The measure seeks to alleviate congestion in the area, the use of which has increased after the pandemic
Anyone who has recently used the express parking situated before the Terminal 1 from Barcelona airport, you will have encountered a novelty: the time of courtesy parking (free) is no longer 15 minutes, but it has been lowered and is now 10 minutes. Sufficient time, argue sources at the Barcelona airport consulted by EL PERIÓDICO, for users to unload the suitcases and leave the person who must travel. In fact, according to the data they handle, only 10% of the vehicles that use the express parking exceed the courtesy time and have to pay for the stay.
In recent months, with the upturn in travel after the pandemic, the airport had been detecting a high occupancy of this parking area, to the point that at times there were vehicles parked in triple row. So the decision was made to reduce the free time for parking, a measure that came into force on July 1. The objective is to “speed up the process and prevent crowds from forming,” the sources underline. “The meaning of the express parking is that you can access the terminal departures door, unload the suitcase and leave the traveler. That can be done leftovers in 10 minutes”they argue. “Express parking is not a place to park and accompany someone into the terminal,” they insist.
The measure has caught more than one user by surprise, who had those 15 minutes and that, when leaving, they would not have to pay. Instead, having exceeded the 10 minutes of courtesy, he has found that on the way out, he had to stop to pay.
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Airport personnel monitor the exit barriers to ensure that there are no concentrations of vehicles and that the exit process is as agile as possible. These operators also have the power to erect barriers if they deem it necessary. “If for whatever reason there is any significant crowding, the operator can raise the barriers and let vehicles pass to decongest the area,” explain the sources consulted.
The express parking is not used by taxi drivers, who have a different space enabled, but they use it cprivate conductors and companies that offer customers a valet parkingthat is, the client leaves the vehicle in the express parking lot and the company picks it up and parks it elsewhere for the duration of the trip.