ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, Md. — We take planes, trains and automobiles to get to our loved ones on Thanksgiving. Let’s focus on planes and automobiles, and the part of going to the airport we often put on the back-burner: how we actually get there.
The last time Wilson Ford parked his car at the airport, it cost a pretty penny.
“The cost of everything – it’s just so expensive to leave your car here,” Wilson said, “flights are enough money, and you’ve got to pay to park.”
A cost we often forget about, but one many will confront next week, when Baltimore Washington International Airport, and the lots around it, will be teeming with Thanksgiving travelers.
Folks will navigate the terminals, the lots, and what the airport says are possible shuttle delays due to driver shortages. BWI says it is working with its operator to minimize impacts.
BWI advises you arrive early – at least 2 hours for domestic and 3 for international flights – and says to expect the airport to be busy.
Some drivers, near the airport and elsewhere, are now opting to use technology to reserve their parking spaces, with apps like SpotHero.
Ashley Gonzalez, director of brand marketing for that company, says the app works with garage and lot owners to understand inventory, availability and pricing.
“Once you find a spot that works you can book and pay and reserve it, and then it’ll follow up on directions on how to get into the parking garage and also how to pay appropriately,” Gonzalez explained. “All of that is done through the app or through your reservation, so you never have to carry cash or worry about any sort of price changes.
Sarah Hollinger, a traveler going to Chicago, told WMAR she’d used the service there.
“I can look up anything and choose – if I want to walk half a mile – what’s the weather – do I want to be right there – and I think it provides a lot of people in Chicago the ability to rent out their spaces, almost like an AirBnB of parking.”
Regardless of how you get to the airport, it’s never a bad time to plan; AAA forecasts an uptick in travel from last Turkey Day.