(PHL)Phila Airport Parking Coupons

It Seems That Not All Parking Coupons are Created Equally

  While doing some research over the weekend about any coupons that may be available for Parking Lots near the Philadelphia International Airport, I soon found out that they weren't all they were cracked up to be. For example, I found a coupon for Avistar Airport Parking. Well they have changed their name to Fasttrack Airport Parking now and they have a coupon in the Travel Section of the Philadelphia Inquirer Sunday Edition (09/23/2007) this week that is $7.95 a day and claims to include tax and surcharge. The coupon is good until 1/31/08, so this is a pretty good deal as long as it includes the tax and surcharge. On the website they have this $7.95 deal that doesn't include the tax which is stated as 15% plus a $2 one time fuel surcharge. So beware of extraneous charges there. Of the other 2 lots listed on the site near Phila Int Airport(PHL) one charges 12.2% tax + $2 fuel surcharge, and the other doesn't say. Needless to say, if you get a coupon you should be able to save $10 to $25 depending on the length of your stay.

 I found another coupon, or what I thought was a coupon in the above mentioned paper but it was just an ad for Winner Airport Parking claiming the lowest daily rate of 6.89 per day, with an asterisk that says Val Pak coupon required. Well I must have missed it this month, but Val Pak is those packs of coupons you receive in the mail every so often. So if you have the Val Pack coupon, use it but if not they also claim to honor ALL Competitors coupons, so if you must park there you can use the best coupon you find, but you'll also be paying an additional one time fee of $9.99 plus tax for a departure fee. Plus the 15% city parking tax fee. Talk about hidden fees. Then to top it all off they use your car to get you to and from the airport, with the $9.99 fee being used to let you drive home from the airport in your own car. This may or may not be for you. I know I would rather get picked up in a van and taken to my car, far away from airport traffic. And I surely don't want somebody driving my car to the airport.

Which brings us to the final part of the story. The other coupon I found was online and was about the same as the others but the service is better, and there's less hidden fees. The Ramada Park n Jet site has a coupon for $1 off their daily rate plus tax. They also have a couple of Park Sleep Fly Packages where you can stay over at the hotel the night before. This is especially good when you have an early flight and you don't want to get caught in traffic going to the airport. There is 2 different packages to choose from, 7 or 14 days, you get to stay overnight at the Ramada, and when you're ready to go to the airport they take you there and help you with your luggage. You can read more about the packages here, and make reservations here.  The package prices are all inclusive of tax, so no hidden charges and no extra fees to come and get you at the airport.

In conclusion, if you're going to use long term parking, get a coupon, and watch out for those extra fees. They really add up fast if you don't look out. I'll keep my eye out for any new coupons that may pop up and let you know about them as soon as I get my hands on them. In the meantime, make your reservations ahead of time here, for just parking. and use this link for Park Sleep Fly packages. And remember, not all coupons are created equal.

 Editor