Tudor Rose Meet and Greet Valet Parking at Gatwick

Tuesday 27 March 2012

Gatwick Parking


Good day to all.

I would like to introduce myself. My name is Gatwick Parking and I’m an OK sort of guy. I get along with most people because I’m fairly laid back and there isn’t too many people telling me what to do. It would appear I’m allowed to do what I like and for the most part I get away with doing what I like in spite of the odd bit of criticism here and there.

I work hard at what I do to provide over 40,000 car parking spaces at Gatwick Airport. During the summer when most people take their holidays I get very busy and most of the spaces are taken up but during the winter things are quieter and I’m able to take a rest. Gatwick is a very busy airport and most people flying out on their annual holiday like to drive to the airport because it is so much more convenient than taking public transport. It’s not easy to have to cart suitcases on trains or buses and even more difficult keeping an eye on the kids as well.

Most of my parking spaces are on the airport with about 20% off-airport. My on airport spaces are easy to find whether it is North or South Terminal. You can take up one of these spaces at any time but you will pay a higher premium called a ‘gate price’. Much better to book in advance, pay a lower price and receive a voucher. You can get these vouchers from any online agent by paying with your credit or debit card. Just arrive at the car park, present your voucher and go find a parking space. There are collection points around the car park so once you have unloaded your luggage, arranged your children, you can then march to the collection point and wait for the bus if it is not already there. You should always make a note of the car park zone as you can easily lose your car in such vast open spaces. The buses run every 5/10 minutes but after allowing time for some waiting and loading /unloading you should allow 20/30 minutes to get to the terminal. You should also allow for the same amount of time on your return as the bus is not always waiting for you. These short trips to the terminals were often called ‘shuttles’.

Off-airport parking is quite popular because it is a lot cheaper. These parking spaces are dotted around the countryside away from the airport so it takes longer to check in your car and get to the airport. The check in procedure is fairly easy as your car is parked for you and you can proceed to the bus stop. You should allow up to 45 minutes from arrival to get to the airport and the same on your return journey.

About 25/30 years ago Gatwick Airport began to offer some of my parking spaces called ‘Valet Parking’. This parking method was designed to eliminate the time taken up by ‘shuttles’. You drove directly to a small parking area at the terminal, checked your car in and then walked straight in to the terminal. Your car was then taken away from the terminal, stored for the period and brought back ready for your return from holiday. This proved very popular but only for those that could afford it. The price was twice that of on-airport parking or even more!

Due to its popularity it wasn’t long before more of my parking spaces were offered as ‘Valet Parking’ by off-airport operators. In fact it became so popular that my spaces were being offered under all sorts of different names. Meet and Greet Parking, Chauffeur Parking, Personal Parking, VIP parking is some of the new names given to Valet Parking. These services and parking spaces were offered at a cheaper rate than the original and very often the rates were competitive with the on-airport ‘park and ride’ prices.

When my Gatwick Parking spaces are sold it is with the Customers full knowledge of location, security and safety for the vehicle for which that parking space is taken. After all, the vehicle is not my property but I am contracted to look after it properly and I have to ensure that everything is in place to do so. It is important the Customers knows where his vehicle will be stored and that the location has the full back up of security and safety that is expected by the vehicle owner, the car park owner and the relevant insurers under the terms of the contract.

If the Customers wants to enjoy the benefits of Valet Parking he/she wants to know where his property will go after passing it over to the operative at the airport terminal. This is what makes my work so hard at times as it is difficult to watch over all my spaces when the season gets busy. New spaces are being created constantly and I have no idea where they are as the web sites do not display the location. How am I expected to ensure the safety of Customers vehicles if all I am told is ‘Your car will be stored in a secure compound close to the airport’? It could be stored anywhere, public roads, parks, country lanes – anywhere.

This is the criticism I get and I get it all the time. I know there are some good guys out there like those chaps that have set up the Airport Valet Parking Contractors Association (AVPCA) to protect the public from rogue operators. With no official regulation it seems that anyone can set up a valet parking web site with empty promises and make a good living out of it. That is – until something goes wrong and then we are all left with ‘why wasn’t something done about it’!

I want you to know I’m doing my bit and will leave you with a few pointers to ensure your car is returned to you in exactly the same condition as you left it. I’m proud of who I am and I just wanted you to know there is a dark side of me developing that is beyond my control.


Friday 9 March 2012

Did you know that Manchester Airport …..?


