US. MAG USA has acquired three airport parking, hotel and transfer booking platforms, in a move that signals a focus on growth in the key US market.
AirportParkingReservations.com, ParkSleepFly.com and ShuttleFinder.com, which MAG USA has bought for an undisclosed sum, are based in Santa Monica, California. Together, they are the US’s biggest airport parking aggregator, offering customers attractive prices on airport car parking, bundled hotel and parking packages and airport transfers.
The acquisition signals MAG USA’s ambition to scale quickly in the US, which is seeing a rapid shift from a turn-up to a pre-book model in the airport parking market, the company noted. That is a trend likely to be accelerated due to COVID-19 as customers demand a more contactless and predictable parking experience, MAG USA said.
MAG USA CEO Martin Jones told The Moodie Davitt Report: “The sites will join a new family of MAG online booking platforms, including brands we already own in the UK, Looking4.com and SkyParkSecure.com. Taken together, this family will allow MAG to increase market share in the global parking booking market and should make us one of, if not the, biggest aggregator of airport parking globally.
“This follows on from our recent push with MAGO where we are increasingly trying to digitise the customer journey, making travel more seamless and predictable, forging deeper personal relationships with passengers and ultimately driving non-aero revenues at a time when airports need this most.”
Since 2015, MAG USA has opened 12 of its popular own-brand ‘Escape Lounge’ airport lounges and launched MAGO which offers a range of commercial solutions for the aviation industry. These include car park commercial services focused on increasing revenues for operators and improving the customer experience for travellers.
The latest acquisition will broaden the global parking distribution offerings for Manchester Airport Group (MAG) – MAG USA’s parent company. The sites will join a new family of MAG online booking platforms, including brands it already owns in the UK – Looking4.com and SkyParkSecure.com. Taken together, this family will allow MAG to increase market share in the global parking booking market.
The three US platforms currently have relationships with over 1,000 car parking and hotel operators across the US and Canada. They allow passengers to book parking, hotel stays or transfers at over 90% of airports nationally.
“We know the great service and coverage that these businesses have built up over the last 20 years and together they will complement our growing MAG USA commercial services business,” said Jones. “We are very excited to have Carlos [Chilin, General Manager of AirportParkingReservations.com and ParkSleepFly.com] and the team join the MAG USA family. The US market is a strategic focus for MAG’s international growth and we’re all looking forward to the journey ahead of us as the aviation market rebounds.”
“I am excited about joining the MAG USA family,” said Chilin. “I am very proud of what the team has accomplished to date, and am looking forward to what we can accomplish together. This partnership will allow us to accelerate our goals to continue to improve the airport experience for travellers.”
AirportParkingReservations.com Co-Founder Guy Piccolo said, “After 23 years of being an owner in the off-airport parking business, we dreamed up a website that offered great rates for travellers and increased business for lots. AirportParkingReservations.com and ParkSleepFly.com followed shortly after. It was a joy to be a part of building both companies and watching them thrive.”
Any airports interested in working with Airport Parking Reservations, Park Sleep Fly, Shuttle Finder and MAG USA can contact dev@magairports.com.
