Airports need to provide parking for their passengers, visitors, and employees. For travelers and airport visitors, the most common types of parking are terminal parking, economy parking lots, and a cell phone waiting lot.
There are two types of airport parking for passengers and travelers driving themselves to the airport. They can either park at the airport or find parking at a nearby, airport parking service provider.
Airports usually offer a variety of parking services that range from self-parking, valet, parking for the handicapped, EV parking, and discounted parking for the military and veterans.
Parking fees vary by each airport but fee structures usually begin by charging an hourly rate until a max daily rate has been reached. A max daily rate is charged every 24 hours. It is common for airports to have incremental parking fees within the first hour. For example, an incremental charge can occur every 15 minutes, every 30 minutes, or every 1 hour until a max daily rate is reached.
It is common for airports to have a grace period of 15-20 minutes to anticipate the time it takes for travelers to find available parking or move to another parking area that has availability.
Parking fees are almost always paid at the end of a trip when a traveler has arrived back at the airport. As travelers exit the parking garage or parking lot, they will be charged for the hours and days accumulated during their parking stay. Daily rates vary greatly by the airport, parking area, and whether or not the parking was at the airport or near the airport.
No, airports have drive-up parking available. However, reserving airport parking is recommended to get cheaper rates and ensure a parking space for their trip.
Short-term airport parking is parking that is needed for a few minutes, hours, or before reaching 24 hours. The most common types of short-term parking found at airports are cell phone waiting lots, valet parking, and terminal parking.
Long-term airport parking is parking that is needed for the entirety of a trip. This would more than likely include at least one to two overnight parking days and can go into weeks or months. The most common types of airport parking for long-term use are terminal parking, economy parking lots, hotel airport parking, and off-site airport parking.
Economy airport parking lots are commonly uncovered parking areas that are secured and entered through a gated ticketing system. These lots are usually managed by the airport or an entity that is associated closely with the airport and/or the local transportation authority.
Economy parking is mostly used for longer parking stays and helps travelers save money because of the lower daily rates. Economy lots are farther from the airport terminals and require a shuttle. Travelers who choose to park at an economy lot should adjust their arrival time at the airport to compensate for the time needed to park and catch a shuttle to the terminals.
Airport waiting lots are called “Cell Phone” lots because it is where airport visitors are typically waiting to receive word that the person they are picking up at the airport has landed. These lots are usually free or very inexpensive to park at. Cell phone waiting lots do not allow overnight parking and usually have a policy prohibiting commercial vehicles.
Yes, airport parking can be reserved. Many airports across the U.S. have implemented airport parking reservation systems. To check if your local airport has this availability, navigate to the official airport website and look for the parking information in the navigation menu.
Airport parking reservations can also be made for off-site airport parking providers. Reservations can be made by either calling the airport parking service’s number or visiting their website. Most independent lots, airport hotels, and third-party reservation sites provide airport parking reservations online.
Terminal parking is the closest parking to the airport terminals. They can be identified by numbers, letters, or specific parking structure names. These parking structures are entered through a gate and have a “press button” and “take a ticket” system.
Most airport terminal parking is covered and will have handicapped parking. Other amenities found include valet parking services, premium parking spaces, and EV charging. Terminal parking welcomes drive-up parkers but can be a crowded parking option depending on what airlines operate the closest terminal gates. Check your local airport website to see if dynamic parking space availability information is available.
Airport parking is a competitive business and there are many independent lots near the airport that offer great rates on airport parking. When doing your research, make sure the lot includes free airport shuttle services to and from the airport. Otherwise, the money you will save on daily rates will cancel out with the cost of transportation to the airport.
Other than parking at the airport’s economy lot, parking off-site is where the best deals are found. In addition to having lower daily parking rates, independent parking lots and garages often provide coupons. Check to see if the lot you’re interested in has an active coupon or promo code available. The savviest travelers use third-party reservation sites to compare the daily rates of several airport parking services at the same time.
These reservation services have already done the negotiating for you and carry the best rates. Parking services list themselves on these sites to help sell out airport parking spaces. If you are planning to stay at an airport hotel and use their park and fly option, check with the reservation sites first to see if they have the airport hotel listed on their website. More often than not, the price quoted on the reservation site will be lower than the overnight parking at the hotel.
Most airports have off-site airport parking options. Off-site airport parking is commonly referred to as “park and fly” or “park, sleep, and fly” available at local hotels. The cost for off-site airport parking varies by airport area but it will usually be cheaper than parking at the airport if travelers are charged a daily rate for their parking stay.
The length of parking stays depends on each airport and what part of the airport a passenger parks their vehicle. In general, airports allow passengers to park for as long as 60 days.
