The Los Angeles International Airport, more commonly known as LAX, serves as an international gateway into North America. As the second busiest airport in the county and one of the busiest in the world, it is natural to assume that there’s always a scarcity of LAX airport parking. After all, LAX serves as a hub for more passenger airlines than any other airport in the country.
With a capacity to service an average of 1,700 flights each day to 100 domestic destinations and 1,386 weekly nonstop flights to 88 international destinations, over 80 million people pass through LAX every year! And with limited parking spaces at onsite LAX lots, parking at the Los Angeles International Airport doesn’t come cheap. Couple that with the difficulty of finding parking in Los Angeles, you start to realize the importance of planning your trip to the airport way ahead of time. If you are a total newbie to the city or even an LA veteran searching for cheap LAX parking, here’s a handy guide that could help you out.
Where to park at LAX: onsite vs offsite?
If you intend to drive your vehicle to LAX, you could find parking at the airport or near it. Onsite parking at LAX airport are spread across two lots and offers 8000 parking spaces for patrons of the airport. Short-term LAX parking at the Central Terminal is free for the first 15 minutes and costs $5 for the first hour. The short-term parking lot’s proximity to the terminals makes it a great option for picking up or dropping off passengers. Economy Lot E offers even a cheaper parking rate at $4 an hour. However, they are located further away and would require passengers to hop on to a shuttle bus to get to the terminals.
Long-term parking at LAX airport is available at the Central Terminal parking lots for $40 a day and at the Economy Lot E for $12 per day. Yes, long-term parking at LAX is quite expensive and you could end up with a parking bill that could possibly rival your airfare! Fortunately, you can find more affordable LAX long-term parking at offsite garages near the airport.
Offsite LAX parking: cheaper, safer, and more convenient
Well, the short answer is because onsite parking garages and lots are a lot cheaper! While the cheapest long-term parking option at LAX onsite lots costs $12 a day, you could find an offsite garage for less than half the price. That’s a significant amount of money saved, especially if you plan on parking your car for three days or more. Besides, you could reserve a parking spot at an offsite garage in advance using a parking website or app like way.com.
With over 57 offsite LAX airport parking lots to choose from compared to the two official lots at the airport, way.com lets you compare prices, read user reviews and find the best parking deals before making a booking.
But more than the affordable parking rates and the ease with which you could find parking, the biggest advantage of choosing offsite LAX airport parking is the security they offer. Offsite garages are a lot more secure than the onsite LAX parking option since they are only accessible to parking customers. That in itself significantly reduces the chances of someone breaking into your car. If that wasn’t enough, offsite parking garages near LAX also have gated entries, fenced lots, and 24-hour camera surveillance with lot attendants to keep your car secure. Best of all, you also get added benefits such as vehicle assistance (car wash, car detailing, oil changes, tire change, etc) for a small premium.
Now, one might argue that offsite LAX parking garages and lots are inconvenient since they are located some distance away from the airport. However, nothing could be further from the truth as several offsite parking options offer free shuttle services to and from LAX airport terminals. If you want even more convenience, you could opt for valet parking that lets you drive up, park, and hop on to the shuttle while a parking attendant parks your car for you!
Airport hotel parking: accessible, best deals and amenities
Airport hotel parking is yet another affordable and secure option for those searching for LAX parking. While you may assume that they might be expensive as one needs to book a room with the hotel, you’d be wrong as airport hotels do lend out their parking lots for rates as low as $10 a day! Like offsite garages, you can find several airport parking options on a parking website or app.
While the affordable parking rates might be enough reason to close your eyes and reserve a spot right away, airport hotels also make sense if your flight leaves or arrives at an unearthly hour. You could book a room at a discounted rate for a few hours and catch a few winks before setting off to the airport or your home. As far as convenience goes, almost all airport hotels offer free shuttle buses to LAX throughout the day to make your journey a pleasant experience.
Cell Phone Lot: free parking at LAX airport
LAX airport’s Cell Phone Lot located on 96th Street, east of Sepulveda Boulevard is a great spot to find free LAX parking. The Cell Phone Lot at LAX is open 24 hours a day and you could park your vehicle here for free for up to 2 hours or until passengers arriving at LAX need to be picked up. However, do note that you cannot leave your vehicle unattended while you are at the Cell Phone Lot.
Now that you are well versed in the art of finding parking at LAX airport, there’s one last detail you need to keep in mind before making a trip to LAX. With a shortage of LAX parking spaces, we recommend booking your LAX parking spot way ahead of time. How early, you ask? Well, how about booking your guaranteed spot as soon as you book your flight tickets sound like? No, we aren’t exaggerating. By booking LAX parking early, you stand to get the best parking spots as well as parking deals on websites like way.com.
