APCOA, Europe’s oldest parking contractor, has signed a five-year contract to provide London Gatwick Airport with a fully managed car parking pre-booking, yield management and call centre service.

The new booking engine offers a clear five-step process enabling customer to select and book their Gatwick airport parking parking space in less than two minutes and supports amendments and cancellations up to 24 hours in advance.

Chris Pullen, Managing Director of APCOA UK: “The APCOA solution can enable any airport in the world to pre-book their parking and associated commercial offerings in a cost-effective and profitable way.”

A new development on the Sofitel London Gatwick car park is to have a temporary affect on the hotel car parking.

With effect from 1st February 2011 there will be no car parking available on-site at the Sofitel London Gatwick for a period of approximately 7 months. This is as a result of a new development on the hotel car park. In the interim car parking will be available at the airport short stay car park directly opposite the hotel, or at the airport long stay car park which provides transport back to North Terminal.

For guests booked on the Maple Manor Meet and Greet package, you should continue to the hotel and Maple Manor will meet you in the pickup /drop off area at the front of the hotel. Please ensure you still call them as requested on your original confirmation approximately 20 minutes prior to arrival.’

Oops, after last week gaining praise for its improvements in customer service and reduction in queuing times, it seems Gatwick is in the firing line again – this time for airport parking charges.

According to travel extras company, Essential Travel, the cost of parking at one of the airport’s long-stays car parks has increased by almost a whopping 70% since the airport was bought by GIP from BAA.

In the space of a year the cost of parking in one of the airport’s long-stay car parks has risen from £44.80 to £75.20 – a rise of 67%, ouch! And, if you arrive without pre booking, you face the more expensive fee of £76.00.

Airport parking tip:

The best option when booking Gatwick airport parking is to shop around, compare airport parking prices and book in advance – you can save up to 60% when booking in advance.

Airparks Gatwick Undercover has been launched at Gatwick. The new product from Airparks is a covered airport car parking facility so vehicles are not exposed to harsh weather during the winter months.

Still part of the Park and Ride scheme, the new airport parking package costs an additional £8 for a 1-8 day stay or an additional £15 for stays of 9 days or more.

The product is available for bookings for stays from 1st November 2010 to 31st March 2011.

Gatwick Airport has changed their transfer timings for some of their airport parking products.

Products and new timings are as follows:

Long Stay South & Long Stay Supersaver South
Transfers run 24 hours a day every 7-10 minutes taking 2 minutes to the terminal.

Long Stay North & Long Stay Supersaver North
Transfers run 24 hours a day every 7-10 minutes taking 3 minutes to the terminal.

Long Stay Plus South & Long Stay Plus Supersaver South
Transfers run 24 hours a day every 7-10 minutes taking 2 minutes to the terminal.

Summer Special South & Summer Special Supersaver South
Transfers run 24 hours a day every 20 minutes taking 4 minutes to the terminal.

Summer Special North & Summer Special Supersaver North
Transfers run 24 hours a day every 20 minutes taking 4 minutes to the terminal.

The drop-off point for Gatwick Official Valet Parking South is now located on Level 2 of the South Terminal Short Stay RED car park.

Arrival Procedure
Drive to the Valet Parking Reception point and report to reception. The valet staff will complete acceptance forms and park your vehicle for you

Departure Procedures
On your return please follow signs for the Short Stay Car Park and go to the Valet Reception where you dropped your car off.

Directions
South – Exit M23 at J9 following signs at roundabout for Gatwick. Keeping to inside lane, exit left at the first roundabout (J9a) and follow signs for South Terminal. Follow the signs for Short stay parking; enter the Red car park and proceed to Level 2 where the Valet Service is situated. Park and report to reception.

Gatwick valet parking links:
Gatwick airport parking and Gatwick meet and greet parking can be booked by clicking on the links.

After booking this year’s holiday, spare a thought for your airport parking and consider all your options before booking.

There are lots of parking options available at Gatwick Airport and it’s well worth exploring all types of parking and their convenience, as well as your budget, before booking. The following tips should help you decide which type of Gatwick airport parking to use:

1. Off-airport parking
This is probably the cheapest option that involves you driving to the off-airport parking site and using the company’s shuttle bus provided to take you to the airport – certainly the cheapest option for Gatwick long-stay parking.

