Join us in congratulating the following car parks for their award-winning commitment to excellence:

Here, then, are our winners for excellence in airport parking services for the month of May:

BBC News reports that the magazine checked prices for 7 days’ parking at major airports across the UK, and found that there were big differences in cost depending on the location.  For example, Which? found that the most expensive parking option was Heathrow’s Business Parking at £88.70, and the cheapest was Manchester Airport’s “park-and-ride” at £19.84.

Now that’s a huge difference, indeed.  Of course, not all car parks are created equal and you’ll find different levels of service offered, which also affects price.  So perhaps it’s not entirely fair to compare apples to oranges.

You also might find that you get what you pay for when you’re looking for cheap airport parking.  Sure, Farmer Giles is offering you a space for £5.00 less than an “official” car park, but the thing is, you might be leaving your vehicle in the middle of an alfalfa field with cow security guards.  (For the record, gosimply.com offer only reputable airport car parking services, and we are not affiliated with Farmer Giles or his bovine friends.)

The cheapest airport parking deals can be found with gosimply.com

Prices for Liverpool, Bristol and Belfast International were also quoted, but there may be a slight problem…

The news report doesn’t mention what dates or times were surveyed, and as anyone who regularly uses airport parking knows, prices can fluctuate depending on the time of year you need to park.

Let’s look at Manchester Airport parking, for example.  Which?’s survey found that the cheapest price was £19.84, but when you conduct a search for 7 days’ parking (7-13 June) on gosimply.com you’ll see there are two options that cost less at the time of this writing.

The survey also showed that Belfast International had deals on off-site parking that started at £21.00, but a quick search with us reveals an option for £18.00.

The bottom line is, it’s best to check all the facts before you book your airport parking.  The best way to do that is by comparing prices at all of the best car parks, using a website that is unbiased, lets you read legitimate customer reviews, and actually compares several different sellers.  A “one-stop shop”, if you will, where you know you’ll find the best deal on airport parking without having to check anywhere else on the web.

Now how convenient is this?:  You’re already here. 

The UK’s number one domestic airline have recently announced that they’re increasing the number of seats on selected flights during the disruption that’s sure to result from the upcoming industrial action planned by BA workers.

Flybe.com might be able to help you avoid scenes like this

Specifically, the routes that will benefit from the increased availability are London Gatwick to and from Aberdeen, Jersey, Newcastle and Dusseldorf.  Flybe.com have also made more seats available to purchase from Southampton, Birmingham and Manchester Airports to a range of destinations (including Paris Charles de Gaulle and Frankfurt) to try and help customers who might otherwise fly from Heathrow or Gatwick.

So, head over to Flybe.com if you’re looking to fly any time during the planned walkouts (between 18 May and 9 June) and see if they can help you out.

And once you’ve got that flight booked, visit us here at gosimply.com to get the cheapest airport parking online.  You’ll be glad you did!

Airport websites

Further updates will appear on gosimply.com as information is made available.

Last update: 26/04/10 @ 14:44

• If you have already booked your airport parking
• Find out which company you booked with
• If you are stuck overseas and require additional days parking
• Airport websites
• Further resources
  

If you have already booked your airport parking

Depending which company you booked with, different policies are in place. For further information please contact the appropriate company as detailed below.

• APH
  • There is a dedicated webpage featuring important information on how to amend or cancel your booking with APH
• BCP Parking
  
