Here are the cheapest and most expensive airports in the country for parking

There are some fun expenses that come with any vacation you fly for – that souvenir t-shirt, a fancy dinner party, or even a poolside cabana rental – but shell out a fortune to park your car at your local airport. origin during your absence is not one of them.

According to Alex Miller, founder and CEO of the Upgraded Points travel website, travelers departing from major US airports can often expect to pay high hourly and daily fares at on-site airport grounds and even at airports. private nearby.

“Airport parking prices have been pretty crazy lately,” Miller said. Upgraded Points found, for example, that the average daily fare at Boston Logan International Airport is $ 21.76, the highest in the country. “Parking at the airport can sometimes be very, very expensive, and the costs add up quickly.”

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There are, however, some places where the tab isn’t that bad. The Enhanced Points looked at average fares and customer ratings for airfields across the country and came up with a list of the 10 offering the cheapest parking.

The cheapest is Denver International Airport, where the average daily price to park is just $ 2.50, even though it was the third airport in the country in 2020, according to the site. Upgraded Points officials said they suspected Denver airport officials of keeping parking prices low to attract more travelers.

The next cheapest airport for parking is Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Nebraska, where the average daily fare is $ 3 higher at $ 5.50, followed by international airports in Jacksonville, Florida; Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina; Tampa, Florida; San Antonio; Memphis, Tennessee; Milwaukee; and Miami; as well as Dallas Love Field.

(The upgraded points also analyzed the online parking scores of the airport by lot customers on a scale of 1 to 5. All facilities in the top 10 list scored above 4 – to except Milwaukee, 3.7 out of 5.)

Overall, airport parking rates are on the rise across the country, Miller said, as price and parking reductions in the pandemic era now result in higher demand and costs. as air travel recovers. “Airports have offered reduced rates for parking on more premium lots or on-site parking coupons,” he said, after closing many long-term lots due to reduced passenger numbers.

Now the prices are going up, but places don’t necessarily keep pace. “Most parking lots structure their rates based on the hours or days of parking, not necessarily based on daily fluctuations in demand,” Miller said.

If you are departing from Logan or another major airport with exorbitant parking rates, taxi / carpooling services or public transportation may be a better option. Indeed, flight delays and cancellations can worsen the airport’s already expensive parking bills.

“Taking public transportation is by far my favorite way to get to the airport,” Miller said. “If you can take a train or train to the airport, it’s usually the most reliable, although buses and carpooling also work well and are one-time costs compared to the costs that add up with the ride. time, which is the case with the airport parking lot charging by the time. “

In Boston, for example, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority offers a free Silver Line S1 bus service between the transit terminal of the city’s South Station and Logan International from 5:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. seven days a week. In addition, the MBTA offers free shuttles to Logan from the ferries (fares $ 3.70 to $ 9.75, one way) and the airport station on the blue metro line ($ 2.40 one way) at similar times.

You don’t like shuttles? Either way, you’re out of luck, Miller says. “Most airports require a shuttle or other form of transportation to the on-site parking lots, which makes it more or less the same ‘inconvenience’ of taking public transportation and the time to get to and from the airport. to recover.”

Upgraded Points analyzed airport parking data from July 1-7, 2021 on AirportParking.com, taking the average of the five most popular parking spots, to calculate its ranking.