Hearne: Airport Parking Groupon, Anybody? Fly Me

From the ever short annals of Groupon – the email discount biz I’ve long defended – comes an unusual proposition…

Look, in spite of what some readers have groused and grumbled about, there are sound reasons for businesses such as restaurants and oil change artists to go the way of the Groupon. It’s a great way to advertise and you reach a ton of potential new customers. And the discounts – when well thought out and properly structured – make total sense.

So as often as not, it’s win-win proposition for both the issuer of the Groupon and the customer buying it.

And now that everyone under the sun is in the game, the question becomes, what won’t they Groupon?

The answer being, nothing. There’s pretty much nothing Groupon won’t stoop to selling.

Not after its hawking of long term parking at KCI airport this past weekend.

That’s right, it’s come to that – they’re hawking $7 parking deals at the airport now.

Naturally, Groupon sicced its ever-obtuse deal describers on it.

“When neglected for long periods of time, cars may act out by sleeping in the street and consorting with tractors,” the KCI descripto begins. “Give your car attention while you’re away with this Groupon.”

Huh?

What’s getting a parking discount at the airport have to do with pampering your Mustang?

It’s not like somebody’s going to detail the car while you puddle jump to Des Moines for Comi-Con.

The brains behind the airport parking Groupon wouldn’t be happen to be KCI marketing main man Joe McBride would it?

“It was not,” McBride says. “It was the Holiday Inn at the airport.”

However, it’s not as though McBride didn’t entertain the notion.

“It’s been a while since we looked at it but it just didn’t make sense,” he says.

And while at first blush, it may not appear to make much sense to lots of people, it apparently did to a couple thousand local airport parkers who snapped up over 480 of the $7, three-day parking and shuttle service deals, more than 670 of the five day, $12 deals and more than 1,000 of the $15 seven day deals. Saving, $8, $13 and $20 respectively.

So much for consorting with tractors…