Skyparksecure Travel Blog - THE TRAVEL BLOG by Skyparksecure

Below average temperatures, with a notable higher than average rainfall

You may have heard the pessimistic forecasts for this Summer’s weather so we decided to do a little research and find out what was in store.
The UK Weather Forecast site paints a mixed but fairly depressing picture.
‘The main concern at present would be for a slight shift Westwards in the pattern, which may leave the UK open to another very wet summer as the rainfall anomaly across Europe ends up a little closer to the UK’

It does conclude that this Summer could be slightly better than 2012, but last year was hardly worthy of note being the worst Summer in a century according to ITV.com

Maybe the best way of guaranteeing the sun is to book a holiday in sunnier climes and take away the unpredictability of the British Summer.

If you’re looking for ways to avoid the hustle and bustle that a busy international airport brings then a Lounge is definitely for you!

This video gives you a virtual tour of exactly what airport lounges have to offer. Worth a watch if you want to see what’s actually inside a lounge.

SkyparkSecure have been advocating the benefits of airport lounges for some time now. What better way to relax before your flight than a comfy lounge, entertainment, complimentary drinks and snacks plus the chance to freshen up ahead of your flight. This handy infographic explains all the benefits of booking an airport lounge. Head over to our airport lounges quote page to see how affordable an airport lounge can be.


Airport lounges – the travel industry’s best kept secret – An infographic by the flight comparison site Cheapflights

Air travel is just one of those things that many people want to get out of the way. Whether you’re travelling for business or leisure reasons, the whole charade of getting to the airport, checking in, stressing out over your travel documents and getting a transfer to your final destination is a physically and mentally draining affair. Streamlining your journey to make it as stress-free as possible is the key to actually enjoying your flight rather than using your time in the sky to try and bring your blood pressure down to a reasonable level.

Airport parking has come along way since this picture in the 1980's!

Here are just a few reasons why choosing airport parking over other methods of getting to the airport can help to make your journey less hassle and more enjoyable.

You’re Responsible for Yourself

Whether you use public transport, a taxi service or hitch a lift off a relative, you’re relying on someone else to get you to the airport. It’s no secret that public transport can be a little unreliable just when you need it most, and whilst it’s usually just a minor inconvenience, if your bus or train doesn’t turn up when you’re catching a flight you risk missing the check-in timeframe. Airlines are very reluctant to refund missed flights and you’re often left with the choice of paying for a seat on another flight or simply staying at home. With airport parking you are in control of exactly when you leave your house and planning your journey, giving you more peace of mind. After all, there’s nothing worse than waiting and waiting for a taxi driver who never turns up.

You Can Go Back Home Easily if you forget something

Why is it always the case that when you most need to have all your belongings in check, you leave something vital behind?! From phones and wallets to boarding cards and passports, it seems that the most important things can slip through the net during the pre-plane panic. Once you board your public transport to the airport and realisation kicks in it’s often too late to go all the way back to collect your forgotten items and set off to the airport all over again. Similarly, with taxis you can expect your fare to hike up drastically for the U-turn the driver will take to get you back home. Driving to the airport and taking advantage of the parking facilities means that you can easily drive back home if you’ve forgotten something and won’t incur extra charges and are more likely to make your flight!

Vehicular Peace of Mind

It’s important that you feel your most prized possessions and belongings are secure during your absence. By parking your car at one of the secure airport car parks, you can tick one of the most important items on your list off. Thieves and burglars are cunning and can often tell when your car hasn’t been used in some time and if your house is vacant. Even leaving your car on the drive puts it at risk. To ensure you don’t have to worry about your car whilst you’re away from home, it’s definitely worth popping it in the safe hands of the airport parking crew.

If you’re taking a flight anywhere from the UK in the near future then feel free to use our quote function to see what different options are available and how much it will cost you.

Image source: Flickr Kattebelletje

Everyone who books Airport Parking with SkyparkSecure and subsequently leaves a review is automatically entered into our 4 times a year prize draw for FREE Airport Parking the next time they travel.

