How to Select the Best Airport Parking Service for Your Car

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How to Select the Best Airport Parking Service for Your Car

Between renting a private lot, going with an off-site lot, an airport garage, or valet service, the many options for parking your car during your next trip can be quite confusing. With so many different merits, it can be hard to choose between these options. Fortunately, we’ve got you covered. Read on for our guide on how to select the best Airport Parking service for your car.

Before we dive in, this is categorized by attribute/service instead of by type, as to better streamline picking an option for yourself. Whichever of these services are most important to you, just note which types are listed most frequently with the service you desire, and that is likely going to be your best option. 

Location Concerns/Distance to Airport

Indeed, one of the most pertinent concerns with parking is distance to the airport. Whether it is to cut down time before arriving at the gate, or just buying you a little more time sleeping in/having breakfast at home, location is absolutely one of the most paramount concerns of any traveler’s parking spot. With this in mind, the absolute best option for distance to the airport/distance to your gate is understandably going to be airport parking. This is probably in the form of parking at an airport garage or a nearby airport lot serviced by a people-mover/monorail. For those who really want to prioritize distance to the airport/time to the airport, valet parking is an even better option, as you’ll be on your way to the gate without the struggle and hassle of hunting down parking-sometimes a very time-consuming affair.

Security Concerns

For those who place their safety and the safety of their vehicle at the top of their priorities, again, we recommend either the airport again. For airports, the level of security is hard to beat, and this is already a given with the high level of security in all parts of the airport, but also extends to the garages and lots. At the airport, you can expect not only a much more numerous security team, airport police force but also regular patrols by staff, maintenance and security, as well as extensive CCTV and camera coverage. Not to mention, the sheer number of people going in and out of the area make any serious crime to your car even more difficult to execute unnoticed. 

Fiscal Concerns

If saving money and economizing on your parking fees is the priority for selecting your parking location, we recommend either going with a private lot or an off site lot. While these lots may not have as many amenities and services as a large hotel lot or the airport, these will commonly be much cheaper, both for shorter trips and for long-term parking. Even the long-term lots at airports frequently come out as slightly more expensive per day, adding up to a big difference over a long term trip. 

Integration with other services 

This one will vary depending on the exact website or application you use, but generally speaking, off-site and hotel lots will have more integration with mobile applications and other travel-oriented services. This is important to consider if you are a traveler who prefers to have their plans with one application, traveling paperless, or just don’t want as many moving parts with your travel plans. Especially pertinent are applications such as SpotHero or Way.com, which offer packages with other services.

Auto Services

Speaking of other auto services, if auto care is your priority while gone on your travels, we actually recommend the airport, again! You get what you pay for, and airports frequently offer detailing, repairs, paint and car washes to care for your car while you’re gone! These services, even if offered elsewhere on a third-party application, are still exceptionally rare with private lots or with off-location lots. The auto services may be a little more costly at the airport, but it is truly a convenient choice. A welcome sight at the end of your long journey-with the car in even nicer condition than how you left it. 

Accessibility

This one will vary greatly with airport and private lot alike, so for this one, we advise that you actually find one with an explicit advertisement of services for those travelers with difficulties moving/lifting heavy objects. Airports will generally provide this due to their numerous and diverse clientele, but it is not always guaranteed. Likewise, community forums for travelers with difficulties and additional need for accessibility are also great places to look when searching for a friendly and accommodating place to park your car, whether traveling as a group or in one vehicle. 

Language Services

You may not be planning a journey for yourself, but for family or friends who have a hard time communicating in English. Whether they prefer to sign, or much prefer speaking in another language, there are plenty of options if this is a paramount concern. Those travelers who really want to be able to sign should also look to community forums for proven and backed resources and lots to park at, while those who have a specific language in mind might weigh the airport or a specific lot/travel service. Generally speaking, travelers who want to use a larger language will have better luck being provided on-site interpretation/translation, whether it is Mandarin, French, Arabic, Hindi and especially Spanish. Those travelers who want to operate in a language with less speakers might favor working with a private lot + shuttle service that specializes in a specific language community-usually more available in larger cities but should be an option anywhere with a sizable number of said language’s speakers, whether it is Hmong, Haitian Creole, Khmer or Armenian. In any case, especially with larger cities, know that you will have plenty of options, as interpretation is a very common service at airports and with private parking lots.