a.m. and 11 p.m., and may reduce the roadway to one lane between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. Please drive cautiously and watch for directional signage.

You can avoid the construction area by using the economy parking lot, which will have additional shuttle buses during peak hours. Another option for travelers is the Gold Key Valet parking service on the departures roadway.

Roadway realignment is needed to serve a second parking garage now under construction.

www.Parctel.com: The Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport's new parking garage opened to the public early today, completing a trilogy of projects that included a terminal expansion and new operations facility.

The $35 million garage adds 1,690 spaces, taking the airport's total parking inventory to 3,690. The four-level facility is located directly across from the terminal and is connected by covered walkways from the first and third levels of the garage.

Perhaps the most unique feature of the new garage is the Signal Park system, which informs passengers of the number of available spaces in each of the four levels as well as the number of spaces in each row.

"The inclusion of this state-of-the-art feature is part of our commitment to be first in service to passengers and visitors," said Patrick S. Graham, airport executive director.

"It's easy in and easy out and no one will have to ride around looking for a parking space."

Airport commissioner Steve Green said the new garage combines convenience, safety and aesthetics.

"The covered parking is a huge convenience and Signal Park will make it safer as rushed passengers hurry to find a parking space," he said.

"And the design is as architecturally appealing as any parking deck you'll find anywhere."

The new garage, which will accommodate long-term and hourly parking, is built over the old "short term" parking area, directly across from the main terminal. The original two-level parking garage, located behind the new structure, will be the economy lot.

With the opening of the new parking deck, the temporary hourly lot that had been in operation next to the terminal has been closed.

Valet parking is available on the upper level curbside and the cell phone lot will still be available for those who want to wait with their car for arriving passengers.

Full Story and Pictures on the Savannah Morning News

www.Parctel.com: This year sees Hillsboro Airport celebrating 72 years as a public-use airport and the 7th Annual Hillsboro Airport Open House takes place on Saturday, October 27 from 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. at the Hillsboro Airport Terminal – Main Floor, 3355 NE Cornell Rd, Hillsboro.

Take a tour, talk to pilots, get up-close views of working and historical aircraft, and learn how your general aviation airport supports the region’s economy and well-being. This free, open-to-the-public event will feature activities fun for the whole family– face painting, games, snacks, and special prizes for kids in Halloween costumes!

The airport is wheelchair accessible. Parking is available, or take Max blue line to the Fair Complex/Hillsboro Airport station.

www.Parctel.com: Q-Park car parks Mosae Forum in Maastricht and Spaarne Hospital in Hoofddorp received EPA Awards. The awards were presented on Thursday, September 27th, in Madrid during the biennial conference of the European Parking Association (EPA).

There were a total of 19 nominations in eight countries, divided into four categories. The jury chose a winner from each category. Q-Park was honoured twice, once for the Mosae Forum car park in Maastricht, in the category New Projects and once for the Spaarne Hospital car park in Hoofddorp in the category Special Projects.

Special design of Mosae Forum:
The Q-Park Mosae Forum car park is located directly next to the Maas and twelve metres deep, below Maasboulevard in the historic centre of Maastricht. This four-storey underground car park is the largest in the city. Developed by 3W, designed by architect Jo Coenen and further developed by architect Mark Hermans, it is innovatively integrated into the modern shopping area of Mosae Forum. It has a luxury design, clear lighting and clean, shiny floors.

Unique collaboration with Spaarne Hospital:
The Q-Park Spaarne Hospital car park is the result of a unique collaborative effort between Q-Park and the Spaarne Hospital. This car park is designed to provide practical features that meet the specific needs of hospital visitors. This includes wide and disabled parking spaces, wheelchairs, and special ticket machines at wheelchair height. The artistic design of the car park also creates added value. The aluminium outer walls are constructed to depict human DNA after nightfall.

European Parking Association Award:
The EPA Award is a biennial European prize for excellence in parking service. The goal of the award is to promote the quality improvement of car parks. Important quality criteria are practicality and efficiency, construction and design, maintenance, management and safety. This is not the first time that Q-Park car parks have received the prestigious EPA Award. This award was previously presented to the Laakhaven car park in The Hague (1999), Museumplein car park in Amsterdam (2001) and the (2003).

Zuidplein car park in Rotterdam - 2003 Renovated Car Park, European Parking Association Winner

www.Parctel.com: In order to improve the image of parking in multi-storey car parks, the European Parking Association has instituted a European Standard for safety and customer friendliness in car parks.

The Standard contains guidelines and a score sheet for:

• lighting and reflective surfaces
• vehicular entry/exit
• parking areas
• pedestrian routes
• lifts
• stairwells
• security
• maintenance
and several other items.

The European Standard Parking Award can be obtained by car parks owned or operated and that gain a required minimum of points on the score sheet.

Application forms are available at the European Standard Parking website.

The national Parking Association will present the Award in the name of EPA and will reclaim the plaquette if the awarded car park does not conform to the requirements anymore.

Plaquettes are obtainable from the EPA office in Cologne at a cost of 70,00 EUR apiece + shipping costs.

www.Parctel.com: Q-Park, one of Europe's largest and most advanced car park operators, has appointed a new management team to drive forward its BCP airport booking service.

