Clark Howard's Tips

Parking gets easier and fancier at airports

March 18, 2005

Parking garage owners are getting much smarter about how to make money. At the Jacksonville Airport parking garage, for example, signs let incoming drivers know how many spots are available and direct them to the nearest spot.

What happens when you lose your parking ticket?

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In most airport parking lots, a digital picture is taken of each license plate in the lot. Originally, that was done because people were entering cheap parking lots and illegally moving over to the expensive lots while paying the cheap fee.

That technology makes it possible to now pay a fair price if you lose your ticket.

Boston-Logan Airport has taken this a step further. You can now pay for your parking inside the airport simply by giving your license tag.

There is also the Web site, longtermparking.com. You can print out the coupons and save money on parking when you go to the airport.

Also, make sure that you call ahead of time to ensure there is a parking spot for you.

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