A recent survey of airport car parking facilities, in which users were asked to provide feedback on the service they had received, shows that staff at Scottish airport car parks are the most courteous and helpful.

In the survey passengers who had used the airport car parks were asked to rate their experience of the staff, how helpful they were, their politeness and how willing the staff had been to provide assistance above and beyond the call of duty. The office staff and transit bus drivers at Scottish airports were consistently praised and those working in Edinburgh airport’s car parks and the staff at Aberdeen airport’s car parks singled out for special praise due to their willingness to ‘go the extra mile’ in order to help passengers.

Their counterparts working in English airport car parks were also praised but the Scottish staff were found to be consistently polite, helpful and more willing to put themselves out.

Poor customer service is something we all tend to remember. It doesn’t matter if the product or service is actually any good, if we can’t get through on the telephone, can’t find a representative to speak to and can’t get the help we need this is the experience that we will remember and this becomes the story that we share with our friends.

Every business needs to recognise the need for good quality customer service that goes that extra mile to ensure that the customer experience is as positive as possible. This requirement has recently been highlighted by the debacle at Heathrow airport’s new terminal 5 where many flights have been canceled and thousands of bags caught up in a huge backlog.

People working in the travel industry all need to be ready and able to provide stressed passengers with help and support when they need it. Everybody in the industry needs to be willing to go that extra mile in order that the customer feels like every effort has been made to resolve their problem. Even if their bags cannot be found the customer needs to know that their voice has been heard and that efforts have been made by everyone concerned to resolve the issue.

It’s always good to hear of positive customer experiences but, equally, it is important for business operators to hear of negative experiences so that steps can be taken to address the issues identified. Facilities that enable customers to provide impartial testimonials and feedback are a great way to gather this information.

For example, feedback from customers regarding their experiences when parking at Glasgow Airport indicate that the staff are friendly and helpful. The same positive comments on the staff can be seen in the reviews of parking services at Prestwick airport and the reviews of car parking at Aberdeen airport. Similar positive experiences have been recounted by customers who have used the car parking facilities at Edinburgh airport, but if we look at the feedback provided on specific car parks we can see some areas where customer service could be improved.

The impartial feedback provided by car park users provides invaluable insight into any negative aspects of their experience which, when addressed, will bring dividends as customer satisfaction will be enhanced. The facility that allows and encourages customers to feed back their experience is invaluable to the business. It also serves to provide prospective clients with an impression that the business is open, honest and confident in the quality of the services provided.

Monarch airlines have condemned the high aircraft parking fees that are being charged at Luton Airport. Luton Airport currently charges £7,000 a day for each aircraft that is parked at the airport for more than 48 hours in comparison to the £1,000 per day charged at Manchester airport.

Monarch’s managing director Tim Jeans said that Luton Borough Council, the owners of Luton Airport were not investing the money made back into the development of the airport. Mr Jeans went on to claim that the agreement between the airport operators and the council did not give a provision or commitment for the development of the infrastructure at the airport.

Mr Jeans went on to say that “The lack of vision on the part of the council is a crying shame” and that “the terms of the franchise make it more advantageous for it to sweat the assets than to invest in the airport. “The council should recognise its position as part of the London airport system and stop looking at creaming off £2 per plane that takes off.”

Monarch airlines said that they are currently looking at other airports to use as a fifth base for when it takes delivery of a new Airbus A321 that is due for delivery in August.

A spokeswoman for Luton Airport said that high aircraft parking charges had been set by the airport authority to discourage airlines from keeping aircraft at the airport. It’s claimed that this was necessary to prevent airlines from parking aircraft for long periods when not in operation which in turn could cause congestion at the airport during peak times. Travellers will undoubtedly be relieved that the airport authority doesn’t charge the same rates for Luton Airport car parking.