Freddie Kemp, UK Commercial Director of Q-Park Ltd, who has been involved in the airport car parking and property sector since 1994, takes over the business following the departure of Stephen Moss CBE and Eric Campus, members of the founding family of BCP. He is supported by Q-Park Head of Marketing Will Dunnett, who has taken on responsibility for sales and marketing at BCP and by Kevin Sage, previously Commercial Director who assumes the role of Finance Director.

"BCP is one of the most highly respected organisations in the travel industry. Multi-award winning, it has developed an industry-leading reputation for customer service and professionalism. The role of the new team will be to drive this philosophy forward as the premier airport car parking service", says Q-Park Chief Executive Alan Ashbee.

www.Parctel.com: We have been following with interest an incident that happened to Dave Naylor at the Manchester Airport Terminal 3 Short Stay Parking lot recently. As Dave says:

"Well I parked in the short stay carpark on the 20th of last month, I was only away 1 night and when I came back one of the supporting box sections had rusted through and dropped a 1 foot lump of metal and crap on my BMW."

The reason for our interest is that Dave works in the SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) industry and if his 'negotiations' with the owners of the Manchester Airport Parking lot do not go the way that they should, we will be interested in seeing what he does to let people know of his happiness / unhappiness at the outcome.

Read Dave's Full Story: Manchester Airport Parking

www.Parctel.com: On Monday 8th October the Highways Agency in partnership with BAA Gatwick launched new traffic information points at the airport that are designed to provide road users with real-time travel information for their onward journey.

The aim of the initiative is to provide road users with up to the minute information about the Highways Agency's roads, including the nearby M23 and M25, so they can plan their journey and avoid potential delays.

The four digital screens are situated at the two parking pay stations, and the valet parking and car hire areas. Travel information is supplied directly by the Highways Agency website, live cameras and the National Traffic Control Centre in Birmingham.

Highways Agency Area Performance Manager, Simon Duke said:

"This initiative is a great opportunity for the Highways Agency and BAA Gatwick to provide a link between air travel and road transport. The information points will enable travellers arriving at the airport to plan their onward journey from Gatwick and will ultimately help to provide safer roads and more reliable journeys."

David Stretch, BAA Gatwick's Customer Service Director comments:

"We are delighted to be the first airport in the south east to install the new Highways Agency travel information screens. They will be of huge benefit to our passengers and airport staff when planning their onward journey from the airport and will help ease road congestion at our busy times. The screens are ideally located at the two car parking pay stations, the car rental facility and the BAA Valet parking reception, South Terminal".

Source: Bapco Journal

www.Parctel.com: Bosses at Manchester Airport have banned car park attendants from giving motorists a push start if they break down.

Officials at the airport - which aims to provide `outstanding customer service' - introduced the rule to prevent staff accidentally damaging vehicles when they are trying to help owners.

But the policy has been condemned by motoring groups, with one critic saying the airport had `thrown common sense out of the window'. A spokesman for the Association of British Drivers said: "It would be a matter of normal humanity to decide to help someone who is experiencing difficulty. The employer should just keep out of it and allow people to make their own personal judgement."

Sean Corker, who campaigns for motorists' rights in the north west, said: "It's incredible and I'm afraid it's more political correctness gone mad.

"You always come across the odd jobsworth but you don't often get people ordered by their bosses not to help customers. Their customer service obviously doesn't extend to those who drive to the airport."

Holidaymaker Paul Ross fell foul of the ruling when he returned to the Terminal 2 car park after a trip to Menorca and found the battery had gone flat on his Volkswagen Golf.

He approached staff at the car park for help but they said they couldn't assist him on the orders of their superiors.

Read the full story on Manchester Evening News

www.Parctel.com: Panama - Chris Berry had no trouble finding a parking spot at the Panama City-Bay County International Airport on Tuesday afternoon. “It’s about 100 yards that way,” Berry said, pointing to his left as he awaited the arrival of his girlfriend. Berry was parked in the airport’s ropeenclosed, sidewalk-free overflow lot, a grassy area that sits about two blocks away from the main parking area. Joe Lopes made it into the main parking lot, but that’s not always the case.

“Sometimes it’s a little crowded and you have to hunt to find a space,” said Lopes, who was in the airport waiting for family Tuesday afternoon.

The Airport Authority is in the process of building a new overflow parking lot, and on Oct. 1 raised the parking rate. Customers now will pay $1 per half-hour, up from $.50 a halfhour. One day of parking now will cost $8, up from $6.

The airport is raising the rate, in part, to pay for the new parking lot, said Randy Curtis, the executive director of the airport. The new, 150-space lot has a $400,000 price tag and is being built by Carr Engineering. It is slated to be finished at the end of the month.

The expenditure comes as the Airport Authority is relocating to a 4,000-acre, St. Joe Co.-donated site in West Bay. That project is supposed to be finished by the end of 2009.

Full Story in News Herald

Celebrating 72 years as a public-use airport

Saturday, October 27
2:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Hillsboro Airport Terminal – Main Floor
3355 NE Cornell Rd, Hillsboro, OR

Take a tour, talk to pilots, get up-close views of working and historical aircraft, and learn how your general aviation airport supports the region’s economy and well-being. This free, open-to-the-public event will feature activities fun for the whole family– face painting, games, snacks, and special prizes for kids in Halloween costumes!

The airport is wheelchair accessible. Parking is available, or take Max blue line to the Fair Complex/Hillsboro Airport station.

For special needs or for further information, contact Shannon Huggins, Port of Portland Community Affairs, at 503.460.4073.