DTCI and Purple Parking

My next UC trip to southern California is in March and whilst the full works (collection from home and chauffeured through DTCI) is fantastic, this time we'll be taking our own car (to T3!)

The idea of picking up the Purple Parking driver and then driving round to the drive-thru check-in seems convoluted and gimmicky...

With the DTCI being land-side and pre-security, what are the reasons for the Purple Parking driver not being able to collect the car directly from the drop-off point? To do so would be far more useful to those who drive themselves to T3...

It IS a security issue of having people not working for VS or flying hanging around the Upper Class Wing and will be part of the Department of Transport licence for VS to operate DTCI.

The Wing is also not that large a space and there could be complaints from pax about drivers waiting for people to arrive cluttering it up.

THe Wing is also far closer to security and passport control than any other check-in desk and they won't want the risk of cars hanging about there whilst you find your PP driver.

If you want to use DTCI with your own car you have to follow the rules

Hi Rod

The Purple Parking + DTCI combo is a little gimmicky, but worth doing if you have not been through DTCI before. I did exactly this in August and it worked like a dream. In fact it was pouring with rain so there was the real benefit of not having to get soaked getting from lane 4 outside T3 where the PP pickup is.

My TR including the DTCI experience is here.

Cheers

Martin

If you want to use DTCI with your own car you have to follow the rules

Taken directly from VS website, I would need to provide advance information on:
- The names of all the passengers in the vehicle, and whether or not they're flying.
- The chauffeur or drivers name.

I won't know the name of the chauffeur until I arrive at T3 on the day I fly. ?| Do the rules referred to still apply or does common sense prevail?

I won't know the name of the chauffeur until I arrive at T3 on the day I fly. ?| Do the rules referred to still apply or does common sense prevail?

Rod

Common sense prevails. They ask the passengers names and destinations on the intercom before they let you drive up the ramp. It worked for me with a PP driver on board.
Cheers

Martin

When I used it as part of the 'trial' they didn't ask for the drivers name just the make, model,registration and colour of the car.

Even then I did that on the way to the airport though I had of course pre-booked my arrival slot.

Excellent - thanks for the replies.

They ask the passengers names and destinations on the intercom before they let you drive up the ramp. It worked for me with a PP driver on board.

Was that because you hadn't supplied the driver's name? When we did it we were let through the barrier without any such query.

They ask the passengers names and destinations on the intercom before they let you drive up the ramp. It worked for me with a PP driver on board.

Was that because you hadn't supplied the driver's name? When we did it we were let through the barrier without any such query.

IIRC I supplied the driver's name in advance as "Purple Parking".

Just thinking about it now, they may have just let us through, but once we were held between the two sets of rising bollards, the driver pressed the intercom button. I wonder if he had not done so, the front set of bollards may have dropped and we could have driven on in. The reg no and car type and colour were correct.

Just thought I would give an update on this.

Just booked some flights on the phone and was told that you can now combine Purple Parking Meet and Greet with DTCI. So you book Putple Parking through VS and then you can just drive up through DTCI and leave your car with the PP representative.

That sounds like a remarkably joined up piece of thinking, and it's got to be good business for purple parking too...

Now... all I need is for it to be extended to AUs not flying UC. Sounds equally sensible!

Just booked some flights on the phone and was told that you can now combine Purple Parking Meet and Greet with DTCI. So you book Putple Parking through VS and then you can just drive up through DTCI and leave your car with the PP representative.

That's excellent news, and as RC says very joined up thinking. Saves the messing around, picking up the PP driver and then going round the loop.

I'm doing the full monty tomorrow using a CDC, so I'll keep an eye open to see if there is a line of PP drivers waiting for their cars

Just thought I would give an update on this.

Just booked some flights on the phone and was told that you can now combine Purple Parking Meet and Greet with DTCI. So you book Putple Parking through VS and then you can just drive up through DTCI and leave your car with the PP representative.

I've got an UC reservation for August, so phoned the UC drive through number quoted in Manage Booking.

The friendly chap I spoke to said that the above isn't correct, and if you're using Purple Parking you still need to have them jump in your car and drive it around the one-way system, then through the DTCI to drop you off.

He confirmed that the only way to get access to DTCI on foot is with a VS boarding pass, so the purple parking agent would not be able to access the drop off area.

I've got an UC reservation for August, so phoned the UC drive through number quoted in Manage Booking.

The friendly chap I spoke to said that the above isn't correct, and if you're using Purple Parking you still need to have them jump in your car and drive it around the one-way system, then through the DTCI to drop you off.

He confirmed that the only way to get access to DTCI on foot is with a VS boarding pass, so the purple parking agent would not be able to access the drop off area.

