Yesterday I helped fund the Toronto Pearson Int'l Airport. Along with millions of others, I generously donated an extra 20 minutes worth of parking fare ($3), for the pleasure of touring levels P1, P2, P4 & P5 in addition to where I was parked on P3.
If you too would like to donate an extra 20-30 minutes of your time and parking fare, here's how it works:
Park on any level except P5 and P6. Dodge cars in the cold ginormous parking lot for 15 minutes until you finally reach the terminal. Locate your loved ones, such as your elderly Grandmother and assist them with their luggage as you confidentally lead them back to your car. To minimize her anxiety at encountering said ginormous parking lot, tell her enthusiastically, "Don't worry! It's not too far!"
Weave the cart ladden with baggage through 20 rows of dirty cars, then remember that you need to pay before you reach the exit. Funny though, you didn't see one of those payment machines anywhere on this level. You determine you must have missed it in your enthusiasm to see "Oma".
Tuck Oma safely in your car, then run back to the lobby area of your parking level. There are signs everywhere but none of them indicate where you should pay. Walk around the lobby area a couple of times to see if you can find some directins on where you should pay. Run back to the terminal to see if there is a parking machine somewhere in there or along the way.
In fact, there isn't.
Locate the parking office (how was that easier to find than the bloody machine??). Listen carefully to the instructions on where to find a machine. "Take the elevator up to P5, turn right, then just before the terminal entrance you'll see them."
Ride the elevator to P5 and run around as instructed. Locate the bloody machines. There are 25 buttons to choose from. Stand there for a minute to take hold of the situation. You hear a voice behind you giving you instructions. "Put the card there, press that button, now press this". It's the human designated to help generous donators figure out how to use the machine.
You say thanks then ask why there aren't payment stations on each parking level. "Tell me about it" she says, "I totally agree with you. It's their way of making more money having everyone run around for an extra half hour trying to figure out where to pay. Only P5 and P6 have those machines."
It cost $12 to pick Oma up from the airport yesterday. I'm not impressed.
3 comments:
Ooooo!!! (yes, that's steam coming out of my ears). I HATE the airport parking! It's gotten to the point where if I have to pick somebody up at the airport, I instruct them to stand outside the terminal with bags in hand ready to jump into my car as I drive by. I refuse to park. Ridiculous.
Haha...thanks for sharing your story (it was pretty amusing) and the parking machine info. If I ever need to park at Pearson, I'll know where to find those machines. :)
I laugh and laugh and laugh! I also recently picked someone up from the airport. Although there are two parking levels and a wee bit of a walk, I managed to grab my party, their luggage, leave them waiting just inside the terminal doors and hoof it over to my vehicle just in time to squeeze outta there before my 15 mins were up and I had to pay...
du-du-dah!
$0
Yup, I love it!
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