Skyparksecure Travel Blog - THE TRAVEL BLOG by Skyparksecure

This year has been a nightmare for the holiday industry, with airline strikes, the dreaded ash cloud, and now more recently the trend of package holiday firms going bust.  With Kiss Airlines the latest victim, that makes three in the past two months, leaving thousands of clients stranded and others without a holiday.

We’ve put together the following information to assist anyone affected or those who may be at risk should this trend continue.

The tour operator I booked with has gone bust. How will this affect my booking?

In most cases clients can contact the travel agent they booked their holiday through for information, however if you still have issues then we recommend contacting the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
You can reach the CAA through their helpline: 0844 856 2585.

I’m already on holiday. What will happen to my return flight?

The CAA is the best source of up-to-date information in these circumstances. Their overseas number is 0044 203 441 0846. Give them a call to find out what you need to know about flights back to the UK.

Can I expect a refund?

This depends on which company you have booked with, and whether they hold an Air Travel Organiser’s License (ATOL). For example clients who booked with Goldtrail,  are protected under the CCA’s ATOL scheme and are more than likely to be eligible to claim money back.

Please visit www.caa.co.uk for more details on whether you’re entitled to a refund and, if you are, how to go about obtaining it.

I’ve run up extra expenses due to problems with my tour operator. Will I be reimbursed?

You may be able to claim for extra expenses from your tour operator for things such as any additional nights’ accommodation in a hotel.  But please contact them or the CAA for details.

My hotel is demanding additional payment. What should I do?

In the case of Goldtrail, some clients have reported that their holiday rep or hotel has claimed not to have received payment from the company and has asked/demanded that the client pays again.

The CAA states that clients should not have to pay a second time, and recommends that those asked who have been asked to should contact them as soon as possible, the CAA will then make arrangements with the hotel regarding this payment.

Customers who have already paid twice should, the CAA says, be entitled to a refund providing they can show receipts.

Are these issues covered by my travel insurance?

Insurers are very unlikely to pay if a claim has already been made under the ATOL protection scheme, although other expenses may be valid. Travellers are advised to read their policy details and consult with their insurer before claiming.

It’s been a turbulent year with strikes, volcanic ash, and now news that tour operator Goldtrail has collapsed.  You may be wondering what you can do if your holiday doesn’t quite take off as expected.

Am I able to claim a full refund for my airport parking?

Clients who have taken out cancelation cover are eligible for a full refund on their parking fees, please see our support section for details.

Those clients, who have not taken advance of our cancellation cover, please contact our office via the support section and we will see what we can do for you.

Please note that non-amendable products such as Edinburgh Secure Airparks advanced are unfortunately non-refundable.

A recent survey by Lastminute.com found that almost 75% of holidaymakers plan to travel with much lighter luggage or even resort to travelling with hand luggage alone.

40% of holidaymakers are also confused by charges handed down by airlines, with 1 in 5 saying they had been caught out by new stict regulations imposed by airlines.

As many would expect, Ryanair charge the most to check in bags.

The information below shows the prices currently charged by budget airlines.

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Are cheap airlines really cheap?

Following the collapse of operator Goldtrail we would like to reassure our customers that we are here to help during this trying time. We promise to do everything we are able to and our team is here to offer any assistance they can in relation to your car parking booking with us.

If you are affected and need advice, or need to cancel or amend your booking with us, please contact our customer service team by visiting the support section of our web site.

If you’re booking soon make sure you book cancellation insurance to ensure that no additional costs are incurred should anything go wrong with your travel arrangements.

Manchester Airport are installing spy cameras that check registration numbers at their car parks after a huge surge in customers sneaking out of their car parks without paying.

In one hour alone, staff spotted 27 drivers ‘tailgating’ behind other vehicles in order to get through the barrier without paying the £27 a day fee.

Some drivers are going away for two weeks and not paying a penny for their parking.

Manchester Airport made £51 million in 2008 - 2009 from parking fees and see this as a big threat to their income. To combat the problem they’ve teamed up with Parking Eye who track every car going in and out of the car park and every driver exiting the car park without paying will have to pay a £90 fee.

The airport are adamant that they’re not trying to punish customers, but rather ”to stop those motorists who park their cars on our premises and leave without paying the tariff for their stay. We want to be fair to all drivers parking at the airport so these new measures are aimed only at rogue drivers.

“This new project will allow us to spot them and ensure our parking charges remain consistent without hiking up the price for all. We want to provide the best parking facilities for legitimate customers and the parking regulations are clearly displayed at the entrances around the car parks,” said Sarah Barrett from the airport.

When my children were younger and we were travelling on a long journey, either by car or plane, my greatest worry was how to keep them occupied! Over the years I have tried a few different things, and the following are just a few ideas that I found worked.

