Airport Parking News

www.Parctel.com: Ticket dodgers beware: John Smeaton, the baggage handler catapulted to superhero status after he took on terrorist attackers, has quit his job to become head of security at a car park.

But never fear, the secure parking facility is just two miles from Glasgow Airport where the man known as "Smeato" won global recognition for felling alleged terrorists as a blazing car was driven into the terminal in June.

After 13 years' service at the airport, Mr Smeaton, 31, from Erskine, Renfrewshire, who was on a cigarette break when the attack happened, handed in his resignation.

He said: "I'll be really sad to leave, but now is the right time to move on. I'm looking forward to a new start and hopefully getting my life back to some sort of normality."

John McGlynn, founder and chairman of the Airlink Group, which owns Parksafe, the car park, approached Mr Smeaton.

Last month, Mr Smeaton won a Pride of Britain award for his actions. He was given a standing ovation at a recent Labour Party conference and thanked personally at Downing Street by Gordon Brown.

Source: ALISON CHIESA, The Herald

www.Parctel.com: The search for the British parking industry’s top performers has begun. On 7 March 2008, the winners will receive their gongs for customer service, marketing, training and even ‘joined-up thinking’ when the awards are presented at London’s Dorchester Hotel.

The Overall Winners Award will be presented by Equita, the event’s main sponsor, to the individual category winner representing the most outstanding achievement in the UK parking industry during the past year. Further sponsors will be announced in the run up to the awards ceremony in March.

The British Parking Awards are organised by Parking Review and Landor Conferences, sponsored by Equita and supported by the British Parking Association.

Launched in 1989, Parking Review is written for public and private sector parking managers, enforcement contractors, car park designers and builders, highway planners, police forces, transport consultants, parking system suppliers and specialists. The monthly journal now has 6,000 readers.

Landor Conferences is a major division of Landor Publishing, a publishing company responsible for the magazines Cinema Business, Local Transport Today, Transit and Parking Review. The company currently runs around 30 events a year, including seminars, conferences, exhibitions and award ceremonies.

Equita Limited is a leading provider of collection and enforcement services to local authorities operating decriminalised parking. Based in Northampton, Equita offers a nationwide service through its infrastructure of local offices in London, Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester.

Source: British Parking Association

www.Parctel.com: There will be a detour en route to the airport from 10 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 17, through 4 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 18. All westbound lanes of Airport Way from I-205 to the Mt. Hood Overpass will close during those hours for the installation of an over-the-roadway sign.

The detour will be clearly marked, and will route traffic from I-205 to Airport Way, east to Holman Street, then to Alderwood Road, then to 82nd Avenue, and back to Airport Way.

This change will add a few extra minutes to your trip from I-205 to the terminal, so please plan accordingly. The sign being installed is one of four dynamic messaging signs on Airport Way to advise travelers of parking availability, traffic congestion, air quality advisories, security announcements or emergencies.

www.Parctel.com: After parking in a private Airport Parking lot near Oakland Airport Rajesh learnt a lesson that we all should take heed of. Rajesh wrote the following about his Airport Parking experience:

Yesterday, I had to go to Los Angeles for a day trip. I parked my car at Fast Track Airport Parking near Oakland Airport. This was a private parking lot where there were two options to park (covered at $12.20 and uncovered at $11.20 per day). I picked the covered spot and as I was getting down my car, I saw that one of the airport shuttles parked right behind me. The driver asked me to hop in and gave me a card where my parking lot # (E-40) was printed.

All I could say was “Great Service”

When I returned that evening, the shuttle driver asked me for that parking card and took me exactly to the spot where I had parked.

Again, all I could say was “Great Service”

When I had to pay to the cashier, I got a bill for $16.20. The extra money was various taxes and surcharges. About a 30% markup on the published prices.

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www.Parctel.com: It happens to the best of us: After a week on holiday, you step off the airplane and look at the sea of cars in the parking lot, with no idea where you left yours two weeks earlier. To the rescue comes Siemens, which is launching in March a new "car finding" system at Heathrow Airport in London. Genius!