Our first ever prize draw for the 3rd quarter of 2012 has now been made and we are very pleased to announce the winners as Joyce and Gus Kennedy.

Joyce and Gus will receive free parking from SkyparkSecure the next time they travel.

To be in with a chance of winning in the next draw, just book your Airport Parking through SkyparkSecure as normal. We’ll then send you an email inviting you to complete our super simple review form and you’ll be entered into the next draw.

We’d like to congratulate Joyce and Gus on being our first ever winners!

Yesterday, a historic ruling in the European Court of Justice will allow you to claim compensation for long flight delays. This means that you will now be able to claim up to £488 in compensation for flight delays of three hours or more.

What are the Conditions

To qualify for flight delay compensation, you will have to meet four conditions. Firstly, and most obviously, your flight will have to have arrived at its destination three hours or more than its scheduled time. Secondly, the claim that you are making cannot date back further than 17 February 2005. Thirdly, the flight must have departed from an EU airport, or you must be on an EU-based airline when the airline departs from or arrives at an EU airport. Finally, the delay must be deemed to be the fault of the airline and not that of passengers, other airlines, the airport etc.

Compensation Prices

Whilst the price of compensation can go as high as £488, this is only for the worst delays. For shorter hold ups, there are differing price brackets depending on your specific situation.

If your flight length is up to 1500km and your arrival delay was three hours or more, you can claim compensation of £204.

If your flight length is between 1500km-3500km and your arrival delay was three hours or more, you can claim compensation of £326.

If your flight length is 3500km or more and your arrival delay was three hours to four hours long, you can claim compensation of £244.

If your flight length is 3500km or more and your arrival delay was four hours or more, you can claim compensation of £488.

Flights Delayed By Five Hours or More

If your flight is cancelled, or delayed by five hours or more, you are entitled to claim back the cost of your ticket/re-routing, means and sometimes even accommodation. You will also be entitled to the £488 top bracket compensation package, although if you choose the refund option, this will not be available to you.

How to Claim

To claim your compensation, you will need to contact the airline that you travelled with. To do this, you can either check on its website to see if they have their own specific compensation page, or alternatively, you can call a customer service help line. When making this claim, you will have to prove that it is valid, so make sure to send them all of your paper evidence.

Valid Evidence

Airlines will accept your ticket, boarding pass, e-ticket or itinerary from your travel agency as acceptable proof. So that you don’t lose them, make sure when you book your holiday to put all of your paper travel documents in a safe place and to save all e-mails received into a folder in your account. If you can’t find these, it’s a good idea to tell them as much of the travel information that you can remember and hope the airline will be understanding. Giving as much evidence as possible is the best and most reliable way to make a successful compensation claim.

Airport parking and travel service provider, SkyparkSecure is now offering customers a full range of airport car hire services. Car hire is available across the globe at over 5000 destinations. SkyparkSecure are using the top 6 global suppliers and the best local operators worldwide; ensuring the highest level of service.

The car hire service which launched on August 20th, has added to an already impressive range of travel extras available on the website. These include airport parking, airport hotels, airport transfers and airport lounges. The service offers fully-inclusive pre-paid car hire with no hidden extras.

The car hire service is very popular with travellers reserving vehicles at their destination airport both in the UK and overseas. With SkyparkSecure’s new car hire facility, customers can arrange airport parking in the UK and car hire at their destination making the booking much simpler than having to use different sites. Travel can be stressful and anything which reduces that stress – such as one click booking for all your holiday needs – is growing in popularity.

Customers can obtain an instant quote and book online at the SkyparkSecure car hire url http://www.skyparksecure.com/car-hire

Ken Foster, Head of Online Marketing at SkyparkSecure said:

“We’ve listened to our customers and the provision of car hire particularly at overseas destinations was something that kept cropping up. SkyparkSecure is committed to making it easier for the traveller to get everything they need for their trip in one place and take as much of the stress as possible away from the customer.”

