TUI passengers at Birmingham Airport stranded ‘in torrential rain since 4am’ as parking firm ‘ceases operations’

Returning passengers were left stranded at Birmingham Airport today after a company operating the site’s valet parking service suspended operations. Customers arriving from overseas flights were unable to access their cars, told to report them stolen to police and forced to find alternative routes home, it is claimed.

Blue Circle, which operated the off-site meet and greet service, suspended operations on Monday evening, May 20, with new operators required to step in. Passengers arriving at the airport early this morning, May 22, were forced to wait. torrential rain as they scrambled to figure out how to access their cars.

A passenger claims he was told the customer’s car keys “were lost” during handover between operators. Customers who booked with Blue Circle or Holiday Extras were affected.

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A Birmingham Airport spokesman said: “We have been informed by off-site parking provider Blue Circle that it has suspended operations. Blue Circle customers with future bookings with this provider will be contacted by the operator.

“Customers using the Blue Circle car park may also have booked through Holiday Extras and other parking aggregators. We advise customers to check and contact their booking provider accordingly.

“The airport and its parking partner NCP are trying to assist returning customers who are immediately affected by the cessation of the Blue Circle service. For any customers who have their parking plans disrupted, Birmingham Airport’s official on-site parking options can be booked here.”

Among the passengers caught up in the chaos this morning was 71-year-old John Woodward, who landed at Birmingham Airport from Turkey – one of two TUI flights arriving at the time. Arriving at 4.15am, John said he called three numbers provided on a ticket for Blue Circle – but found all the lines were “in order”.

He said: “I had seen on social media that Blue Circle Parking had collapsed yesterday (May 21) so I was expecting that calls would go unanswered and we would have to walk up to the meet and greet and wait until they got the car . I did so, in the pouring rain, and went into reception and handed in my parking pass.

“I was told, ‘We’re Forest Parking and we manage the car park now, but you have to see that man outside by the ticket machine to collect your car.’ I went to the machine and stood in line.

“The two elderly couples in front of me had to get home to Nottingham and Bristol and were told ‘we have no idea where your cars are and you need to report them as stolen to West Midlands Police.’ The gentleman going to Bristol called. West Midlands Police explained the situation and said it had been told “it is a civil matter and not to do with the police”.

“The gentleman who was going to Nottingham rang Birmingham Airport and said he was told ‘they are a third party and have no connection with Birmingham Airport.’ Then they were told to go home by train or taxi and wait for the cars to show up. a gentleman going to Nottingham called a taxi and received £150.00 for the journey home.

“During this time, several families, some with children, arrived at reception to be told the same story. I asked the man at the machine if he had a list of where the cars were, as with the ANPR cameras all over the airport, it should be easy to find in the airport.

“He told me he had no information, but he had a list of ‘some cars where we know where they are.’ I gave him my license plate number and luckily my car was on the list of those cars. we arrived within 10 minutes and loaded our bags and headed home, so very little inconvenience.”

He added: “My frustration is Birmingham Airport and TUI knew yesterday that Blue Circle Parking had gone bust, as I knew, but had made no plans to find those cars for restless returning tourists. I feel that TUI and Birmingham Airport could have arranged for someone to be at arrivals to explain the situation and a way forward rather than allowing people to walk into the car park in the rain and then being told ‘your car is missing’ .

Another passenger who landed at 1am received an email saying a company called Maple Parking Meet and Greet had intervened. The passenger said: “The guy who returned the car to me said a lot of car keys were lost on handover. leaving people stranded and I was “one of the lucky ones”.

West Midlands Police have been approached for comment on the advice issued to customers at the airport.