The idea is pretty simple at heart: A camera scans your license plate as you enter the garage, and a computer assigns you a parking spot, printing the stall number right on the ticket. The garage then shows you where to park, by leading you exactly to the nearest empty spot with lights embedded in the pavement. When it's time to leave, you just look at the ticket. If you need more help, just insert it into a kiosk and you get a map of exactly where your assigned stall was. Lost your ticket? Just type in your license plate number.

If you lost your ticket and you don't know your license plate number, well, you're out of luck. Consider carrying your license plate number in your wallet or on a small tattoo.

The Heathrow project will keep tabs on 3,800 parking places as a test of how well the technology works before it is potentially rolled out to other locations.

And it's not just a time saver: Observers are hoping the technology proves to be a green one. The goal is that assigned parking spots will help keep people from driving in endless loops as they hunt for a parking spot. Siemens believes it will reduce carbon emissions by almost 400 tons per year.

Source: Yahoo

www.Parctel.com: The Airports Council International - North America (ACI-NA) and the Air Transport Association (ATA) are offering tips to the traveling public on how to prepare for the busy holiday travel season.

“Airports around the country are rolling out the welcome mat for holiday travelers,” said ACI-NA President Greg Principato. "The days before Thanksgiving and Christmas are traditionally among the busiest air travel days each year. Airports will be crowded. Often people traveling during the holiday season are unfamiliar with airline and security procedures so airports are implementing customer service initiatives to ensure that passengers have a positive and smooth travel experience."

Based on a sample of recent historical data, the three busiest travel days during the Thanksgiving travel period are expected to be Sunday, Nov. 25; Monday, Nov. 26; and Wednesday, Nov. 21, respectively. Over the entire 12-day holiday travel period, ATA projects that planes will average close to 90 percent full.

One of the most important things passengers can do is to check the airport’s website to obtain the most up to date information about parking availability as well as if delays are expected due to weather, security issues or air traffic problems. Passengers should also listen to local radio and TV stations for public service announcements concerning airport parking or delays.

Airports and airlines are working with the TSA to be fully prepared for holiday travel and to have adequate staffing for the checkpoints. Many airports will also have additional staff on hand to make sure that the parking lots booths are open, that traffic moves well in front of the terminal to allow passengers to be dropped off or picked up quickly, and that all of the facilities in the terminal are working well.

Many airports will have plastic bags on hand for passengers to use at security checkpoints for liquids, aerosols or gels in their carry-on baggage. Airports will remind travelers to decide before leaving home whether to put their 3-ounce liquids and gels in checked bags or bring them to the airport in a 1-quart resealable bag to send through security and place in carry-on afterwards.

Airports will have supplemental staff to quickly respond to any problems in basic services such as heating and lavatories. As always, in colder climates where snow is predicted or already falling, airports will have on hand snow removal equipment and implement irregular operations plans. Many airport concessionaires (especially food outlets) increase staff on the heavy travel days.

It’s important to note that many factors outside the airport’s control will have an impact on passengers’ travel through the airport; most notably TSA staffing. While airports are being pro-active and working diligently this holiday season to ensure a positive experience for the traveling public, crowds are expected to grow as demand for air travel skyrockets over the next five years.

“Our existing aviation infrastructure is stretched to its breaking point, and unless the industry and lawmakers reach a solution, we’ll be facing gridlock,” Principato said. “One solution that works is increasing airport capacity. Several major publications last week noted that decreased delays at major airports like Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson and Boston Logan were due in large measure to new runways. Airports can meet the growing passenger demand by planning now to invest in modern, secure and comfortable facilities for air travel.”

Below are other tips travelers should know before they leave home this holiday season. A full list of tips and prohibited items is available at http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/index.shtm.