  • Suspended their normal cancellation charges of £9.50 for parking and £15 for hotels until further notice.
  • With the continuing travel interruptions, car park and hotel suppliers are moving their position on volcano specific amendment and cancellation terms. This in general, is a move towards using the value of the customers initial booking towards a future booking within the next 12 months, rather than providing a refund.
  • Any other refunds agreed due will be paid to BCP customers within 28 days.
  • Standard terms and conditions apply to any new bookings made as of 20/04/10.
  • With travel conditions having returned to normal, BCP have reverted to their standard terms and conditions for all past, present and future bookings.
  • Check their website for more information
• FHR
  • Please visit our amend or cancel your booking page for full contact information
• Essential Travel
  • Please visit our amend or cancel your booking for full contact information
• Park and Go
  • Customers are advised to call 0844 482 0261 or email sales@parkandgo.co.uk to amend their booking
    We have been advised that bookings cannot be cancelled
• Purple Parking
  • Please use our online form for appropriate contact details.
  • We have also been advised that inline with their terms and conditions, any customer of Purple Parking that cancels a booking within 24 hours of their date of travel will not receive a refund.
• Holiday Extras
  • Suspended normal cancellation charge of £9.50 for parking and £15 for hotels until further notice.
  • With the continuing travel interruptions, car park and hotel suppliers are moving their position on volcano specific amendment and cancellation terms. This in general, is a move towards using the value of the customers initial booking towards a future booking within the next 12 months, rather than providing a refund.
  • Any other refunds due will be paid to Holiday Extras customers within 28 days.
  • Standard terms and conditions apply to any new bookings made as of 20/04/10.
  • With travel conditions having returned to normal, Holiday Extras have reverted to their standard terms and conditions for all past, present and future bookings.
  • Check their website for the latest information or complete their online cancellation request for a specific response

Find out which company you booked with

If you are unsure which company you booked your airport parking with please  complete our online form.

If you are stuck overseas and require additional days parking

If you have parked at any of the following car parks we have been informed that there will be no additional airport parking charges:

Until we have been advised further, all other car parks will charge overstays at their daily gate rate, which is approximately £8 – £12 a day (prices are subject to change), payable upon exit of the car park.

Airport websites

Aberdeen
Belfast International
Birmingham
Bristol
Cardiff
Doncaster
Durham Tees Valley
East Midlands
Edinburgh
Exeter
Gatwick
Glasgow International
Glasgow Prestwick
Heathrow
Humberside
Inverness
Leeds Bradford
Liverpool
London City
Luton
Manchester
Newcastle
Norwich
Sheffield
Southampton
Stansted

Further resources

• Volcanic ash – health and travel updates from Directgov
• gosimply Twitter updates

Now, I know what you’re thinking.  You’re thinking, “Wow!  Those gosimply folk really know their stuff!”, and you’d be entirely correct, because out of that same Great Commune of Minds came the idea you’re about to hear.

See the car park with Street View at gosimply.com!

Have you ever been trying to find some place you’ve never visited before, and would love to know what it looks like so you can recognise it when you see it?  Would you like to be able to at least get an idea of surrounding landmarks that would help you know when you’re getting close to your destination?

Well, if you’re looking for an airport car park, rejoice!  gosimply.com has now incorporated patented Google Street View technology to let you, dear customer, view the car park of your choice with just a few clicks (and maybe a couple o’ “drags”).

That’s right, you can now view around 70% of the car parks we currently offer using Street View.  (The other 30% don’t have Street View available yet, unfortunately.  We’ll keep an eye on that and let you know.)

So, not only can you now see the entrance of the car park and its surrounding area, but also get an idea of where your vehicle will be stored before you make your booking.  How helpful is that? (Here’s where we’d like you to say “Very!”)

If you don’t mind us tooting our own sousaphone, we might add that we’re the first to offer this, too.  So next time you’re in need of airport parking, visit gosimply.com and take advantage of our Google Street View feature.  Then really push the boat out and treat yourself to a hotdog (we recommend the brown mustard).

Wherever you’re going, gosimply.

Essential Travel has been acquired by Thomas Cook

The move to acquire Essential Travel is in line with Thomas Cook’s strategy to become a leading travel-related services provider by expanding their online presence in this sector.

The purchase price was not revealed, but Essential Travel is one of the leading suppliers of travel-related products in the UK, with gross assets of £2.5 million reported for the financial year that ended 31 March 2009.

Manny Fontenla-Novoa said, “We continue to believe a strong position in the direct travel insurance market is strategically important.  Furthermore, we expect that together with the experienced directors of Essential Travel, we can build upon our respective strengths to enhance Thomas Cook’s position in both travel insurance and other travel services such as airport parking and airport hotels.”

The acquisition is subject to FSA approval, which is expected to complete shortly.