Okay, this is generally the cheapest option but it isn’t necessarily the most convenient. If you have young children, perhaps a baby, are travelling with elderly relatives or awkward-sized sports equipment to carry, you may struggle to get on and off the shuttle bus.

2. On-airport parking
How about parking on-airport? This type of parking has the benefits of being closer to the terminal, sometimes within a short walking distance, but do check distances before booking as not all on-airport car parks are within walking distance and you may find you still need to hop on a shuttle bus. Your journey time to the airport will be shorter but you could still have the inconvenience of hauling your luggage, and children, on and off the bus.

3. Short-stay parking
The short-stay car parks will get you closer to the terminal, generally a couple of minutes walk away, however, these car parks are designed for very short stays – hours rather than days – and is reflected in the parking charges. It works out very expensive to park for more than a few hours. It is best to just consider using the short-stay car park if you are picking up or dropping off passengers.

If you are planning to fly at a quieter time of the year, outside of school holidays, check for discounted prices which are only available in advance.

4. Meet and greet parking
Gatwick meet and greet, sometimes referred to as Gatwick valet parking, offers all the benefits of short-stay parking, but without the need to park your own car and much cheaper than short-stay parking.

A major benefit of booking meet and greet parking is that you drive straight to the airport terminal, unload your luggage and give your keys to your parking representative who will drive your car to their car park and park your car for you.

You don’t have to worry about herding children onto a shuttle bus, or struggling with heavy baggage or sports gear, as you can place it straight onto a trolley and wheel it into the terminal.

On your return, your car is brought back to the terminal, so you just walk out of arrivals, load up your luggage and drive off – you will be on the road before some of your fellow passengers have even reached their cars!

5. Return greet parking
Return greet parking offers a mix between off-airport parking and meet and greet. With this option you drive to the off-airport car park, leave your keys with your car and are then transported to the airport on a shuttle bus. On your return, your car is brought to the airport terminal so that you do not have to wait for a shuttle bus to take you back to the car park.

6. Park and stay packages
If you live some distance from Gatwick Airport, or your departure is very early in the morning, you may wish to consider booking an airport hotel for the night before your flight. Many of Gatwick’s hotels, on-site and off-site, offer parking.

Most off-airport hotels will offer parking at their hotel and either recommend a taxi company or can arrange to transport you using their own shuttle service, others have recommended parking providers.

On-airport Gatwick hotels offer park and stay packages. You can even book meet and greet parking as part of your Gatwick park and stay package – with an on-airport hotel you can arrange to have your car picked up on your arrival at the hotel and not worry about parking your car the next day.

Booking your airport parking as part of a Gatwick park and stay package can offer you a great discount when compared with booking your hotel accommodation and parking separately.

Car valeting add on
If you fancy coming home to a clean car, check with your parking provider as some offer Gatwick car valeting services too.

Whatever parking option you choose, make sure you book your airport parking early, and book it online, as this represents the best value for money, offering significant savings on just turning up on the day and paying the gate price. If you have any queries about booking airport parking don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and speak to the company prior to booking.

Extra information:

The Gatwick Hilton Hotel is Gatwick’s only onsite airport offering a range of park and stay packages.

To compare Gatwick airport car parking before booking check out www.helpmetravel.co.uk

Fancy a free car wash? Well now you can thanks to Airparks Gatwick Park and Ride.

The Gatwick airport parking company is offering a free car wash to customers.

The free car wash includes an external jet wash and shampoo, followed by a rinse and leather off.

To claim their free car wash, customers using Airparks Gatwick Park and Ride must notify reception on their check-in and must present the paper copy of their booking confirmation.

This offer will be available to new arrivals, up until 31/01/10 – excludes departures between 23/12/09 and 04/01/10.

With effect from Wednesday 2nd December 2009, the Gatwick Official Valet Parking North reception will move to the 3rd floor of the North Terminal Short Stay car park.

Passengers using this service should follow signs for Short stay parking and head for the 3rd floor.

Passengers should note that this car park has a height restriction for vehicles over 1.8m (6ft 0in) and a width restriction of 2.4m (7ft 10in).

If you are due to arrive before the 2nd December 2009 please drive to the Valet Parking reception point, turning left off the lower forecourt road and report in to reception. The valet staff will complete acceptance forms and park your vehicle for you.

To search for and book Gatwick airport parking,  Gatwick meet and greet parking or Gatwick Hilton parking click on the links.