Most Expensive Airport Parking in America

a parking lot with a sign
Photo from T+L slideshow

Last month Travel+Leisure had a slideshow featuring the Most Expensive Airport Parking in America.

To help collect the info, T+L turned to BestParking, a website that “tabulates costs at 115 airports throughout North America, steering motorists to the cheapest and closest airport facilities”.

Although we rarely drive to the airport, (if I had to guess) I’d assume that airports in the New York City area, namely JFK and LGA would be at the top of the list. I’d then expect other big cities to follow.

Since JFK is only around a 20 minute drive from where we live in Brooklyn, its easier to just take a cab which costs around $30 each way. LaGuardia (LGA) is a bit further, around 30 minutes away. It usually costs around $35 to get to LGA which isn’t bad but it could be a small fortune to get back if you don’t call a car service.

We rarely ever fly out of Newark (EWR) since it is a bit further and a bunch of tolls. We hadn’t flown out of EWR in around 6 years up until this year. Our last 2 trips were both out of Newark thanks to the Wideroe mistake fare deals.

Taking a cab was out of the question. I ended up buying Groupon deals for off-airport parking at what I feel  was a bargain price- 5 days of parking for $20! An additional day or 2 each cost around $6-7 (per day,) which is the regular price. Still not bad in my opinion. I’d definitely recommend using Newark Liberty Parking.

Here is T+L’s list of Most Expensive Parking in America:

  1. Chicago Midway (MDW)
  2. Chicago O’Hare (ORD)
  3. New York Kennedy (JFK)
  4. New York LaGuardia (LGA)
  5. Los Angeles (LAX)
  6. San Diego (SAN)
  7. San Francisco (SFO)
  8. Seattle/ Tacoma (SEA)
  9. Boston (BOS)
  10. Newark (EWR)

While I expected NYC to rank at the top, I wasn’t far off. All 3 local airports ranked in the top 10:  3 (JFK), 4 (LGA) and 10 (EWR). I wasn’t to surprised to see Chicago’s airports taking up the top 2 spots on the list.

I’d like to know if you drive, take a cab or use public transportation to get to the airport? For those of you that drive, where do you live and what does it cost to park per day?

Find out more in Travel + Leisure’s slideshow HERE.

6 thoughts on “Most Expensive Airport Parking in America

  1. VG- That is pretty interesting. It is rare to hear someone say that something like parking could be too cheap!

    Neal Z- Ouch! The prices at BUR do sound very pricey.

  2. They left BUR off the list. $31/day for on-airport garage, $23/day for on-airport valet parking. Economy lots, which require a shuttle bus, are $10-$23/day.

  3. At the opposite end of the scale, DFW rates are TOO LOW for at the terminal parking. This is really causes a problem if you are trying to find a space and running late for a flight as it results in too high an occupancy sometimes. There is not much incentive to use the more remote parking.

  4. Jay- It sounds like you worked out a smart deal with the hotel that benefits both parties!

    Charlie- If I needed to park by your airport I’d be doing the 200 foot walk which still is pretty expensive!

  5. My airport has (what I have been told) is the most expensive parking in Europe – $60 a day! I don’t know who pays that, especially when you can pay $16 a day with a 200 foot walk away!

  6. I live about 1 1/2 hours from my home airport (Denver) and my average trip is about 6 nights. I’ve worked out an arrangement with one of the airport hotels to let me park (for free) with a stay at one end of the trip. It’s not cheaper than parking, but a lot more convenient for my usual early departures or late arrivals.

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