BWI Long Term Parking Question

[Dizz42]

We have never flown out of BWI and I was wondering about Long Term Parking. We will be gone for 6 days. Should we use the Daily Garage or go with the Long Term lots? Any recommendations/suggestions/comments would be greatly appreciated.

 

[cuppycake]

We used to fly out of BWI much more often (we are closer to Dulles now). We ALWAYS used long term parking (so much more $$ efficient). We never had a problem...the shuttle buses ran often and it was a smooth transition to get to the terminal. We generally planned about 30 minutes into the trip for parking, getting the luggage out, getting to a shuttle stop and having the shuttle pick us up and get us to the airport.

We will be using long term parking there ourselves for our trip next week. I am a Southwest convert (thank you DING), and we got such a great deal, that it's worth traveling the extra hour to the airport.

We've never used the daily garage there for overnight, so I can't really speak about that for you...sorry!

Have a great trip!!

 

[Dizz42]

Thanks, much, CuppyCake!

 

[tmt martins]

I've been using Fastpark for several years with no problem 3 to 7 trips per year .

Get some free water and great fast service . If you have a card with them you get the lowest discounted price wo/coupon.

https://www.airportfastpark.com/main/baltimore.aspx

 

[goofyforlife]

The last three trips we've taken, we parked at Econo-Park Express.

If you google them, there it a website. You can get a coupon for parking for $5.75 a nite (the "official" long term lots charge over $8-9 per night)

Econopark lets you make a reservation also. BWI parking does not.

You enter the econopark lot and go and park your car (you keep the keys).

A little bus follows you to your parking spot where they help you load your luggage and make sure you locked up. The little buses could sit about 10-12 people but they usually only take 1-2 cars of people and then take you directly to airport (about 5-10 min drive)

...........

When you get back to the airport. They will pick you up from right outside baggage pick-up area. (i've never waited more than 5 minutes for the bus to come. I can tell you our first time through BWI ...we waited over 30 minutes for a bus to their on-site garages)

I will never use on-site parking at BWI again.....

 

[Dizz42]

Wow...thanks for the tips! So it sounds like the private companies are better than the BWI owned one, right? I checked out Airport Fast Park and EconoPark Express web sites. Both look great but I like the idea of a making a reservation since we will be flying out on Thanksgiving Day. EconoPark takes reservations. Any thoughts on that and am I on the right track staying with privately owned parking companies?

 

[tmt martins]

Your all set and I've flown on X-mas and just returned on July 2nd late at night and have never had a problem with the fastparkas they have 2 hugh lots but if the prices are the same either will do.I don't think Econo was up and running when I started to use Fastpark .And I get some free parking the more I park there.

They also just tell you what isle to park in and the van follows and picks you up right there at your card.Same on the return if a bus doesn't show in 5 or 10 minutes you just call and they will be right there.

 

[goofyforlife]

And I get some free parking the more I park there.

Econo park has a frequent parker program too. i day free for every 6 days i think. (it may be 5 though)

 

[Dizz42]

You guys are just great! Yes, I think I am on the right track now, thanks to your expertise! Thanks again so much and

 

[cuppycake]

The DIS does it again! Thanks to all of you....I'll be checking out those private companies now as well. Since I haven't flown from BWI for awhile, I had no clue they were there!

GREAT ADVICE!!!

 

[MemoryMakers2669]

We just used the Daily Garage last week. It is SO close to the airport and is much easier to use than the Long Term lots. On the parking information page on the BWI website, they have a coupon all the time for $2 off per day...making it $8 a day..the same as the long term lot.

The new Daily Garage is awesome too, very nice! At the end of each row, it tells you how many spaces are available in that row and above each car space, it has a green or red light...showing you where the empty ones are. We parked right at the elevator, which took us right to the shuttle stop and we were checking out bags in less than 10 minutes from the time we parked. Same thing when we got back, it is SO close!

 

[goofyforlife]

The new Daily Garage is awesome too, very nice! At the end of each row, it tells you how many spaces are available in that row and above each car space, it has a green or red light...showing you where the empty ones are. We parked right at the elevator, which took us right to the shuttle stop and we were checking out bags in less than 10 minutes from the time we parked. Same thing when we got back, it is SO close!

Guess they had to add a coupon to compete with the off-sites....

Still doesn't want to make me add an extra $2 a day to my vacation.

I'm also guessing that you travel light. Try parking in the garage when there's nothing near the elevator and your hauling luggage for 3-4 people through the floor, to the elevator, down some flights, wait for bus, haul your own luggage aboard, and get it off yourself....

and during busy times there's no guarantee they'll be a spot for you. (we've gone once where both extended parking areas were full, and the garage only had 9 spots open in the 9 or 10 floors.

 

[MemoryMakers2669]

When I am not traveling light, I drop DH and kids and the luggage at the Southwest area and I park it alone...thus carrying only my body back to the terminal...works great for us. The Dulles airport parking is horrid with it's set up!!! I will take the BWI Daily Garage any day, it really was VERY NICE!

 

[WillCAD]

I have only used the long-term lot once, but had no problem with it. It had lots of bus stops so the walk to one from anywhere on the lot was not long, and the shuttle bus ran every 20 minutes or so.

But a LOT of people at my company fly at BWI on a regular basis, and they all rave over the Daily Garage. Part of that is vanity; my company designed the garage! I even created a rendered site plan of it at one point to be shown off at meetings. But mostly they like how close it is to the terminal, and the fact that it's covered parking instead of the exposed surface lots (very important in the rain).

You can actually see the Daily Garage from the new Southwest terminal's windows:

 

[Dizz42]

Thanks for the picture, WillCAD. Since it's only my husband and I, the Daily Garage could be an option. But you still have to get a shuttle albeit a quick hop, right? All the current private parking lot coupons expire before our departure date. Also, we are leaving on Thanksgiving day so I'm thinking there won't be any coupons. At least now, thanks to all of you, I know all the options. Excellent information!

 

[MemoryMakers2669]

Dizz, keep watching the site before you go. When I found it, it was the 4th of September and it expired that day. Two days later...the 6th (we left the 7th), they had the new one up there. So, just check back again after the 17th of November for a new one.