I always have a supply of things that the children can `nibble on’, bearing in mind that these must be given in small supply at a time so that they last the whole journey and don’t run out 10 miles down the road! I take small containers of cut up fresh fruit, dried fruit, biscuits, or even sweets as a treat. Another important thing is to have plenty of drinks with you, preferably water or no sugar drinks then they don’t become `hyper.’  Always remember that giving the children a drink is best done when you know you are going to be able to stop for the loo within a short space of time!

I always buy something new for the children to do on a long journey, but I don’t tell the children until we are well on our way then it is a nice surprise for them.

For those who like puzzle books, I buy a new book and a new pencil; for the ones who like to colour/draw, I buy a new colouring book and crayons,  these new crayola pencils with rubbers on the end are marvellous, they can rub out any mistakes they make without crying about it!  I also have reading books with us so that those who can read will improve their reading skills, bearing in mind, the reading books should be ones that you know your child will enjoy.

There are also lots of travel games available now at good book shops and I have found having these in the car all the time is a great help, even on short journeys.

On a car journey we always stop about every 1½ hours to give the children (and the driver) a break, this can’t be done on a plane of course, but allowing the children a little time to stretch their legs is a good idea.
I hope some of my tips help you to have quieter journeys!

Our most recent email contained a full complement of awful football cliches - add your favourite / most hated football cliches by adding a comment to this post!

Don’t forget you can get your World Cup Airport Parking at www.worldcup2010parking.com from SkyParkSecure.

Despite the huge disruption caused by the volcanic ash and BA strikes, it has been a busy couple of months for airlines adding new routes to their existing services.

Ryanair announced their 42nd base at Barcelona El Prat which will help to secure over 2000 jobs in the area.

Jet2 have added Leeds Bradford to Bodrum (Turkey) and Tunisia and a host of new destinations and prices from Edinburgh.

Edinburgh to Palma (Majorca) fm £39.99 one way inc. taxes starting the 17th May 2011
Edinburgh to Faro fm £34.99 one way inc. taxes running from Winter through to Summer 2011
Edinburgh to Ibiza fm £34.99 one way inc. taxes from 26th May
Edinburgh to Mahon fm £39.99 one way inc. taxes starting 27th May
Edinburgh to Murcia fm £34.99 one way inc. taxes starting 31st May

EasyJet have increased their flights from London Gatwick to now include more regular flights to Bodrum, Dalaman, Split, Mykonos, Montpellier and Toulouse. Perhaps more excitingly they have also made Starbucks coffee available on selected flights.

Finally, not one to left out in the Polish cold, Wizz Air have announced new routes from London Luton, now flying to Split, Dubrovnik and Venice Treviso. They have also changed their baggage allowance to up to 32kg per person.

Dean Pailing presents Len Curtis with cheque for £5886

Following the herioc efforts of our 10k running team, we were delighted to meet Len at Donna’s Dream House and present him with a hearty cheque for £5886.

The money will go directly into the fund for the new Bereavement and Resource Centre that is currently in development at the House.

A few of us who completed the run went to meet Len and have a look around the houses. To say we were blown away by the incredible work done by Len and his team would be an understatement to say the least.

Donna’s Dream House offers children suffering with life threatening illnesses, and their families, a break from day-to-day life and gives them the chance to relax away from home, in a friendly environment and create some happy memories for children and their familes that are suffering so immensely.

As well as each family having their own ‘apartment’, there is a fabulous garden area to the rear of the house. Volunteers from The Prince’s Trust took up the challenge of designing and constructing the barbecue patio area, and there are even some huge flowers donated by the Illuminations Department. There’s a car park, and possibly the most poignant room of the house, is a pretty wooden chapel-like quiet room, set on its own grounds.  Soft music plays on entry; there are poems of remembrance and other beautiful features. This is “where children can be laid to rest, or parents can go to scream” Len explains, with honesty born of experience. The next phase of the house is to build a bereavement centre, where parents and relatives can go to be with others in similar situations - for help, or guidance or even just to let off steam.

We were priviledged to meet Len and have since decided to keep the option on our web site to enable our customers to continue donating to this hugely worthwhile cause.

Thank you so much to those of you who contributed to the fund. Len made it very clear that every penny that goes into the fund goes straight to providing these children with memories that they’ll never forget. Thank you.

As the BA strike continues we wanted to make you aware of what you should do if you’re affected by the disruption.

If you have a booking with us and your flights are affected by the strike, please contact our Customer Support Team at info@skyparksecure.com. They will be able to help you with anything you need, including cancelling and amending your booking.

You can also submit a request in the My Account section of our web site.

If, like me, you have no idea what this strike is about, you can get more information from the ever helpful BBC web site.