Articles
The Airport
Marseille Airport is situated in Marignane which is about 27km or 16 miles north west of the city of Marseille. The airport is thought to be France's 3rd airport and it is the fifth busiest in the country. The airport hosts a huge variety of international, long haul, domestic, chartered and scheduled flights. The planes are able to fly to up to 68 cities (including Dublin, Paris and Rome) in 21 countries via 28 regular airlines. The choice of airline operating from Marseille Airport include Air France, Aer Lingus and British Airways. Within the airport there are two runways and several terminals including a relatively new terminal, MP2 which is particularly dedicated to budget airlines.
Car Hire Locations
Marseille Airport has great options for car hire. There is a fantastic choice with six car hire companies represented. These include Avis, Budget, Hertz among other well known car hire companies, particularly useful if one wants to rent a car from the airport and drop it off elsewhere. The car hire welcome desks are situated directly outside the car parks. The customer services for the car hire facility are available from 7.00am until 11.30pm but can be accessed out of hours via the airport reservation centre.
Other car hire locations
For those who need to hire their cars elsewhere they can take a shuttle bus from the airport directly to towns of Aix-en-Provence, Digne/ Manosque, Le Luc/ Brignoles/ Saint Maximin, Marseille where the TGV station, Gare de Rognac is located and Vitrolles. Also within Marseille Airport there is the opportunity to take a taxi to the nearest town. In fact, there are 86 cars that operate in and around the airport.
Parking
There are eight different car parks within Marseille Airport. Each car park has a different charging rate. One car park specifically caters for 24hour parking and charges accordingly. Free parking is allowed for up to 40 minutes within car parks P2 and P8. Car parks 1 and 2 are situated closest to Hall 1 and car parks 5 and 6 are situated closest to Hall 3 and 4. Throughout each car park there are several dedicated parking spaces for disabled travellers.
Services
Marseille Airport has plenty of very useful services and facilities to offer the weary traveller. There are four large chain hotels within the environs of the airport and various coffee shops, brassieres and fast food chains. There is also an air conditioned business centre situated in the Hall 4 of the airport. One can choose from individual offices or a comfortable business lounge with work stations. There are telephone, internet, minitel, TVs and overhead projection facilities as part of the business centre. Cash point services can be found in Halls 1, 3 and 4 and there is a Marseille Provence Exchange Bureau which provides travellers cheques and cash advances.
Other useful services include extra assistance for disabled passengers and those with special needs (as long as 48 hours notice has been given.) There are also special assistance help points within the car parks where passenger can press a buzzer to seek assistance. In addition car washing and valeting services are available for a fee and the new 'Safe Bag' facility ensures that baggage is protected from damage and theft with a guaranteed compensation.