Prior to the Airport car hire product being launched the company announced record breaking growth in a challenging travel industry environment. The service will run alongside the airport transfers and lounges products that were launched in 2011
With many travel companies reporting ongoing trading difficulties, SkyparkSecure has continued to outperform even their own ambitious targets for 2012.

SkyparkSecure have again drawn on the flexibility of their innovative e-business software suite called SkyPanel Engine. The system is a modular platform allowing easy integration with existing management functions but also allowing infinite expansion possibilities.

Currency cards are hogging all the headlines when it comes to exchanging your money for overseas travel.

Moneywise UK gave them a glowing report whilst cautioning against variable fees and charges.

We decided to put them to the test and so armed with the new Skyparksecure Currency Card our Marketing Manager Ken Foster, decided to test drive the system.

Ken takes up the story:

“Like most people, I usually exchange sterling for currency on the high street before I travel. I’d heard a lot about currency cards and was always a little sceptical about fees and whether or not I’d get a competitive exchange rate.

With Skyparksecure now offering a card I realised that it was the perfect opportunity to put one to the test. First I went to the Skypark currency card sign-up page. There are 3 cards to choose from. The Euro card (which I chose) can be used anywhere in Euroland, The US Dollar Card is (fairly obviously) for people travelling to the USA and the Global One card can be used worldwide.

I found that the sign up process was easy (You do need your passport number, so have that close at hand). The great thing is that you can get a fixed exchange rate when you sign up and load your card with money. I found the rate offered was extremely competitive when I booked (€1.23 = £1).

I loaded up the card online and the money was transferred. So far, so good – no fees and no joining or set up fee.

The card arrived through the post within 3 days (although the site does say to allow up to 7-10 days).

Next I had to activate my card. I phoned the number supplied (everything was automated and easy to do). Make sure to note down your pin number that they provide you with during the call. (this call does cost 10p per minute and I was on the phone just under 3 minutes)
You can change your pin (without cost) at any cashpoint displaying the mastercard sign. I changed mine to something more memorable before I left for the holiday.

You can use the card like a credit card to pay for goods and services once you are away but I decided to withdraw a little cash for the first few days once I arrived. So the big test was when I went to a branch of Credit Mutual Bretagne in Dinan and tried out the card. I noticed the Mastercard symbol (which most cash machine have) and withdrew €100. It worked perfectly and I wasn’t charged any fee for the withdrawal.

I did this another couple of times during the trip (as i don’t like carrying a large amount of cash) and can honestly say it was the smoothest and most convenient way of getting your spending money sorted out for overseas travel.

When we arrived back in the UK I decided to convert the money left on the card back to Sterling. This time I was charged a small transaction fee, but was more than happy with the rate and the £120 cash i got back to spend on our weekly shop!

Obviously this is just my experience but I’ll definitely use the card again. You can load the card up online or by phone the next time you travel.”

So one happy customer (even if he is an insider). You can apply for your currency card here. Please let us know how you get on so we can provide feedback to our customers.

I don’t like waiting. It feels like a waste of time and it makes me frustrated. Having to wait in an airport is really not my favourite thing – I just want to get on board and take off as soon as possible. Don’t make me take my boots off, don’t make me stand in line, don’t try to sell me €10 sandwiches; just let me sit down and you can get the plane into gear.

Thankfully, many airports have recognised what torture this ordeal is, and they’ve done something about it. Recently I had to wait for my flight at Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris and I was amazed by all the activities on offer. White water rafting? Big Game hunting? Helicopter jolly? Not quite, but my waiting time flew by (see what I did there?) while I enjoyed a lovely massage. Let me help you to make your wait a little easier too!

Shopping

CDG is full of shops of all kinds – and it’s tax free! Whether you’re on a hunt for booze, perfumes, books or clothes, this airport has it all. Ideal for some last minute souvenir scoring – especially if you’re looking for something typically French, such as my favourite thing: macarons from Ladurée.

