Airport Parking: No Small Task...Or Fee
Ben's Advice & Analysis For North Texas Travelers

We've all become accustomed to the heightened security measures in force at all airports across the nation as a result of the events of September 11, 2001.  The Federal Aviation Administration [FAA] immediately ordered that almost 3,000 "close-in" short-term parking spaces be blocked off and taken out of circulation...until early December 2002.  [More information can be found in my December 19, 2002 column in The Dallas Morning News.]

 

Whether it's DFW Airport, Love Field or any other airport in the nation, higher [and probably permanent] security measures make the airport drop-off/pick-up process an even bigger challenge, especially during heavy travel season. So why not take a page out of an old advertising campaign and "leave the driving to someone else"?

Method:	PPV	PCS	SS	T	PR
Reliability:	10	9	9	7	9
Communication Quotient:	10	9	9	4	9
Direct Route Factor:	10	10	5	10	7
Tipping?	n/a	N	Y	Y	N
Cost:	$	$$	$$	$$	$
Convenience Quotient:	10	10	7	8	7
Internet Reservations:	n/a	Y	Y	N	n/a
Ben’s Bottom Line-Grade:	7	9	5	3	7

Comment about The Bottom Line: Assuming you don’t have someone to pick you up or drop you off at the airport [always the most cost effective way to go] then you’re gonna need to know what’s out there and available to you, especially with all of the brain-damage that goes with finding a parking space at the airport nowadays. In light of the fact that life’s too short and my time’s worth money? Without question, I’ll take the Personal Car Service (and my choice is clearly AirCarNow.com) for the trip to-and-from the airport. It’s the least amount of heartburn at a reasonable per trip cost. They’ve never let me down, and are always in the loop if your flights are running late for any reason.

My next choice? Try the Park-and-Ride route; as profiled, theParkingSpot.com is a terrific Dallas-Fort Worth Area airport parking alternative.

Capsule Comments About Each Transportation Method:

Personal Private Vehicle (PPV): Nothing beats having your own car there waiting for you when you get back into town. But there is the downside to this convenience: Parking’s not cheap, even at the cheapest outposts. Part of the allure of taking your own car is the convenience and for me, that means getting off the plane, collecting your luggage and walking out to your car in the closest parking garage. So plan to spend $16 a day for the privilege of this convenience, assuming you can even find a spot up close. Which means that you’re either going to have to get to the airport even earlier to make sure you can find a spot in plenty of time before the added time it takes to check-in, post 9/11.

Also worth remembering? The X-Factor of leaving your car in the parking garage; the possibility of returning to your vehicle and finding one or more of the following: Flat tire, dead battery, vandalism or even theft of the vehicle. I used to leave my car at the airport, but with parking becoming a bigger challenge—and potential headache (and what a lousy way to start a trip!)—I’m using this mode of transport less and less. If you’re gone for 5 days, you’ll pay $90 just for parking close in...or as little as $25 if you park in one of the remote lots, but then you’re getting into the convenience factor. Fortunately, the airports all take credit cards...and if you’ve registered in advance, you can utilize your TollTag to pay at DFW or Love Field. And there are some really cool features on the DFW Airport website (Love Field really needs to get to work on their Internet presence, because right now it’s really pretty lousy). Among the cool and convenient DFW Airport website features? Audio updates of parking lot availability. No easy Internet access? Then give ‘em a call: (972) 574-PARK [7275]

Private Car Service (PCS): Let’s clarify on this one; we’re not talking limos [although most of the car services have these in their fleets] but less-is-more Lincoln Towncars for the usual trip to-and-from. All of the available vehicles and rates in this analysis are on the AirCarNow.com website; if you’re transporting a bigger party or have lots of luggage, vans make the most sense. My experience with these types of services have been excellent and well worth the investment in peace (or is that "piece") of mind. Every time I’ve used a car service, their drivers have always been on time (usually even 10 minutes early...they’ll wait patiently...). The Lincoln Towncar will cost you $54 a hour with a 1.5 hour minimum for a total of $81, but you can split that cost out on a per person basis and knock the cost down to about $20 a head, and that's one-way.

