Last edit by: cptlflyer
Short term parking:
ParkSFO
Pros:
QuikPark
Pros:
Burlingame Airport Parking (ParkBAP)
Pros:
Anza
Pros:
BART
Pros:
SFO Long Term Parking and Lot D
** The shuttle buses look exactly the same! One says 'Lot D', the other says 'Long Term Parking' (likely no longer a concern? see below re: AirTrain)
SFO Long Term Parking
Pros:
Cons:
SFO Long Term Parking Lot D
Pros:
ParkSFO
Pros:
- Fast and regular shuttles
- Register for emails to receive monthly coupons
- Coupons for 1 free with 3+ days, 2 free with 5+ days, 3 free with 7+ days, and 4 free with 9+ days parked in a single stay.
- Coupons are blacked out during Thanksgiving, Xmas, and other peak periods
- www.parksfo.com/coupons/
- June 2013 Coupon
- Often full or forced to valet at higher rate
- Somewhat expensive now
- Reservations required or risk likely being turned away at entry
QuikPark
Pros:
- Online reservations
- Relatively cheap
- must prebook online for best rate and bring printout to give to attendant
- Slow shuttles
- Even with a reservation, sometimes fill up and hard to find a spot
(note: if you book on-line and the lot is full, they will find you a space-you will be stopped at the gate but all you have to do is show them your pre-paid receipt)
Burlingame Airport Parking (ParkBAP)
Pros:
- Consistently one of the cheapest, especially for weekly rates.
- Generally do not have to prebook to get the best rate.
- 3 shuttles an hour only, and a bit slower than average due to distance. Try to arrive at or before :00, :20, or :40 to allow a few minutes wait.
- September 2013: For pickups late, I feel the turnaround times are more consistent with 2x per hour for the shuttle. No posted change, however.
Anza
Pros:
- With Burlingame Airport Parking, the only parking South of airport (Other than BART)
- Shuttle frequency is good
- Valet is free (no extra charge) when they are near capacity
- Frequent parker program: Each 30 paid days yields a 5-consecutive-day park for free. Check in on facebook and receive credit for 1/2 paid day as well. (Note: This program has changed. It is now tied into the Fivestars card rather than a paper punch card.)
- When partially full, they require you use their free valet service, and this requirement varies from hour to hour. Be sure to have nothing valuable in your car!
- Need a printed coupon from their website to get the best rate
BART
Pros:
- Free over the weekend (except the cost of using BART to the airport) and holidays if you're only there for the free days (paid if you're there on weekdays and then stay over a weekend)
- Online reservations for weekday parking
- BART schedule is known well in advance
- Pretty much guaranteed a parking spot
- Hard to use if you're trying to park or pick up when BART is closed for the night
- Possibility of getting a ticket if you overstay your reservation
- Can wait up to 20 minutes for BART in off-peak hours, or have to go to San Bruno and back to Millbrae during peak hours (or take a taxi for about $12)
SFO Long Term Parking and Lot D
** The shuttle buses look exactly the same! One says 'Lot D', the other says 'Long Term Parking' (likely no longer a concern? see below re: AirTrain)
SFO Long Term Parking
Pros:
Regular shuttles (not the fastest, not the slowest)- AirTrain blue line now goes to Long Term Parking (no more bus shuttles) but makes quite a number of stops before reaching the domestic terminals
- Sometimes if the normal area and lot d fill up, you'll get a voucher to use the short-term parking at long-term rates
- Covered Parking in the garage - it gets full at peak times
Cons:
- Expensive
- However, current promo is $12/day for 3 days prepaid online (and the rate decreases for additional days)
SFO Long Term Parking Lot D
Pros:
- Sometimes if the Long Term Parking area and Lot D fill up, you'll get a voucher to use the short-term parking at long-term rates
- Expensive
Tips for Long Term Parking and Lot D- Park near Stop 5 in Long Term Parking and you are the first off the bus and out of the parking lot!
- Although the signs will indicate that a floor is full, I am often able to find a spot on these floors.
- Airtrain station is on level 5 of the garage
Month or longer parking:
Someone who's done this please add experiences - I (rob_flies_ua) would just pay for a shuttle or car service at this point. unavaca recommends taking Uber in this case.
