BookFlowGo: Behind the Scenes with Manchester Airport Group

How we achieved a zero-downtime cloud migration and earned a Special Jury Award at the British Parking Awards.

When Manchester Airport Group (MAG), which operates Manchester, Stansted and East Midlands airports upgraded their premium valet parking services, the goal was clear: future-proof operations and unlock real-time data insights.

The catch? This massive technical overhaul had to be delivered seamlessly without disrupting daily activities or passenger experience.

Thirteen months later, the outcome speaks for itself: seven car parks were successfully migrated, 17 meticulous dry runs were completed, each simulating different scenarios and potential issues and six carefully executed midnight go-lives, all with zero downtime. How was such a smooth landing achieved?

Precision planning

The goal for the project team from day one was clear yet challenging: to migrate MAG’s full valet operation to the cloud, including vehicle check-in, allocation, tracking and return, without operational friction. As MAG’s Meet & Greet parking service is a premium offering, even minor disruptions could significantly affect customer satisfaction and brand perception.

“We knew from the start that meticulous planning was essential,” Scott Kiely, ParkIT Project Manager emphasised. “We meticulously mapped out every detail, from importing booking data and integrating hardware like Zebra and Bixolon printers, scanners and Android devices, to upgrading kiosks, lockers and the VCC solution. This comprehensive planning left nothing to chance, ensuring a smooth transition.”

Overcoming challenges

Rolling out a new parking management software and hardware estate in busy, live airport environments was the biggest technical hurdle. Operationally, the team also had to manage stakeholder expectations, coordinate numerous cross-functional teams and quickly deliver in-depth training to frontline airport staff.

“On-site support, clear migration plans and responsive issue resolution were also critical to building trust and keeping momentum strong,” Kiely added.

Training and collaboration

Extensive hands-on training and support for operational staff played a pivotal role. According to Kiely, “Seeing the first day of live operations run smoothly was a standout moment. It highlighted the value of thorough planning and comprehensive, on-the-ground training.”

Matt Watson, Operations Lead, underscored the spirit of collaboration adding, “It was a genuine team effort across both organisations. Everyone shared the same goal and worked tirelessly to achieve it. This collective effort was truly inspiring and a key factor in our success.”

Impact and feedback

The migration from an on-premise setup to ParkIT Cloud has enhanced consistency and unlocked new capabilities across the MAG’s estate. The move to the cloud has consolidated the platform across all sites, ensuring every location benefits from the same functionality, visibility and performance. Teams now operate from a unified system with improved access to live operational data, streamlined workflows and more robust reporting. The success of this work was also recognised externally, earning BookFlowGo and MAG the Special Jury Award at the British Parking Awards.

David Naughton from MAG praised the execution, saying: “The smoothest landing of a high-profile system change that I’ve seen in my time at MAG.”

MAG’s feedback further underscored the responsiveness of ParkIT’s support teams and the clarity of their onboarding materials, which are crucial for smooth adoption and staff confidence.

Key lessons learnt

1. The crucial importance of in-person training, especially for operational teams less familiar with digital systems. This approach helped ensure frontline staff embraced the change with confidence.
2. A hands-on project team, from the airport, hardware and software side made this migration a success.

The MAG-ParkIT migration now stands as a blueprint for delivering complex digital transformations in high-pressure environments. It demonstrates that with careful planning, close collaboration and a relentless focus on detail, ambitious technological change can indeed be seamless.

Celebrating the success

Reflecting on the journey, both MAG and ParkIT highlighted the significance of teamwork. The smooth, disruption-free transition validates the effort invested over 13 months and sets a new benchmark for future projects.

In summary, behind every seamless migration is an intricate choreography of careful preparation, team commitment and a shared vision for success.

Curious how your operation could benefit from a smoother setup? Let’s talk.

About BookFlowGo

Drive more revenue from parking and ancillaries with BookFlowGo , the tailored airport solution for smarter bookings, seamless operations and standout customer experiences.

At BookFlowGo, we bring together the best in pre-booking, parking logistics and hardware innovation to help airports, cities and mobility hubs run smarter, more efficient parking operations.

We’re the power behind seamless parking. Whether it’s maximising revenue, optimising capacity or making parking effortless for travellers, we’ve got it covered. Our platform combines the expertise of Parkspace, ParkIT and Future Generation Services (FGS) to create a fully connected parking ecosystem that works better for operators and passengers alike.