By Ed Perkins

Airport parking for holiday trips needn't be a big hassle. Even if you can't snag a ride from friends or family, you can avoid heavy airport traffic and any unexpected "full" signs at parking lots. Here's an update of my annual check.

Public Transport.

Where it's available, good public transit can be a reliable and inexpensive way to get to and from a big airport. The main problem is that most transit systems are not geared toward travelers with lots of baggage. The Website www.airportgrounddirectory.com provides links to public transit services available at most important U.S. airports. It's generally up to date, although it hasn't yet caught the brand-new rail service at Seattle-Tacoma.

Airport shuttles.

Door-to-door shuttles are available at lots of airports. They're typically less expensive than a cab and more convenient than a bus, although cabs are often a better bet for couples and groups of three or four. Locate shuttles worldwide at www.shuttle-airport.net -- useful despite the annoying registration requirement, or by searching the Internet for an airport name plus "shuttle."

Small airport.

Small-city airports and secondary fields in big metro areas sometimes feature cheap or even free parking. Consider using such an airport, where practical, provided you could find good fares and schedules.

Reserved Parking.

Several online sites allow you to reserve (and prepay) parking at off-airport sites near many big U.S. airports. Participating lots provide shuttle service to/from the airport terminal(s); some offer both self-park and valet parking; some feature discount promotions; some arrange optional service on your car while it's parked. Most also claim lower rates than you find at the official on-airport long-term lots -- usually true, but not always.

-- Airport Discount Parking (www.airportdiscountparking.com).

-- Airport Parking Reservations (www.airportparkingreservations.com).

-- Long-Term Parking (www.longtermparking.com).

-- Park 'n Fly Network (www.pnfnetwork.com).

-- Parking Access (www.parkingaccess.com).

-- ParkRideFly (www.parkrideflyusa.com).

-- The Parking Spot (www.theparkingspot.com) (only 10 cities).

As far as I can tell, these sites solicit listings from parking lots and earn fees for online bookings. Some individual lots list themselves on multiple sites, but I found some price variation -- check more than one. Also check to make sure you can't do better at an on-airport lot.

Hotel-Parking Packages.

If the airport you use is a long way from your home, consider driving to the airport the night before your departure and staying at an airport-area hotel that offers extended parking as part of a package. I know of three online sites that arrange parking packages at airport hotels:

-- Park Sleep Fly (www.parksleepfly.com) has led the field for many years, with options at 96 larger airports in the United States, five in Canada, and a handful in Europe.

-- Buyreservations (www.buyreservations.com) and Stay 123 (www.stay123.com) are similar.

All three also offer similar packages at major cruise ports.

The typical hotel-park package includes one night (double or single, up to quad), parking for seven to 14 nights, depending on location, plus shuttle transfer to/from the airport. The one-night package rate is almost always higher than the hotel's lowest available rate, but the difference is usually much less than the cost of parking for a week or two at an airport-area parking lot. Most participating hotels allow you to take the hotel night at the end of your trip instead of at the beginning -- an option you might find useful if your re-turn flight arrives late in the evening and you don't want to begin a long drive home until the next morning.

Some hotels that offer similar packages do not list themselves on these sites, but finding them can be tedious and frustrating. Stick to the Websites, unless you can't find what you want.

 

© Ed Perkins

Travel | Avoiding Airport Parking Hassles