Few know that Manchester Airport formerly often called Ringway, is a major airport at Ringway in the City of Manchester within Greater Manchester. In 2011 it was third busiest airport in the United Kingdom in terms of passenger numbers, and the 23rd busiest airport in Europe.

A small part of the airport extends into Cheshire East. The terminals are south of Manchester city centre.It officially opened on 25 June 1938,and was initially known as Ringway Airport. During World War II it was called RAF Ringway, and from 1975 until 1986 it was called Manchester International Airport.

The airport has two parallel runways, three terminals, a goods terminal, and a ground transport interchange, including a railway station and is one of only 17 airports in the world with the highest 'Category 10' rating enabling the airport to handle larger 'Code F' aircraft, meaning from September 2010 the airport could handle the world's largest passenger plane, the Airbus A380. Historically the airport has also regularly handled Concordes.
Unlike with Heathrow and Gatwick, the rural settlement of Ringway that the airport was originally named after, still exists, as a few buildings around a church at the south edge of the airport.
Manchester also offers more destinations than some of the biggest airports in the US, including New York, Chicago and Dallas, although it is still slightly behind the three biggest 'hubs' in the global aviation network – Atlanta, Frankfurt am Main and Amsterdam – which each offer more than 250 destinations. However, Manchester serves more foreign destinations than Atlanta and Frankfurt (but not Amsterdam), although being much smaller in terms of total passengers handled.
Terminal 2 is due to receive a major extension, to encompass current remote stands to the west. A satellite terminal is also projected for Terminal 2. Between twelve and fifteen covered aircraft stands will be made available by this. An air side link for transferring passengers between Terminals 1 and 2 is at the planning stage, designed in an effort to boost Manchester's chances of becoming a major hub airport and minimize missed connections.
Despite public concerns about privacy and health risks, Manchester airport has introduced full-body X-ray scanners in all terminals. Under Department for Transport regulations these scans are now compulsory for all passengers who are selected to undergo the scan. Passengers who object to the scans will not be allowed to fly.
Manchester Airport has had public viewing areas since the airport opened to the public in 1938. The 1960/1970s pier-top viewing facilities have been closed because of security concerns. In 1992, an official "Aviation Viewing Park" (AVP) was created just off the A538 road on the south-western side of the airfield.
This attraction now draws around 250,000 visitors a year and is one of the North-West of England's top 10 attractions.

Information about Heathrow Airport


The most anticipated sport event of 2012 is closing in. With just few months away everyone starts to prepare for this event.
Heathrow Airport will be the first and last impression of the London 2012 Games for millions of visitors.
A massive task for Heathrow Airport, they will not only have to control the passenger’s traffic flaw but to keep them safe as well.
Heathrow Airport designed a special Games Terminal for athletes departing from the Olympic Games.
The Games Terminal will be the departure point for 10,100 athletes and, along with bag collection from the Olympic and Paralympic Village, will help the airport to manage the huge increase in departing bags and passengers anticipated on the day after the closing ceremony. 13 August 2012 is expected to be the busiest day in the airport’s history, and Heathrow is forecasting 35 per cent more departing bags than on a normal day.
 Another challenge for Heathrow Airport will to disembarking a large number of passengers with reduced mobility from aircraft, where a  45 per cent increase from the usual arriving passengers on 26 July(the day before the Opening Ceremony) is expected.
Well they knew is coming and they’ve prepared for is, because Heathrow’s plans include:

  • Offering check-in and baggage collection at the Olympic and Paralympic Village;
  • Building extra lifts to reunite Paralympians with their wheelchairs on arrival;
  • Recruiting and training 1,000 volunteers to meet and greet passengers arriving for the Games and assisting all passengers on their journey;
  • Construction of a dedicated Games Terminal for athletes departing after the Olympic Games;
  • Making multilingual staff available for arriving and departing passengers;
  • Providing media facilities where journalists can file stories.

Heathrows’ 1,000 recruit Team volunteers will help with the special events over the next few months, including London 2012 and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.
In return they could be greeting athletes and VIPs, helping spectators find their way and managing fans waiting for a peek of their heroes.

