Airport Parking TRAVELING What You Need to Know

If you are planning a vacation or perhaps a business trip that requires you to park your personal automobile for a period of time in an airport, you need to know the ins and outs of what to expect. With the occurrence of terrorist attacks all over the world, the security at airports has increased, so too, has the security of the parking areas that surround the airport.Before you arrive at the airport it is best to call ahead to find out what the situation is with the airport parking. You will need to know what they require for long term parking, if they have off site parking available or if there are shuttle buses for your use. Parking in the wrong place at an airport in today's world can have consequences such as having your car towed, fines, and even longer searches before boarding your flight.

Most airport parking will consist of drop off, long-term parking as well as off site parking. The drop off parking is just that, to drop off passengers for a flight, it is not intended to be used for hours, but rather minutes. This zone is highly monitored by security personnel who are looking for vehicles that have been vacated, therefore leaving them suspicious as to the contents of the car.Long-term parking is to be used by persons that will be boarding a flight. There is generally parking available on the airport property, but it will be far away from the terminal.

There will be airport shuttles available for you to get to the terminal with your luggage without having to hike across the acres of asphalt that is waiting before you. Most airports require you to pay a fee to use the long term parking that is available, but some even charge for parking by the day. Be sure to inquire about these fees before parking your car.

The other option that is often available is off-site parking. This parking is most often in the same area as the airport, with an airport shuttle bus to get you to the terminal. There is usually a parking fee with this arrangement also, although it will not be as high as parking on airport grounds. Keep in mind though, that the off-site parking is generally not patrolled by airport security.Some hotels will also offer shuttles to and from the airport, this is very nice when traveling from city to city. The hotels normally provide this service free of charge to its customers.

Many people find that this it is nice not to have to worry about how to get to the hotel and will book a room close to the airport for this reason.Keep this information in mind the next time you find yourself heading to the airport for a vacation or a business trip. It will be one less thing to think about if you take care of your parking arrangements before heading to catch your flight.

By: Linda Moore