Nothing offers a more soul-satiating experience than a vacation to your dream destination. Right from the packing for the trip to planning for the places to see, everything about the vacation is enthralling but then, you have to deal with the bitter truth of going to your dream destination as well and one such aspect that you have to deal with while trying to catch the flight is airport parking

If you have ever parked at the airport facility, you must be aware of the rush, the waiting, the difficulty of finding a spot, and the fear of returning back from the trip to see bumps and scratches on your car. All these things are common when you use the on-site airport parking facility and above all, you have to pay unbelievably high prices for using on-site airport parking. 

This is the main reason why people are flocking to off-site airport parking facilities that are situated just a couple of kilometers away from the airport. They offer a far better parking experience than on-site airport parking and they even charge less. Plus, they offer additional services like a car wash and shuttle service which makes parking a lot easier and more convenient. 

But with so many off-site airport parking facilities, how can you be sure about their quality of service? Here is what you need to know before choosing off-site airport parking with a shuttle service. 

Not all the shuttle services are the same 

Almost all off-site airport parking companies offer courtesy shuttle services between their parking location and the airport. There is no need to worry about whether an airport parking company is offering shuttle services or not as without shuttle service, airport parking won’t last long. The thing that you need to worry about is the schedule of the shuttle service. 

There are many off-site airport parking companies that have a schedule of 30 minutes for shuttle service and this can result in prolonged waiting. In some cases, you might miss your flight because of this 30-minute time-table of shuttle service. 

This is why you should always go for those airport parking companies that offer on-demand shuttle services. In this case, you just have to call the company whenever you reach the airport and the company will send the shuttle service. 

Check the car-park location and the pickup location 

If you are searching for the cheapest car parking, you must go with an off-site car parking facility. Although most airport parking facilities are located near the airport, their pick-up site can vary and this is what you need to be wary of. There are many airport parking facilities companies that will direct you to a public pick-up point and it might be at a distance of 1-2 km from the terminal. This means you will have to carry your kids and drag the luggage for at least 15-20 minutes. 

In such a case it is better to choose an airport parking company that picks you up from a dedicated shuttle bay and it should be located less than 3 minutes from the terminal. 

Choose a reputed company 

If you think that all the companies offering airport parking with shuttle services are the same then you haven’t dealt with quite a lot of airport parking companies. The ugly truth about the airport parking industry is there are many companies that might promise you a world-class parking facility but in actuality, they have nothing more than a graveyard for parking and an old guard to keep your car safe. 

So before you pay for the airport parking facility in advance, it is necessary to go through the real photos and original reviews from customers. It is also advised to never choose a new airport parking facility as they might be conmen disguised as reliable airport parking service providers. 

Always read the fine prints 

The one thing that you should never overlook is to read the fine print, especially if you don’t wish to deal with ugly surprises after the booking. There are many car parking companies that will ask you to leave your car keys behind only to move your car like a game of Tetris whenever the car parking gets full. 

Also, in some cases, you might return from an amazing trip only to find your car covered in the dirt along with multiple scratches and dents. This is why it becomes necessary to always read the fine print before making the final decision.