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.