Just phoned back to check what i was told before and it was all confirmed to me again that PP will take my car from the UCW... ?|

I was also offered this service last week when I booked, in lieu of me using the car transfer. The agent I spoke to on the AU line was quite clear that I could just drive up the ramp and drop my car off.

Excellent - will work perfectly for my trip next month. I guess the reality is that pax actually spend so little time in that part of the UC Wing it is unlikely to create a traffic jam or a nuisance to others arriving at the wing.

Well done VS for offering imporvements with some substance - I'm very much looking forward to the whole experience again! ^)

Ok, my flight is one month away so I called to book my DTCI slot, which was booked without any problem.

However, when I mentioned the recent improvement to allow the Purple Parking driver to collect the car directly from the T3 UC Wing, I was told no, PP drivers can not collect cars from the UC Wing!

I referred to the good advice on V-Flyer and the agent was kind enough to call through to T3 UC DTCI to check if she'd missed something... oo) Still the answer was no, this service is not available and I will need to collect PP driver and go around and up the ramp with said driver in vehilce. WTF!?! ?|

I always thought it was very strange that some people had been told this i.e. the PP drivers being allowed to hang around the DTCI area waiting for 'their' cars to turn up.

What a c*ck up - though why I actually considered VS might have actually stumbled on a good idea for a change is beyond me.

As I alluded to above, I made a reservation with VS a while ago and this 'service' was clearly offered - however given the confusion on this thread, I have just rung up and checked - to be told, in no uncertain terms, that the PP drivers will not be waiting at the top of the UCW ramp....

Not amused.

More training required perhaps?

To finally put this issue to bed, I will make enquiries with the VS Station Manager at LHR tomorrow when I get into work - so a definitive answer will be here soon.

I always thought it was very strange that some people had been told this i.e. the PP drivers being allowed to hang around the DTCI area waiting for 'their' cars to turn up.

Dear oh dear... n(
PP drivers are hardly hoodies gathering on a street corner. :0

How difficult can it be to have them wait downstairs (and God forbid, not darken the door of the UC Wing) but be given a signal when each booked PP car arrives at the first barrier? ?| They jump in the lift, come through and take the car away - everybody's happy and VA have provided a service that is actually useful... Job done!

I never said anything about the PP drivers so why on earth did you make such a stupid inference that I was somehow denigrating them?

As clarkey posted

He confirmed that the only way to get access to DTCI on foot is with a VS boarding pass, so the purple parking agent would not be able to access the drop off area.

So it is quite clear that no valet car driver (PP or not) will not be allowed into the DTCI because they don't have a BP.

This is more than likly a security restriction imposed by the Dept of Transport.

Cars are not allowed to wait for any length of time at the DTCI.

If VS breached the terms of its licence for DTCI then the DoT would close it down.

Is it really a hardship for a car driver to go and meet the PP driver at the designated spot, sort out the paperwork etc and then drive round again? From the posts and TRs it seems that the PP drivers are well up for doing this.

This is more than likly a security restriction imposed by the Dept of Transport.

Cars are not allowed to wait for any length of time at the DTCI.

If VS breached the terms of its licence for DTCI then the DoT would close it down

I can categorically say that, as the VS DTCI facility is Landside, and therefore not considered part of the CPSRA of the airport (for all intents and purposes it is no different to the T3 forecourt), then it is not directly governed by DfT regulations. It is a local arrangement with LHR campus security, and comes under LHR by-laws.

The reason cars cannot wait around up there is the same as for the T3 forecourt; they pose a security risk. The BP issue is actually irrelevant as the DTCI area is publically accessible and not secured.

I don't know how familiar you are (Tonty) with the UC wing? I am and it is PRE-security, i.e. the PP driver in the UC Wing poses no more of a security threat than they would standing pre-security anywhere else in the building.

The door at the top of the elevator is there only to prevent non-UC/Au pax using the fast-track VA security, nothing more. Indeed, anybody can walk in off the street, take the UC lift up one level and step out, turning right instead of left and they are no closer to security than they would be by turning left and going through the door; they would still be land-side so I don't understand the suggestion of it being a security risk. Furthermore, on many ocassions when I take the elevator and turn left, the door is already open and I don't need to use my BP to gain access. This is further evidence of it not being a security issue...

In answer to the specific question, yes it is a nuisance to do the car hand-over and have to drive round with the driver because it removes the ultimate convenience of driving in, having luggage taken from the car and the car being driven away... Anything less really is a worthless gimmick - as stated in my original post.

I don't know how familiar you are with the UC wing?

Given that I'm one of LHRs Security Operations Managers, then yes...fairly familiar :p