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Hassle-free valet parking at airport

DUBAI - Hassle-free valet parking is now being offered at the Dubai International Airport's Terminal 1, which is currently undergoing a major expansion of Car Park, A which is set to be completed sometime in September.

ValTrans Systems, a transportation systems and services company of the Al Habtoor Group, commenced its round-the-clock operations on June 13, and since then, they have been attracting a record number of customers. Its counter is located outside the arrivals area at the airport.

There has been a bit of congestion at the arrivals area at the airport lately, and the new service commenced at the right time.

The good news for airport users is that it is going to be a permanent feature at the fast-growing and award-winning Dubai International Airport.

The DCA has put up signages and has been guiding people at the airport whilst the construction of the Car Par A is going on. Once the Car Park A is completed, it will have a multi-storey car park, which will really ease traffic requirements in the area, disclosed a spokesperson of the Dubai Department of Civil Aviation (DCA).

"Located behind Car Park B, the parking space which had been reserved for ValTrans can accommodate 300 cars. We get an average of 170-180 customers every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, while the rest of the days, it's down to about 70-75 cars which is still considerable," Ibrahim Ali, supervisor-in-charge, ValTrans, told Khaleej Times.

The summer holiday rush is expected to auger well for ValTrans, which will keep its 22 staff busy during the travel season. "Most of the people who have used our service are satisfied as they do not have to scout for parking space in Car Park B at the other side of the road, and then walk towards the arrivals area of the airport. They don't mind paying Dh20 for the first hour, and Dh7 for each additional hour," Mr Ali said.

He, however, admitted that some as they had just opened three weeks ago. "We are likely to put up some signs at the airport to inform people about the new service," he said.

Syed Musa Hassan, ValTrans supervisor at the airport, concurred that the customers were willing to shell out Dh20 for the service. "Customers are happy with the service and the VIP treatment they get from our staff. It's virtually tension-free as they do not have anything to worry about. Most of the customers take 45 minutes to an hour, while others request for their cars after two or three hours," he said.

When asked whether the company expects to assign additional staff at the airport due to the rush, he said: "We have sufficient staff so we do not really require more. They work in three shifts - from 8am to 3pm, 3pm to midnight, and from midnight to 8am the following day."