But remember: Tolls are included and no tipping is required... plus you’ll have a driver that will always be there waiting for you (promptly) on either end of the trip. And if you’ve got a big enough group and want to go in style, an 8-passenger limo will run you about $33 a person. You can schedule via a toll-free number, 24-hours a day or (my preference) via their website. And yes Virginia: They take credit cards, too. If you travel frequently, they’ll set up house accounts for you/your company.

Shared Shuttles (SS): I’ve been a big fan of the Super Shuttle service for many years. It’s always affordable, and in this analysis, the average fare for someone in Plano or Fort Worth would be around $30...but only $7 extra for each additional passenger going to/from the origination/destination point. But the bad news? You’re sharing the ride with others not associated with your own party, which means that you’d better be prepared for a potentially longer ride to/from the airport because of the extra stops along the way. And for now (according to their website) they’re only serving Dallas and Tarrant counties. Super Shuttle has also added the PCS dimension to their services offered, utilizing the same towncar style vehicles in their fleet. They also have the ability to schedule reservations via a toll-free number or their website. And yes: they take credit cards. (If you travel frequently, they’ll set up house accounts for you/your company.)

Taxi services (T): Believe it or not, I think this is the riskiest of all transportation options. Have you ever called to order a taxi? My recent experiences have created less-than-fond memories; the people I’ve spoken to in the world of taxi dispatch centers sounded like under-educated buffoons. And they had zero ability to guarantee me time of arrival for a car. And in times of crisis [weather-induced] or high demand, forget it. Almost every time over the last few years that I’ve taken a taxi in Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, LA or New York, it’s safe to say that English was the second or third language for my drivers in 90% of the cases. The car that arrives can be quite a treat: They ran the spectrum...from being clean, well-maintained vehicles to awful and stinky [air fresheners hanging from the rear view mirror or the ones that look like little crowns in the back window are nice touches that’ll give you a headache] with bass-pounding music blaring from the radio. The driver’s ability to take the most direct route was always in question; whether it’s lack of knowledge or desire to run up the fare will never be known for sure.

The good news? If you’ve got several people in your party and can fit ‘em all in, it’ll only cost you an extra $2 per passenger. They’re quoting a $38 flat fare to/from the Dallas Central Business District (downtown)...but outside this zone prepare to get nickeled-and-dimed on their usual scale. Without question, in my opinion, this is your transportation of last resort. You’d better have some cash on you, since credit card processing is a hit-or-miss proposition.

Park and Ride Lots (PR): I predict the popularity of these types of airport transportation hybrids to increase in the months and years ahead for those travelers that want to have their cake and eat it too. These lots allow passengers to take their own cars for the trip to the airport, but instead of parking on airport property (with no guarantee of easy parking access) travelers park in a protected, dedicated parking facility near the airport. TheParkingSpot.com is a great starting point for Dallas-Fort Worth travelers, and you’ve gotta love their sales pitch/positioning statement: "Take Flight Without Frenzy."  They offer convenient locations, well-lit and secure parking facilities, shuttles that run to-and-from the airports every 5-7 minutes, covered (for $7 a day) or uncovered (saves you $2...only a $5 spot per day) parking, door-to-terminal service, frequent "parker" programs, a free USA Today on check-in and free bottled water as you leave. Hell, they’ll even charge your battery if necessary...all for $5-$7 a day.

The bad news? The cheap price-tag has a price: Lead-time. The shuttles will be making multiple stops for drop-offs at the airport, so you’ve gotta allow extra time for that. And just the inconvenience connected with a remote lot/shuttle type service explains why the service is as pocketbook-friendly as it is. Bottom line? What’s your time worth?  How much revenue do you generate hourly?  It might sound silly to some, but the reality is at the only thing any of us really have to offer is our time (and associated expertise). If you’re on a leisurely schedule and don’t mind the extra hoops, then this is a terrific alternative. And of course: They accept all major credit cards.