How Airport Parking Saves Travelers Time and Stress

This is my personal experience. I had to spend 40 minutes retrieving my car once from the airport parking right after a red-eye flight.
Do you know what my mistake was? It was simply not going for the advance payment online. I was too lazy to do that. I had even forgotten where I had parked, so it took me 15 minutes just to look for it in the sea of cars. And when I finally did find it, I went to the exit gate and realized I had dropped my parking ticket somewhere. It was a bad day.

After reaching back home, I realized this all could’ve been avoided if only I had made some preparations. And then I realized that there are other people, too, who must face this whenever they travel to the airport. 
As a professional in the parking industry (I own and operate The Parking Station), I came up with my quick guide of some important tips and basic techniques to help people get around in the airport when it comes to finding their parking and smoothly exiting in less time.

In my tips and techniques, you will discover:

• Some pre-departure preparations that can save you big time
• The whole process of documentation that can help you prevent loss and secure your vehicle.
• Shuttle timing techniques to minimize your wait time. 
• Benefits of paying in advance to avoid long waiting lines and delays. 

The Challenge of Airport Parking Pickup

Airport parking pickup can involve a number of bottlenecks. These can turn a simple car parking process into a hard and frustrating ordeal. 
These are the elements that consume the most time.

Location and Documentation

• Forgetting the parking space locations results in time wasting.
• Parking tickets that are lost require extra charges.
• Parking confirmation that is unclear with incomplete details, creating confusion and stress.
• Parking reservation that has expired and is causing problems.

Timing and Transportation Bottlenecks 
 

• Shuttle service requires waiting times during the peak hours period.
• Shuttles that are crowded with multiple stops.
• Parking facilities where one has to walk long distances.
• Parking lots with exit areas causing long congestion. 

Payment Challenges 
 

• Slow parking procedures at parking stations.
• Failure of credit card payments .
• Dispute resolutions and confusions of rates at the exit.
• Failure of electronic payments requires cash only. 

These issues might be minor, and yet they add up, creating a delay of up to at least thirty minutes as compared to 10 minutes for an optimized payment and exit. 

Pre-Departure Documentation
 

One of the best time-saving airport parking pickup tricks is to make sure that all your documents are ready. 
 

Essential Information to Capture

• Photos (high-resolution) of the parked car with the number plate visible
• Parking confirmation screenshots. Have reservation details and information.
• Coordinates of GPS and location pins in phone mapping applications
• Sections, signs, photos, and nearby landmark photos.
   

Documents for Backup
 

• Car parking details should be emailed back to you with a clear subject line.
• The parking details should be texted to close family members or colleagues as backup.
• The contact information regarding the parking facility should be saved on your phone.
• A reminder should be created with details and the return date.

Time-Saving Airport Parking Tips 

For Shuttle Service 
 

• It is better to avoid the time slots 9-9 AM and 5-7 PM. These hours are when the traveller crowd is at its peak.
• It is beneficial to plan pickups during the morning hours and early afternoon hours for short wait times.
• Arrival patterns of flights should be checked to predict the congestion period of the shuttle.
• Arrival monitors at the airport should be observed for noting shuttle departures from the terminals.
   

Advanced Shuttle Strategies 
 

• Walking to shuttles with less popular stops will be greater, as it’ll be with shorter wait times.
• Parking facility applications should be used for overseeing real-time shuttle locations and movements.
• Shuttles should be boarded at intermediate stops rather than the first one, which is often crowded.
• In case of short distances and peak hours, consider going for a ride-share or a taxi. 
   

Advanced shuttle strategies:
 

• Walk to less popular shuttle stops that may have shorter wait times.
• Use parking facility apps that show real-time shuttle locations and estimated arrival times.
• Board shuttles at intermediate stops rather than crowded terminal departure points.
• Consider ride-share or taxi for short distances during extreme peak periods.
   

Things to Do before Boarding Shuttles
 

• Have your baggage organized for quick loading and unloading.
• Make sure your parking details and bookings can easily be accessed.
• Make sure to be ready to board the shuttle when it arrives.
• Use shuttle doors that are less crowded if possible. 

Advantages of Paying in Advance
 

• You get to skip the payment line completely and pay through the facility application.
• Advance payers don’t get affected by the price increase.
• In some facilities, there are exit lanes for prepaid individuals.
• One does not need to go through the payment procedure, which can be time-consuming. 

Know this: the difference between travelers who struggle in their parking and those who don’t is the level of preparation and documentation that they do. 

When it comes to smart airport travelers, they always underestimate that the true  efficiency when picking up your car starts with being aware of simple and basic techniques that can save you money, time, and stress.