“Man, they’ve really got this down to a science,” muttered the man sitting next to me on the airport-parking-lot shuttle bus as the 6 a.m. crowd filed aboard in Columbus, Ohio. The positive acknowledgement of any aspect of the air travel system caught me off guard. You don’t hear that very often.
But, he was right. I thought back to the dreaded shuttle experience even five years ago. Once drivers entered the parking lot labyrinth, the hunt was on for a vacant spot. They combed row after row in search for an opening. Then, after finding a spot and unloading luggage, came the chasing of the shuttle bus driver with arms waving in the air as he zigzagged aimlessly through the maze of cars.
Compare those old days to the present-day experience.
• Coming though the entrance of the parking lot, a blinking electronic screen alerts drivers to the location of the open spots.
• A parking lot attendant greets drivers and hands them a small slip with the section and row written on it so they know the location of their car upon return.
• The shuttle bus is waiting patiently near the vacant spots.
Without recognizing it, progress is being made. Now before the bitter and outraged travelers lash out at me, I know things still aren’t perfect. It never will be. I know there still is progress to be made and opportunities for more efficiency.
However, in a culture that throws complaints and criticism around so freely, it’s a good practice to take moments to recognize and celebrate the small examples of progress that are being made.
So, from one guy who has just begun a whirlwind book tour that includes eight different cities and nine different airports over a 22 day stretch, I say “Thank You.”
See, some people notice.
Travel Gracefully. Jason Barger is an author, speaker, consultant and creator of the Step Back from the Baggage Claim movement.
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Always park in an offsite commercial lot rather than in the airports’ own lots. 1. Less likely to get mugged. 2. Less likely to get your car broken into. 3. More likely to have the same number of tires+wheels as when you left the car. 4. Lower parking costs. 5. Some offsite lots give you newspapers and bottles of water.
Also you can book and pay for your parking ahead of time if you use off site parking. http://www.pnf.com is a great option for doing this.