THE site: A valet parking service at BAA's London Stansted Airport, arranged through Business Travel Extras. A 'drive up and drop off' service that avoids the long trek from distant long-stay car parks.
THE drop-off: The drop-off point was relatively well signposted and easy to find.
It is in a prime location right outside the terminal doors at the end of the arrivals forecourt. There was no immediate indication of where or with whom I should 'check-in', though a member of staff complete with clipboard soon emerged from a nearby parked car and greeted me by name.
THE paperwork: He made a quick checkover of the vehicle marking up a sheet with any scuffs and scratches on the car, as well as taking down the mileage on the clock and how full the petrol tank was. Handed over the keys and that was that.
Vehicles are driven away and parked in a secure and official on-airport car park.
THE pick-up: After landing back at Stansted I rang the designated valet parking telephone number from the baggage reclaim area to let them know I'd soon be picking up the vehicle. The guy on the phone gave a series of instructions for finding the pick-up point, which actually proved easier than he made it sound! It's
a short walk from immigration/baggage reclaim and clearly signposted. Several members of staff were on hand to assist and it took just a few minutes to go through the paperwork and locate the keys. A staff member then walked me to the vehicle which was just 100 metres or so away and right by the car park's exit.
THE VERDICT: A wonderful service that takes some of the agony out of the airport experience and saves on time. You can forget all about the last-minute slog from distant car parks and the anxious waits
for a transfer bus.
THE DETAILS: Booked in advance, the price for the five-day valet parking service was £53.95 (compared to around £27 for long-stay parking and £33 for mid-stay parking, both of which involve bus transfers). See: www.businesstravelextras.co.uk Andy Hoskins