There will be dedicated lanes provided by the UK Border Agency (UKBA) for all accredited Games Family members, athletes, coaches,officials, accredited media and other individuals.
UKBA will offer a flexible solution that will allow it to ‘switch’ Games passenger lanes on and off as required to ensure the balance of desks provided to business as usual and Games guests meet passenger needs. UKBA is also creating a pool of volunteers to work at Heathrow to ensure an efficient border
control process during the peak arrivals period.When all passengers arrive at the border they should ensure they have all documents ready to present to a border officer. There will be signs in the arrival hall which will direct passengers to the appropriate passport desk.

More direct passengers and fewer transfers will put extra pressure on departure security search areas. To ensure there are no additional delays at security in the main terminals the security lanes will be designed to process as many passengers as early as possible to prevent queue build up. Options such us opening the lanes earlier and close them later than planned are takne into consideration.

At peak times all security lanes will be open. The Paralympic Games will affect the main terminal security screening operations as it generally takes longer to process wheelchair users and other passengers with reduced mobility (PRM). Therefore more lanes will be modified to accept PRMs; they consider that  the most effective way is of staffing the areas to help cope with this additional demand.

Airport Information Heathrow




Heathrow Airport, without a doubt is one of the busiest airports in the world.
We set here bits and pieces of Information about Heathrow Airport.

Heathrow Airport is the primary hub of BMI and British Airways, and is a base for Virgin Atlantic Airways.

Heathrow Airport handels almost 67 million annual passengers,the busiest single destination in terms of passenger numbers is New York, with over 3.7 million passengers travelling between Heathrow and JFK / Newark airports.
The airport has five passenger terminals (Terminals 1, 3, 4 and 5) and a cargo terminal , but only four of them are operational for the momemnt as Terminal 2 is closed. The new Terminal 2 is set for reopening on 2014.
Heathrow history is fascinating and it’s design just as much. ,in the 1950s, Heathrow had six runways, arranged in three pairs at different angles in the shape of a hexagram with the permanent passenger terminal in the centre and the older terminal along the north edge of the field, and two of its runways would always be within 30° of the wind direction. As the required length for runways has grown, Heathrow now has just two parallel runways running east–west.

Policing  the airport is not an easy task and responsible to protect  is the aviation security unit of the Metropolitan Police, although the army, including armoured vehicles of the Household Cavalry, has occasionally been deployed at the airport during periods of heightened security. You’ll have the opportunity to see them during the London Olympics 2012 , when security officers will doubled in numbers.
Full body scanners are now used at the airport and passengers who object to their use are not allowed to fly.
Along with the arrays of shops and restaurants, from your daily Costa to the world-known Gordon’s restaurant , from Boots to Ralph Lauren ,Heathrow Airport has Anglican, Catholic, Free Church of Scotland, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh chaplains.
There is a multi-faith prayer room and counselling room in each terminal in addition to St. George's Interdenominational Chapel located in an underground bunker adjacent to the old control tower, where Christian services take place.
Also Heathrow airport has its own resident press corps, consisting of six photographers and one TV crew, serving all the major newspapers and television stations around the world.
Airbridges at Terminal 5Aircraft destined for Heathrow usually enter its airspace via one of four main reporting points: Bovingdon (BNN) over Hertfordshire, Lambourne (LAM) over Essex, Biggin Hill (BIG) over Bromley and Ockham (OCK) over Surrey.
When the airport is busy, aircraft orbit in the associated hold patterns.

Air traffic controllers at Heathrow Approach Control (based in Swanwick, Hampshire) then guide the aircraft to their final approach, merging aircraft from the four holds into a single stream of traffic, sometimes as close as 2.5 nautical miles (4.6 km; 2.9 mi) apart. Considerable use is made of continuous descent approach techniques to minimise the environmental effects of incoming aircraft, particularly at night. Once an aircraft is established on its final approach, control is handed over to Heathrow Tower.
The centralised waiting area is in Terminal 3 because aircraft generate significantly more noise on departure than when landing, there is a preference for westerly operations during daylight. In this mode, aircraft depart towards the west and approach from the east over London, thereby minimising the impact of noise on the most densely populated areas. Heathrow's two runways generally operate in segregated mode, whereby arriving aircraft are allocated to one runway and departing aircraft to the other. For example ,to further reduce noise nuisance to people beneath the approach and departure routes, the use of some runways is swapped at 15:00 each day if the wind is from the west. Occasionally, landings are allowed on the nominated departure runway, to help reduce airborne delays and to position landing aircraft closer to their terminal, thus reducing taxi times.