• Do not wrap gifts. If a security officer needs to inspect a package they may have to unwrap your gift. Please wrap gifts after arriving at your destination.
• Pack smart. Bringing prohibited items to the airport will delay the screening process for you and other passengers. If you're not sure which items are allowed, check TSA's Web site for a complete list.
• Arrive on time. Arrival time recommendations vary by airline and day of travel, so check with your carrier. You must have a boarding pass and valid government photo ID to enter the security checkpoint. Remember to give yourself adequate time to check your baggage and move through security.
• Dress the part. Metal in your clothing may set off the walk-through metal detector. Pack coins, keys, jewelry, belt buckles and other metal items in your carry-on bag. Remember that all shoes must be removed and screened by TSA. Passengers also need to remove blazers, suit coats and bulky sweaters in addition to outer garments.
• Film. Undeveloped film should go in your carry-on bag. Hand film that is faster than 800-speed to a security officer for physical inspection to avoid being X-rayed.
• Think. Belligerent behavior, inappropriate jokes and threats will not be tolerated. Such incidents will result in delays and possibly missing your flight. Local law enforcement may be called as necessary.

www.Parctel.com: Ampco System Parking, a wholly owned subsidiary of ABM Industries Incorporated (NYSE:ABM), has been awarded a multiyear, multimillion dollar contract renewal with Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). The contract covers all Express Parking shuttle operations for the airport's parking facilities, encompassing 7,000 spaces.

"We are pleased to continue serving DFW International Airport, an award-winning and busy, world-class travel hub," said Rich Kindorf, president of Ampco System Parking. "In addition to our commitment to providing the highest standards for customer and client service, we have the technological support to be the most progressive and innovative parking service provider in the country," he added.

"Ampco has and continues to provide excellent service to the passengers arriving at DFW," said Armin Cruz, vice president of the Parking Business Unit for DFW. "We look forward to continuing our parking operations with Ampco offering our travelers outstanding service and parking convenience in the coming years."

Located halfway between the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, DFW International Airport is the world's third busiest airport, offering nearly 1,900 flights per day and serving 60 million passengers a year. DFW International Airport provides nonstop service to 133 domestic and 36 international destinations worldwide. For the latest news, real-time flight information, parking availability or further details regarding the many services provided at DFW International Airport, log on to www.dfwairport.com.

Ampco System Parking is an industry leader, operating more than 1,600 lots and garages in 30 states, including parking facilities at or adjacent to such major international airports as Austin, Buffalo, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Honolulu, Omaha, Orlando, Philadelphia, San Jose and Seattle.

SOURCE: ABM Industries Incorporated

www.Parctel.com: The Honolulu International Airport parking lot has plenty of problems. First of all, there never seems to be enough of it. That means if you didn’t plan your time well, or if you run into traffic, you might be late for your flight. So I guess you can counter that by telling yourself to plan ahead of time. Even then, the parking lot can be so full that it takes quite a while before you finally find parking. On top of that, if you were to leave your vehicle there overnight, it’ll cost you $10 a day. That’s $70 a week! I always wondered why the airport didn’t emulate the airports on the mainland which offer parking lots a little farther away, and charge half the rate. Well, now we have one.

The airport has recently opened a parking lot on the corner of Aolele street off of Lagoon Drive. What’s do good about this lot? Well, for starters, it costs $5 a day! That’s half of what it costs to park on the onsite parking lot at the airport.

The parking lot will accomodate 360 uncovered stalls with free shuttle service to and from the airport every 15 minutes. You can park starting from 5am until midnight, with security monitoring the area to make sure your car is safe overnight.

So the next time you’re planning leave your car at the airport, don’t forget this cheaper lot. It’s more affordable, and just so much more worth it!

Source: Aloha Update

www.Parctel.com: More flights in and out of Niagara Falls could be in the works Friday night. Funding is now in place for a big project there. News 4's Jericka Duncan has that story.

Pat Zimmerman, Alden, NY, "I think it's wonderful I really think it's a very nice airport, parking is free, it's an easy in and an easy out."

All of these passengers are heading south to Myrtle Beach. All happy to get there by way of the Niagara Falls International Airport's only commercial flight.

Full Story: WIVB.com