Looking for cheap, secure parking at/near MSP for a trip in Feb.

Any recommendations?

Covered or uncovered?

On-site parking at MSP is the best, but it can run up to $16/day. Park 'n Fly offers both lot and ramp/covered parking and they are the closest lot to the airport. Although, if you go for the covered parking, unless you can use the senior/AAA discount, it's almost the same price as parking on-site and you don't have to take the shuttle bus.

http://www.parknfly.com/minneapolis/default.htm

The Long Term ramp at MSP is covered (except for the top layer where I park since it is almost always available - 9 Red!).

The cost is $16 per day if you swipe your credit card upon entry .. called ePark.

The cost is $18 per day if you do not swipe your credit card and take a ticket.

They promote the $2/day savings by having only two booths for paying the fee when you leave and maybe 15 for the ePark option.

I personally do not care for the ePark option.

I used it when it started but had troubles with it when I parked for a week, then had to return the next day for a missing bag. They attempted to charge me twice for the longer parking period. It took a while in line to get this resolved .. so now I just spend the extra $2.

There are other options that you can find at http://www.mspairport.com/msp/parking/default.aspx

The saving of $4 per day by parking at the Humphrey terminal is an option .. tho a LONG walk from your car to the train .. then a short ride (one stop) to the Lindberg terminal .. then a good walk from the train the the tram that takes you from the other long term parking to the terminal.

While off-site parking places exist, to me they are inconvenient having to wait for a shuttle bus. Once I finally get home I would prefer to be driving than waiting again!

There is also valet parking at MSP (underground and heated) but it is a two tier price (summer vs winter) $28 vs $40 per day. All the costs are at http://www.mspairport.com/msp/Parking/Lindbergh.aspx (Lindberg) and http://www.mspairport.com/msp/Parking/Humphrey.aspx Humphrey.

BTW the main long term parking tends to get filled up many times during the week. Cannot predict your experiences but my Sunday departures have always been fine .. while my Tues/Wed departures sometimes have had issues with full parking.

Regarding security. I had a problem (truck got keyed) when I parked on some of the lower levels. I called security at MSP parking and they told me that the top decks (9 Red/9 Blue) were the most secure and almost always open. I think the reason I got keyed is that I had a large truck (Ford F250) and the nice person I parked next to thought I had infringed on their space too much.

Thanks for all the great info! ^

All the more reason to double (or triple!) park on the top deck. Those gas guzzlers need room to breathe!