Britain's Best Airport Parking Companies For 2019 Revealed

Britain's best airport parking companies of 2019 have been unveiled in the first Independent Airport Parking Awards.

IAPA members Maple Parking scooped the Best Meet & Greet award for their service at Heathrow Terminal 5, and APH was named Best Park & Ride operator for their Gatwick operation.

Winners were decided by a panel of expert judges that included Lisa Minot, travel editor of The Sun; Steve Clark head of business operations at the British Parking Association, and motoring industry writer Gareth Herincx.

Meet & Greet winner Maple Parking is a family-run company that operates services at six airports across the UK. The company was praised for 12-months of innovation which included the introduction of live flight-tracking and tailored data from every airport terminal to ensure customers’ cars are returned on time, and for backing a no-wait guarantee with 50% discounts.

APH, winner of the Park & Ride award, operates more than 10,000 spaces for over 300,000 customers’ cars at all of the UK’s major airports. A new base for its Gatwick service was launched at the beginning of 2019 to provide easier access, shorter transfer times and better environmental performance through new renewable energy sources and lower fuel consumption.

The Independent Airport Parking Awards are open to all offsite airport parking operators across the UK, with companies scored on mystery shopper assessments, customer reviews and service developments over the past 12 months.

They were created by the Independent Airport Parking Association (IAPA) to showcase the latest developments and high standards of parking operators across the industry.

Awards judge Steve Clark of the British Parking Association said: "Too often media report on poor practice from unscrupulous providers but there are many airport parking operators who act professionally and provide a valuable service to passengers, which is why I am pleased to support these awards."

Fellow judge Gareth Herincx said: "I fly regularly from various airports so finding trustworthy, good value parking is really important for me. Judging the Independent Airport Parking Awards has been fascinating because the

winners prove that providing an efficient service at a competitive cost, and being prepared to go that extra mile when necessary, pay dividends.

"I hope these awards will encourage more airport parking operators to step up to the challenge. It's not just about pricing - trust, excellent customer service and a professional digital presence are all part of the package."

Daniel Johnson, IAPA spokesperson said: "We’d like to thank every company that took part and give our congratulations to the winners. The awards celebrate the vast majority of companies who consistently provide outstanding airport parking services to millions of customers.

“We’ll be announcing details of the 2020 awards soon and encourage all airport parking companies to take part and demonstrate their excellence.”