When leaving your car at the airport, charges are to be expected. But when the cost of your car parking, surpasses that of the cost of your flights, it begins to get rather preposterous.

Parking at Heathrow Airport can cost around £60 to £70 for the week if booked in advance however if you turn up on the day this price can more than double and be in the region of £120 upwards. That is an increase of nearly 100%.

By booking your parking at Gatwick Airport in advance you can expect to pay around £41, but if you do not pre-book then you could be looking at around £91.00. The same applies at other airports too. At Manchester you can book early for around £36.00 but if you are not prepared and pay on the day then you could be looking at around £100.

A few top tips when arranging your car parking at Airports in the UK:

• Always check around for prices – Check locally based suppliers like for example, Airparks who are based approximately 4 miles from Glasgow Airport. Often you can find that the off airport suppliers are much cheaper than the ones based on site.
• Book In Advance – It seems like with many things the earlier you book, the better deal you get. Always arrange your car parking in advance. You do not want to get charged more than 100% extra for your car parking on the day. In every possible instance please book as early as possible to avoid disappointment and price hikes.
• Check with Hotels – If you are staying at a hotel at the airport it is worthwhile checking with them as they sometimes have deals for car parking with the room packages.
• Check Transfer Times for Shuttle Buses – If you are travelling at unsociable hours then it is best to check that the buses stay regular throughout the night.
• Balance Price against Security – Most of the Car Park companies have CCTV installed as well as guarded patrols, local services may be less secure, so always check first and make sure that your vehicle will be secure as generally if there is a problem then it is your responsibility  not theirs.

 So follow these steps and you can be sure that your car parking will not only be at a reasonable cost, but also you will be safe in the knowledge that your vehicle is secure.

This is where we know we can help. Within our trusted supply network we have built relationships with reliable suppliers both on and off airport giving you the choice. We can provide you with all the information you need to make an educated decision that’s right for you.

So how do you make your decision and how do you know who is right for you?

Obviously there are many contributing factors; accessibility, convenience, reliability and cost to name a few. We need to decide what is most important to you but don’t worry you’re alone. We will offer our expert advice and opinion to help make that decision easy for you.

ON Airport car hire

Advantages

• Convenience
• Easily locatable collection points
• Quicker pick up and return
• No Hassle
• Quicker departure from the airport after your flight

Disadvantage

• Queues can form quickly when multiple flights arrive
• Paying a slightly higher rate for the privilege of being “on site”

OFF Airport

Advantages

• Discounted rates
• Courtesy transfer from the airport to the car hire centre

Disadvantages

• Extra travelling time after your flight
• A potential short wait for the transfer

As you can see there are arguments in favour for both and it’s really a choice of personal preference, what we can say though is we have the flexibility; knowledge and expertise to assist you make the right choice.

We are just a call away – 0113 2899281

New regulations are to take effect from July 1st 2012 that will mean all drivers on French roads are legally required to have a breathalyzer kit in the vehicle they are driving. This including visitors to the country!!

The current road safety law stipulate a driver must carry a fluorescent safety vest and warning triangle along with UK motorists already having to display a GB sticker. The breathalyzer will now also become part of the mandatory requirements.

The kits are expected to cost in the region of £2.00 and will be available from petrol and service stations in addition to ferry and transport terminals. Officials have suggested carrying at least two kits as drivers stopped multiple times within the same day would still be required to have the kit available. Fines are enforced by the authorities for failure to comply with the new regulations.

The legal limit for driving after drinking is 50mg per 100ml of blood. This is significantly less than the UK where the limit is 80mg.
Tips for driving in France
Speed Limits
Motorways 80mph (130KMH) or 68mph (110KMH) when wet
Open Roads Dual Carriageway with a central reservation 68mph (110KMH)
Or otherwise 55mph (90KMH)
Towns 31mph (50KMH)

Speed cameras are used heavily used throughout the country to deter speeding. In addition there are a number of government safe driving initiatives.
Alcohol Limit 50mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood

Mobile Phones The use of handheld phones is illegal and carries a fixed penalty fine (plus points on a French licence). The use of a hands free kit is legally allowed.
Seating It is compulsory for all passengers to wear seatbelts where fitted and all children must sit in a booster/child seat of the driver could face a fine. A child under the age of 6 months may sit in a child seat in the front of the vehicle.

Road tolls Charges are applicable to use that particular road. A ticket is collected from a kiosk machine at the start of the road and the fee paid at the end.
Parking Yellow lines mean absolutely no parking at any time
Parking is only allowed on one side of the street and signs will clearly indicate which side this is. Maximum stays can also be enforced.

Be careful for pay and display areas as they are common throughout the whole of France. Parking is usually free on weekends, bank holidays and after 19.00 on a weekday evening and prior to 09.00 the following morning.

Unite Members belonging to five companies, namely Tesco, Sainsbury’s, BP, Shell and Esso have all voted for strike action over working conditions and pensions.  Although no date has yet been set for a strike many people are still worrying that there will be no fuel available for when they need it, this is the reason why everyone is running around in a mad frenzy.

During my driving time I have experienced this kind of situation a few times now. Back in winter we had the same situation with food, because there was a light flurry of snow everyone rushed out to get bread, milk and basic essentials in case their food could not reach the shops. This time it is all over fuel and industrial action again.

