Thursday 15 October 2009

Cheaper holidays and parking need to be planned

Trawling through the internet looking for a budget vacation is time well spent but most people having once selected their location or area to stay are more than happy to spend many hours searching for accommodation. Prior to this is done and depending upon your timescale, just as much time should be spent in choosing locations where the temperature is to your liking but not in the main holiday season.

If you are travelling from a UK airport to Cyprus for example, fine sunny days last well into October and the cost of Gatwick airport parking and your flight is considerably less expensive than travelling in earlier in the year when the heat is unbearable. Car park owners, flight providers and suppliers of accommodation all look to maximise their business in peak times and will have built up over best dates and in the case of airlines even the time of day and the day of the week.

In the children's main summer holiday it might consider using a different airport and save on the price of East midlands airport parking for instance. The bank holidays and school holiday and weeks such as Easter, Christmas and New Year should be avoided at all costs. The hike in prices Christmas and New year is astronomical. Outside of peak season hotels in this country and abroad still have the same fixed costs to meet and this is when there are lots of deals to be had. If you require a stop over before you fly it is cheaper to book for example East Midlands hotel parking instead of purchase your car parking and hotel independently.

Whilst flight providers will withdraw a few and routes in the winter a core of staff will remain and will have fleet costs to meet and will tempt holidaymakers with cut price deals.

Wednesday 14 October 2009

Criticism for new body scanner at Manchester airport

Officials at Manchester Airport have defended its controversial new scanner which produces naked images of passengers, saying it will speed up security. The airport’s head of customer service Sarah Barrett added that passengers would find the scanner preferable to a traditional body search.

The scanner, which was introduced this week, will show up breast enlargements, body piercings and show outlines of passengers’ genitals. The introduction of the machine, which cost £80,000, means that passengers will not have to go through the rigmarole of removing their coats, shoes or belts.

A spokesman stated that most passengers do not like the ‘pat down’ service, and that the scanner completely takes away the need for passengers to remove items of clothing.
She added that the images would be seen by one officer in a remote location, were not pornographic and could not be stored or captured. Passengers do have the right to refuse to be scanned by the new machine, at Manchester’s Terminal 2.

The Department of Transport will monitor the scheme for a year before deciding whether to install similar scanners on a permanent basis. The scanners are being initiated at Heathrow initially and are gradually being rolled out across the USA.

When flying from Manchester airport book your Manchester airport parking to avoid dissapointment

Thursday 8 October 2009

Airport hotel parking becoming increasingly more popular

The majority of travellers going abroad simply arrived at the airport and paid the airport car parking charge which due to lack of competition was astronomical. Since then off airport car parks have set up to give the customer a cheaper option and over the last few years hotel airport parking has become ever more popular and the reasons for this are quite compelling.

Travelling on any carriageway is a lottery with accidents and maintenance meaning long delays that inthe worst instances can mean you miss your flight. Such delays can be very stressful.
More customers are now arranging their own trips rather than taking packaged holidays and staying at a hotel is seen as part of the holiday.Over the last few years there has been an increase to destinations to the Americas, Australia, Far East, China and the Eastern bloc countries. These destinations are usually centred on the airports of Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester in the UK requiring customers to travel greater distances that makes the chance of a significant delay.

Uk weather can change so quickly causing chaos on the roads and to avoid this customers are opting for staying overnight.
The on airport cost for airport parking heathrow, parking at Gatwick airport and Manchester airport parking are excessively high, especially in high season with space always exceeding demand and when compared to say a Gatwick hotel with parking package the difference is far outweighed by the benefits. If the journey to the airport is a significant and especially if you are travelling to Heathrow or Gatwick taking an Airport hotel parking package is worth considering.