Eating

All this shopping probably makes you hungry; good thing this airport has plenty of restaurants. From traditional French bistros to fish restaurants, sandwich bars or a quick burger, there is plenty of choice. For a last sip of real French wine on French soil, check out one of the many bars here.

Relaxing

Souvenirs are in the pocket and you’re tummy is full…now it’s time to relax. Enjoy a massage in a spa or in one of the kiosks, experience some light therapy, get a mani-pedi or even a wax and it’ll be boarding time before you know it! Wow…feels so good I almost forgot we’re still at the airport.

Cinema

If you prefer to take it easy, you can sit back in a comfy chair whilst watching the latest movies and series on 3D HD televisions in the airport’s cinema suites. Grab a coke and some popcorn and enjoy. Passenger 57, Die Hard 2, Snakes on a Plane…all the classics are here.

Activities for kids

Travelling with children can be a challenge, and having to wait in an airport is far from a walk in the park. If you prefer your spawn numbed and suggestive, there are television areas to do your parenting for you. Alternatively, there is also a choice of playgrounds for younger children; perhaps they’ll tire themselves out and sleep through the flight. For the older children, there are several arcade games and even PlayStations for free use. Don’t forget that you still have a plane to catch…

Lounge

Of course, you could also hang out in one of the many lounge areas. Lay back with a latte and check on your emails, catch up on the news or update your Facebook status. Wi-Fi is accessible in several areas throughout the airport.

Waiting is still waiting, but at least Charles De Gaulle airport is full of fun things to do to help you through it. By the time you can board the plane, you’ll be packed with souvenirs, full of delicious food and all chilled out after a massage – no better way to start a flight. Safe travels!

This article was written by Eva on behalf of Easytobook, who have a great selection of Paris hotels available at the best rates guaranteed. Top image courtesy of Louis Dallara

Travel has changed a great deal since the birth of commercially available flights, and modern holiday culture began. Prices and savings are constantly subject to changes and alterations based on an evolving and sometimes complex set of charges and the reasons. One of the most recent and well known developments in the world of budget travel was pioneered by companies like Ryanair and is based on two very simple financial terms. On one hand, the flights are incomparably cheap and on the other the passenger’s hand luggage has a very strict predetermined size and weight.

Hand luggage alone is allowed with some airline’s tickets and this is measured and checked for weight with any bags which exceed the limit costing extra to take on board. Most passengers who travel with a budget airline get an allowance for the weight of their hand luggage, which is set at around 10kg. Occasionally passengers are allowed to bring as much as they can fit into a small bag. In these ways some airlines have assured themselves a consistent flow of light weight easy to board passengers and afforded themselves a number of ways to make easy money from the situation. For example Ryanair charge an enormous £20 for each kilo over the predetermined weight for a passenger’s hand luggage.

But because this method of budget travel is so new, there are bound to be loopholes in their plan to keep hand luggage size and weight down to a minimum. In fact this post is dedicated to exploiting one such loophole, which is quite simple. Your hand luggage is subject to weighing and size checks at the gate and must be quite a low sum for each measurement. But there is nothing to stop you from utilising a large, multi-pocketed coat to carry what remains of your travel necessities. By buying a large coat with an abundance of pockets and storage space you can easily cram an extra few sets of clothes, and potentially most small travel items into the pockets on your person.

In fact dramatic rises in sales of these types of coats from some clothing outlets during holiday seasons have suggested that quite a few tourists and travellers have already taken advantage of this idea. Since the only enforceable rule is based on the size and weight of your hand luggage there is nothing to prevent you from filling up a good old fashioned army and navy coat with rolled up t-shirts and jeans and wearing your luggage onto the plane.

In fact there are a variety of other budget airline fees which can be avoided with the right know how. Details such as check-in and insurance charges can be avoided with research on the right budget airline guide websites. This is just one example of how airline charges can be easily avoided with the right know how and the right attitude.