Wednesday 7 March 2012

Gatwick Parking

For many people parking at Gatwick airport is an expensive extra which comes as a necessity rather than a choice.
If you are on a slim budget and looking around for value for money then off-airport Gatwick parking is the best option. The down side to park & ride off-airport car parks is that they have longer transfer times which once you arrive at the car park, can take up to an hour to get to the airport in a bus or coach. This is unnecessary travelling time and only adds to the general hassle of getting to your destination. In most cases you will pass your car keys over and the operator will park your car for you.

Gatwick Valet Parking or Gatwick  Meet and Greet Parking is not generally the ‘more expensive’ option of parking at Gatwick but without doubt  is the most convenient and quick way of getting to the check-in desk.
However, passing your valuable car over to someone else to be driven somewhere off-airport is not in everyone’s interest.
As much as every where you need to pay attention to the small print. Make sure that you know where you car will be parked, if drivers are insured to drive your car. basically what happens with your car.
If you source all the available information from the Gatwick Parking Suppliers and compile it you will come up with some surprising results which shows that you don’t have to pay a fortune to receive a quality service.

Gatwick Parking Services

Many people got them selves confused by the terms that Gatwick Parking Operations use. You don’t know which is which , what service you’ll gone get ,what service you pay for and why some are more expensive than others.
If you do a little bit of research you may found what all means but who’s got the time for that, you just want to book your car and be done with it.

 For all of you there, here’s the answer to your questions regarding the Gatwick parking services.

What is Gatwick 'Valet Parking' or Gatwick 'Meet and Greet Parking'?
You drive direct to the Airport Terminal at a pre-arranged time and the Valet Parking Company will take your car and store it in a fully secure facility for the duration of your holiday. On your return from Holiday your vehicle is delivered to you immediately outside the Terminal.

 What is Gatwick 'Park and Ride' parking?
You drive to the car park and you are transported to the Terminal in a bus or coach. This can take up to an hour with some car parks. The advantage of Gatwick Valet Parking over Park and Ride is clear.

What it’s Gatwick ‘on airport parking’ and Gatwick ‘off airport parking’?
On airport Gatwick parking:
Either run by the airport authority themselves or by an independent contractor. The car park is actually within the airport perimeter and shuttle busses run regularly between the airport terminal and the car park.
Off airport Gatwick parking:
       Usually run by independent contractors. Located outside of the Gatwick airport perimeter, you drive your vehicle to their designated meeting point, then either catch a shuttle bus to the terminal or get chauffeured there in your own vehicle.

Is Gatwick Valet Parking expensive?
Not necessarily. If you compare prices to that of Gatwick ‘On Airport Park and Ride' operations and you will see that in lots of cases Gatwick Valet Parking is cheaper.

Visitors UK


With all the search engines and endless search terms and key words it’s difficult to navigate the search engines let alone find exactly what you are looking for. Take UK tourism for example, a plethora of castles, palaces, historical buildings, grand gardens and places of interest to last you a life time of travelling round the UK. If you are new to the UK you want to get the most out of your visit and you want easy access to all the facilities that best suit you.

Accommodation from castles to camp sites, gardens from topiary to tropical and activities locations from climbing centres to great walking paths, we all have our own taste and our searches must be precise.

Sometimes we need to get things into perspective with a practical approach and the search engines don’t help. Search a specific key word and you will get endless bits of useless information along with the subject you are looking for. Oh yes, they are great when it comes to finding subject matter but it’s all random when trying to sort a travel itinerary or a personalised UK tour whatever the location.

Perhaps you want to discover a trail of Henry the 8th and his six wives. The palaces, the homes of the Boleyn family, the Parr family and others, perhaps you are looking for the great gardens of England or the beautiful highlands of Scotland. You will need accommodation to suit your taste and budget and you will need to have an idea of locations. You will need travelling times and opening times in order to maximise the time spent once you are there and you will also need some background information for your visit.

Transportation, i.e., trains, buses, taxis or car hire to travel between destinations is a must and you have to find these things local to you.

Finding the best deals is one thing, co-ordinating everything into a relaxed time spent roaming medieval Britain is another.

There is one such web site however, that gives you all the information under one heading; www.visitorsuk.com. The copywriters there have trawled the net finding out all the best bits of information and their links and written them into a concise and uncluttered source of information.

Here you will find everything you need for your visit to this great country. It will leave you with an experience you will never forget and a yearning to learn more about our wonderful history.