Finding the Best Airport Parking Spot – Decisions, Decisions

Parking on-site at the airport seems like no big deal during a quick overnight trip, even when rates run from $12 to $30+ per day, especially when factoring in the cost of your time. For multi-day trips, however, the decision to park on-site at the airport may not be so easy. Even after years of travel and often driving to the airport, I assess each trip to see what makes the best parking decision.

Factors that go into my decision on where to park my car:

• How many days will I be away? (I count anything over each 24-hour period as an extra day)
• What is the approximate cost of on-site parking vs. my usual off-site parking lot?
• What time will I be arriving back to this airport? The later at night it is, the more likely I will lean towards the quickest exit from the airport.
• Will I be walking through a parking lot late at night?  Safety is a concern, so an off-site lot that takes me directly to my car may win over an on-site walk alone through a large parking garage.
• If I choose an off-site parking lot, how often does their shuttle bus run?
• Do I have a coupon to reduce the cost?
• Does the parking lot have an award program?

Not always an easy decision, is it?

Now factor in multiple choices for where to park your car. I’m sure you have driven by many parking lots on your way to the airport and are familiar with some, though not all, and may have thought about making a switch to try a different lot.

Listed below are several sites that help make the airport parking decision a bit easier and offer the capability to reserve a spot next time you need airport parking. Not only is the cost for each day of parking displayed, additional features may be offered as well. Some sites also have apps for use on your mobile devices.

Airport Parking Reservations – When you sign up with this site, you can work your way towards deals on parking rates. Downloading their app, referring a friend, or simply booking a reservation gives you points that you can then put towards another reservation.  This site showed both off-site and on-site parking facilities for both self-park and valet.  Search through an extensive list of US and Canada airport parking lots.

Best Parking – This site offers a great map that shows you the most important information quickly and easily; the rate! Grey rates are basic, but the blues offer discounts and you can reserve on the site. They also have an app available on iOS and Android.

About Airport Parking – This site has a vast number of reader reviews for the lots. You can also filter by special services, such as car washing, oil changes, and covered parking.

Longterm Parking – Also offering reduced rates for lots, what sets this site apart is their parking information for on-site airport lots. Short term parking, long term parking, valet, and on-site hotel parking is all covered for a lot of the major airports.

Airport Parking – While there is nothing striking that sets this site apart from the others, you still may be able to find a cheaper rate than the others. When shopping around, it always helps to have more options.

For travelers needing to park in a UK airport, Airport Parking Search and Travel Supermarket’s Airport Parking Section may help find the lowest airport parking rates.

Hopefully these sites will help you find the lowest cost, quickest exit, safest place for you and your car.