Brits look abroad after terrible English summer

The fall of the pound against the euro, the increasing cost of a holiday abroad, more security at the airport, recession and concerns over employment and the promise of a good summer led to many holidaymakers declaring their intention to holiday in this country in an attempt to cut down on costs. Greece and Spain were predicted to be hit the worst by the stay at home Brit.
Sounds fantastic and the UK travel industry recorded record numbers holidaying in this country with hotels fully booked, camp sites busy and the roads full of holidaymakers making their journey to the seaside destinations throughout the country. Everything in the Uk travel industry seemed to be booming with the Brits swapping sangria and paella for Cornish pasties, beer and cider.

Sadly for the tourist board, hotels, seaside businesses and holiday camps the weather hasn't been kind with the wettest summer on record. Many holidays have been totally desolated by the continuous downpours seen on an almost a daily basis. The stay at home Brits had made the this decision to cutkeep down costs but for most this has turned out to be a false economy having to spend more than originally intended trying to entertain the family.

Bad weather drives stay at home Brits to look for cheap holidays abroad as bad weather looks set to continue. Late bookings for August have increased considerabaly as Brits seek guaranteed sun. There are still many cheap holidays around and notwithstanding the economic conditions travellers aren't prepared to risk a holiday wash out. With so many late bookings travellers looking to travel to the airport by car need to book Gatwick airport car parking, Heathrow airport hotels and Manchester airport car parking as quickly as possible because as space becomes booked the price at all car parks and hotels will rise.

Passengers frustrated by baggage allowance

Most holidaymakers have moaned angrily about the additional baggage charges that are being applied, that in some circumstances can cost more than the flight itself. Budget airlines especially are applying these non negotiable charges to the letter and excess luggage can cost anything from £9 to £15 per kilo over the standard limit. Before travelling, you should visit the website of the airine so you are aware how the charges are made.

No wonder travellers are puzzled by the weight allowances that are being forced by the airlines. In the old days you had a weight allowance for your suitcase and were permitted to take a small bag on the aircraft and ladies their handbag. A thing of the times, as this has all now changed with overall amounts, single item limits and in some cases different charges levied for first, second and third bags. A number of airlines only authorise one on board bag and handbags or duty free bags, which used to be exempt, are now taken into account and these must all fit into one bag and be able to fit into an airside cage before being permitted on board. Any excess will be charged at airside, which is another displeasing development.

In addition to this they will apply additional charges for leisure equipment, sound equipment, cots, bicycles, surfboards and practically anything that is extra to either check in luggage or hand luggage. Once again some airlines will charge a total weight allowance and single item limits. In general the schedule airlines have higher baggage allowoances and are more generous with the available breakdown. With regard to sporting equipment it is important to note that some car parks or airport hotels won't transport over sized items, and before to securing your East Midlands airport parking or East Midlands hotel parking for example make sure the airport car park is willing to transfer such items as surfboards and bicycles etc.

Off airport car parks take the hassle away from driving to the airport

One of the main things about going on holiday, is the thought of going away, as you sit at the office and let your mind roam to the thought of the breaking sea on a beautiful white sandy beach, a meal of anti-pasta accompanied by chilled wine. This relaxing image is being tarnished with the notion of commuting to Manchester airport along the M62 for instance. On a daily basis this motorway is primed to delays from carriageways being shut due to accidents or repairs leaving you the to wait for hours in the jam or as many of other drivers, seek an different route putting miles on your journey.


Upon arriving at the airport the next thing you have to do is to find the correct car park for your terminal. You may think this would be easy but with lots of like minded people struggling to get in the proper lane or managing a roundabout even more so if it is dark can be a traumatic experience. Looking at a map of the airport on paper is completely different at ground level. To avoid this I now always use the services of an off airport car park, airport parking Manchester for example, whereby I can simply arrive up at their car park and they will take me directly to the terminal and it costs less. But the best way to steer clear from all this aggravation if you have the time is to travel down the day before and book a Luton airport hotel parking package for instance. This certainly tends to get the holiday off to a more relaxed mood.


As soon as I am inside the airport, I always feel more content, with only the queue for tickets and security standing between you and your sun kissed dream of relaxing days by the beach and cold beer.