Manchester Airport bans car park push starts
06.10.07
Bosses at Manchester Airport have banned car park attendants from giving motorists a push start if they break down, the Manchester Evening News reports. The policy has been condemned by motoring groups, with one critic saying the airport had 'thrown common sense out of the window'.
Officials at the airport - which claims to provide 'outstanding customer service' - introduced the rule to prevent staff accidentally damaging vehicles when they are trying to help owners. But a spokesman for the Association of British Drivers said: 'It would be a matter of normal humanity to decide to help someone who is experiencing difficulty at their airport car parks. The employer should just keep out of it and allow people to make their own personal judgement.'
Sean Corker, who campaigns for motorists' rights in the north west, said: 'You always come across the odd jobsworth but you don't often get people ordered by their bosses not to help customers. Their customer service obviously does not extend to those who drive to the airport.'
The newspaper reports that holidaymaker Paul Ross fell foul of the ruling when he returned to the Terminal 2 car park after a trip to Menorca and found that his battery had gone flat. He approached staff at the car park for help but they said they couldn't assist him on the orders of their superiors.
Mr Ross, who had paid about £60 to leave his car at the airport while he was abroad, had no cash on him to pay for a tow-truck. He said: ' All that was needed was a bit of common courtesy. I just wanted to get home. It was an awful situation at the end of a very good holiday.'
'The experience we have had nullified the relaxation we had on holiday. I for one will not be recommending use of their car parking, rather the reverse.' He was so appalled by the attitude of staff that he complained to airport parking bosses. Mr. Ross was offered an apology plus the return of his parking fee.
A spokeswoman for Manchester Airport said it employed the AA to provide free assistance to motorists stranded in its car parks from 06:00 to 18:00. She said staff used to be able to help customers whose cars had broken down outside these hours, but this had been stopped after complaints that a car had been damaged.
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