I personally believe that the actions following any mention of a strike are pointless as every time people go on a mad rush to obtain something like fuel, it causes massive uproar and eventually nothing comes of the strike.  If the tanker drivers were to go on strike it would not be the end of the world, we have come through fuel strikes before and no doubt we will do in the future.

Indigo Car Hire manager Cherie Walker believes that “instead of panic buying, people should be more careful with how they use their petrol.”

Another concern that myself and Cherie have is the fact that people are being advised to store petrol in jerry cans in their homes and garages. This is a huge concern as any naked flame that goes anywhere near those jerry cans then this can cause a massive explosion, which is a serious risk to people’s welfare and property. I would like to advise people not to store large amount of petrol or diesel in their homes for the aforementioned reason.

There is no reason to stockpile fuel in large quantities as there will always be a large supply for a long time to come yet. What I would like to advise people is to prepare yourselves for the future and most importantly, do not panic!

Unfortunately not everyone is able to express their confusion at such a situation in such an articulate manner as Mr Seinfeld but maybe you can take some tips from the video below should this ever happen to you.

Amusing as this scene is, it can be a real problem, particularly if you are arriving late at night with children and there are no other options available and we at Indigo pride ourselves on making absolutely sure that your reservation goes as smoothly as possible and that no problems occur.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=4T2GmGSNvaM

If you are looking for car hire in the UK, Our new Spanish phone number is 0034 965993260 and you can contact us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Remember, you can also contact us for free on Skype, just add our username: indigocarhire.

Recent reports suggest Aurigacrown will cease trading which is very sad news, I really thought the times of car hire companies going under was behind us. Aurigacrown are a well-known car hire company with a fleet of over 15,000 cars.

Is this something to do with the ridiculously low prices? Over the last 6 months i have seen cars go out to customers for a full month for as little as £200.00. This is a great price however the way the car hire suppliers make up for the low rates is through selling extras. Such as fuel, it is very common and also very annoying to customers renting cars in Spain, as most car hire supplier’s terms are to collect the car full of fuel and return back empty, charging the customers for the full tank of fuel at premium rates.

I really think due to the shortage of cars this summer, as 15,000 cars is a lot to reduce by. We will see the rates shoot up. Going back 3 years ago, when car hire supply was short exactly the same happened, cars were selling at over £300.00 per week and this was for the box standard Peugeot 107 or similar model.

We arrange quite a lot of Car Hire at Alicante Airport where the supplier has an office, really hope for all our Indigo customers the prices are not affected too much but it’s a matter of watch this space really…..

To my surprise Heathrow Airport came in 10th place, I really think putting play areas into all airports is a must as you can sit close by and let the children play. Before long an hour has passed and you can grab something to eat and board the flight.

1 – Edinburgh Airport 7.26

2 – Glasgow Airport 7.18

3 – Liverpool Airport 7.13

4 – Manchester Airport 6.95

5 – Gatwick Airport 6.91

6 – Luton Airport 6.76

7 – Birmingham Airport 6.76

8 – Stansted Airport 6.69

9 – Bristol Airport 6.56

10 – Heathrow Airport 6.53

Sourced from - http://mancunianmatters.co.uk/content/06022273-manchester-airport-ranked-uks-fourth-most-child-friendly-airport

At Indigo Car Hire we work with many car hire suppliers which means collecting your car hire when you have children can be less stressful. We always recommend when travelling with children to choose our suppliers that have a desk in the terminal building.

Having already sold Gatwick and recently agreed to sell Edinburgh BAA stuck to their guns over Stansted and fought to overturn the original decision. The basis of their argument was that it wasn’t reasonable to consider Stansted as covering the same Market as their other London Airport, Heathrow and as a result that it wasn’t anti-competitive to operate both airports.

Today was not the news they hoped for when the UK Competition Appeal tribunal decided to uphold its original decision. The appeal tribunal, consisting of judges and industry experts delivered their verdict earlier today much to the disappointment of BAA.

The company released a statement to stress there were “disappointed” with the verdict and are currently considering their options. Laura Carstensen, an original member of the inquiry back in 2009 stated she was very pleased the original decision has been upheld.

It still remains to be seen what BAA’s next course of action will be but as things stand they will only be operating Heathrow Airport in London should they choose not to proceed and challenge this final verdict.

Related articles

• A potential buyer comes forward for Stansted airport (travelnews.britishairways.com)
• Stansted is finally put up for sale by BAA (independent.co.uk)

UK Sales were down by 4.4%, reports released recently confirm which makes & models were most popular throughout Europe. I have worked in the Car Hire industry all my working life and the good old VW Golf is always very sought after. Booking a compact car could be a Ford Focus, Vauxhall Astra, some suppliers stock Hyundai’s which means the Hyundai i30 falsl into this group. Some customers are willing to pay a little bit more to ensure they get the VW Golf and not a similar model. I have drove a VW Golf and know why we get these requests as the car is a great drive and you can feel the quality. We have all seen the advert ‘it sounds like a Golf’ this statement is very true. Reason for me mentioning the above, is that VW cars fall into the most popular models purchased last year.

Here we go, these are the best selling cars of 2011:

1 – VW Golf

2 – VW Polo

3 – Ford Fiesta

4 – Vauxhall/Opel Corsa

5 – Vauxhall/Opel Astra

6 – Renault Clio

7 – Ford Focus

8 – Renault Megane

9 – VW Passat

10 – Peugeot 207