Good will gestures urged from car park operators

As stranded passengers return to the UK following the reopening of air space above most of Europe many are faced with potentially hefty charges from the extended car park stay of their vehicle.

Unfortunately the law is not on their side; consumers who stay in a car park beyond the period of time they were booked for are liable for extra costs for having breached the agreed terms of contract.  EU regulations will not cover these associated costs, which are also unlikely to be covered by travel insurance policies or the protection offered by paying by credit card.

The Trading Standards Institute (TSI) and the UK European Consumer Centre (UK ECC) are appealing for car park operators to show good will towards the already aggrieved consumers who are likely to finally be on the last leg of their much delayed journey.

TSI's chief executive Ron Gainsford said: "These are highly exceptional circumstances and the last thing passengers will need after these stressful delays is more extra costs they hadn't anticipated or budgeted for.

"While the black and white letter of the law is not on the consumers' side we urge all car park operators to be sympathetic to the extraordinary nature of the situation and show good will towards customers who have incurred fees due to an extended stay caused by the flight ban."

The two organisations welcomed the airport operator BAA's quick decision not to charge extra for those who overstayed at its official car parks.

BAA's commercial director John Holland-Kaye said: "Across BAA, we took early steps to waive any additional costs incurred by passengers returning to our official airport car parks after the period of disruption. 

"We did so to remove one of a long list of worries facing our passengers during these difficult and unprecedented times and to reflect our appreciation of their patience and understanding."

He advised passengers to present travel documents which show their original intended return date and parking ticket to the customer service desk at the exit to the car park.

The British Car Parking spokesperson said: "We would encourage car park operators to take into consideration the situation that many travellers will be facing following this unprecedented event."

For further advice consumers should contact Consumer Direct  by visiting consumerdirect.gov.uk.