Maple Parking

Maple Parking: Meet & Greet airport parking across the UK

Maple Parking is a family-run airport parking business that began in 1992 as a small Meet & Greet operation at Gatwick Airport, run from home. Over three decades it has expanded into a multi-site operator that describes itself as the largest independent Meet & Greet parking provider in the UK. The company is a trading name of the Istvan Zoltan Kiss and Jill Elaine Kiss partnership and operates, 365 days a year.

Its core model is straightforward: the customer drives to the terminal, hands the car to a driver and goes straight to check-in; on return, a call brings the vehicle back to the terminal. Alongside its own branded services, the company also searches for third-party airport parking products at six UK airports.

How the Meet & Greet service works

The process is presented in three steps. The customer books online or through the booking line, meets an insured driver outside the terminal who parks the car while the customer checks in, and then calls on return so the car is delivered back at the terminal. The company states that every vehicle is photographed and its mileage recorded before being driven, so both customer and operator have a record of the car's condition when it enters their care.

Drivers are described as mature, properly trained, regularly tested, CRB/DBS checked and holding full UK driving licences. Staff are uniformed, carry ID and are fully insured. The car parks used are described as secure, either manned, patrolled or monitored by CCTV .

Airports and locations served

Maple Parking offers Meet & Greet and Park & Ride at six UK airports and at one port. The airport menu lists Gatwick South, Gatwick North, Heathrow, Birmingham, Luton, Stansted, Southend, Manchester and Southampton, while the company's own history details the opening of its branches:

• Gatwick Airport — the original Meet & Greet operation, launched in 1992.
• Southend Airport — second and third branches opened in 2012, with a Park & Ride option added the same year; both operations run side by side.
• Birmingham and Heathrow — branches opened in 2014.
• Stansted Airport — branch opened in February 2015, with a secure car park of almost 1,000 spaces inside the airport boundary, less than three minutes from the terminal; the Park & Ride there operates, 364 days a year, since Stansted Airport closes on Christmas Day.
• London Luton Airport — the most recent location, offering the same Meet & Greet service.

Valeting and parking extras

At selected airports the company offers professional valeting while the customer is away, ranging from an outside wash to a comprehensive clean inside and out. These are presented as optional add-ons to the parking booking.

Loyalty scheme

Maple Parking runs a membership loyalty programme for customers who book directly. Discounts scale with the number of direct bookings: 15% off every booking for one to four direct bookings, 20% off for five or more with preferential seasonal rates, and 25% off for 20 or more with preferential seasonal rates. Membership also removes the need for codes, as the booking system recognises the member's status and applies the reduction automatically.

Recognition and customer feedback

The company states that its Heathrow operation won the Best Meet & Greet Award at the Independent Airport Parking Awards in 2019, citing consistent service, trusted communications and high feedback scores from customers. It also works with the independent review platform Trustpilot to invite customers to leave feedback. Maple Parking attributes much of its growth to customer loyalty, noting that some clients who booked at Gatwick in the early 1990s continue to use the service.

Head office and booking

The head office is on London Road, Lowfield Heath, Crawley, West Sussex. Bookings are handled online and through the booking helpline, and the site notes that drivers passing through Heathrow may need to pay the ULEZ charge.