AirportParkingReservations.com coupon:
$5 off: FBFRIENDS415
EXPIRES 12/31/16 @ 11:59 PM PST Coupon Valid Online Only
SFO Parking
#46
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: SFO
Posts: 206
So I'm flying tonight and coming back Sunday night. I don't care so much for cost as convenience (as long as it's not absurd). What's the most convenient place to park for 48 hours?
Weekends are easy for parking at Millbrae BART. 3:15 is a bit early but some people should have already left from the spots eligible for long term use, so I think you should have no problem. If you could get there a bit later -- like 6pm Friday -- you can have any one of hundreds of spaces.
#47
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Cheers.
#48
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They do seem to have the most frequent shuttles. I've had four different stays there over the last two weeks and on two of them the shuttles were pulling up as I exited the terminal. Perfect timing.
#49
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: SFO
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Posts: 1,708
I concur. I especially liked when a two day trip turned into a three day trip due to a VDB, but I managed to print out one of their 1 day free coupons (valid for 3 days or more - they've also got 2 days free valid for 4 days or more) and kept the cost of parking exactly the same for me.
#50
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I concur. I especially liked when a two day trip turned into a three day trip due to a VDB, but I managed to print out one of their 1 day free coupons (valid for 3 days or more - they've also got 2 days free valid for 4 days or more) and kept the cost of parking exactly the same for me.
Yes and no. You can stack the AAA 10% discount with the 1-day free coupon, but they haven't been allowing it on the 2-day free coupons.
#51
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: SJC/SFO
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Posts: 2,954
For a quick weekend trip I park in the International parking lot; it is $20 per day and saves me from having to take/wait for a shuttle; I just walk to wherever my flight is.
#52
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#53
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Oakland
Programs: AA Explat, UA former 1K + PremExec, DL
Posts: 1,151
I tried Burlingame airport parking mid-december. $6 rate with reservation ended up as $6.30 per day (I think the Burlingame tax is 5% instead of 10%). It was also not at all clear that I had to make the online reservation ahead of time. It seemed unnecessary and not accounted for in anyway.
You certainly cannot beat the price, but it is a little trickier to get to than Quikpark or ParkSFO and certainly the shuttle response time after 1 am was poor, more than 30 min. There were a few canceled flights on my return, so that may have affected response time.
#54
Moderator: Smoking Lounge; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2004
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Goalie, do you always "reserve" at quikpark? If so, do you know what the typical "spread" is between the "online" price and the rack rate?
I tried Burlingame airport parking mid-december. $6 rate with reservation ended up as $6.30 per day (I think the Burlingame tax is 5% instead of 10%). It was also not at all clear that I had to make the online reservation ahead of time. It seemed unnecessary and not accounted for in anyway.
You certainly cannot beat the price, but it is a little trickier to get to than Quikpark or ParkSFO and certainly the shuttle response time after 1 am was poor, more than 30 min. There were a few canceled flights on my return, so that may have affected response time.
I tried Burlingame airport parking mid-december. $6 rate with reservation ended up as $6.30 per day (I think the Burlingame tax is 5% instead of 10%). It was also not at all clear that I had to make the online reservation ahead of time. It seemed unnecessary and not accounted for in anyway.
You certainly cannot beat the price, but it is a little trickier to get to than Quikpark or ParkSFO and certainly the shuttle response time after 1 am was poor, more than 30 min. There were a few canceled flights on my return, so that may have affected response time.
#55
In Memoriam, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Benicia CA
Programs: Alaska MVP Gold 75K, AA 3.8MM, UA 1.1MM, enjoying the retired life
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I tried Burlingame airport parking mid-december. $6 rate with reservation ended up as $6.30 per day (I think the Burlingame tax is 5% instead of 10%). It was also not at all clear that I had to make the online reservation ahead of time. It seemed unnecessary and not accounted for in anyway.
If you're getting $6 parking I might have to prebook. My recent stays outside of last week have been at $8 a day.
Their shuttles do run every 20 mins, but think that stops at midnight or 1.
#56
Moderator: Smoking Lounge; FlyerTalk Evangelist
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#58
Join Date: Nov 2006
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#59
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Posts: 31,849
I think the tax rates on parking are set by the various cities around the airport and charged as a local tax. I know the tax is more at ParkSFO (thinking 7%), which is in South San Francisco, than it is at BAP which is in Burlingame.
#60
Moderator: Smoking Lounge; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2004
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I just booked Quik Park SFO yesterday as it looks like both Quik Park SFO and Burlingame Airport Parking are both $8.00 per day/$8.80 all in for June.