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May 3, 2013, 1:32 pm by RichardInSFShort term parking:
ParkSFO
Pros:- Generally highest rated by FTers
- Fast and regular shuttles
- Quick & easy access from 101 freeway
- 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
- More expensive than other off-airport options, especially if no coupon
- Reservations required or risk likely being turned away at entry
- Price listed online does not include tax and fees (which is around 16%)
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.
- Poor ratings (see yelp)
Anza
Pros:- With Burlingame Airport Parking, the only parking South of airport (Other than BART)
- Easy access dropoff, not so easy to get back on freeway (S-101)
- 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!
- Poor shuttle service for SFO arrivals at busy weekend/holidays (30-45min wait)
- 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, even as part of a longer stay
- 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
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So, does the parking authority give you a voucher for short term parking when checking in at long term? Originally Posted by malsf1
The best thing about parking at SFO long term parking is that if the garage and outdoor area is full, they give a voucher which allows you to park at the short term lot at the airport for the same daily rate as the long term lot. I actually hope for the SFO LT parking to be full. This has happened several times.
Doesn't sound its that much of an inconvenience to then access the short term parking..
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Doesn't sound its that much of an inconvenience to then access the short term parking..
Yes, it's a ticket that overrides the rate to the LT rate.Originally Posted by Ancien Maestro
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So, does the parking authority give you a voucher for short term parking when checking in at long term? Originally Posted by malsf1
The best thing about parking at SFO long term parking is that if the garage and outdoor area is full, they give a voucher which allows you to park at the short term lot at the airport for the same daily rate as the long term lot. I actually hope for the SFO LT parking to be full. This has happened several times.
Doesn't sound its that much of an inconvenience to then access the short term parking..
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Yes, it's a ticket that overrides the rate to the LT rate.
Thanks.. Its good to know SFO takes care of their customers..Originally Posted by channa
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 2.2.2; en-us; MB612 Build/KRNS-X4-1.1.10) AppleWebKit/533.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile Safari/533.1)Yes, it's a ticket that overrides the rate to the LT rate.
I've had good experiences flying in and out of SFO.. but not as a local, needing to rent a parking spot.. usually just drop off the rental before catching the flight..
Just how bad has ParkSFO been? (i.e., people refused because the lot is so full they won't even valet.) I have a free week coupon I want to use next week, but disaster will strike if I end up in a last minute rush for parking at any price.
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I've never had that. You might call them and find out how often it is and if there are certain days of the week it tends to happen. I parked on Friday, Sept. 30 and had the all-valet thing going. I see WineCountry posted they were completely soldout the following day. Originally Posted by Eastbay1K
Just how bad has ParkSFO been? (i.e., people refused because the lot is so full they won't even valet.) I have a free week coupon I want to use next week, but disaster will strike if I end up in a last minute rush for parking at any price.
On Wednesday, Oct. 12 at midnight, when I returned from a trip, they were fine - you could park anywhere - but WineCountry posted they were soldout the following morning by 8 am.
They were valeting on Sunday, Oct. 9 and Sunday, Oct. 2.
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Doesn't sound its that much of an inconvenience to then access the short term parking..
Yes. There will be signs indicating that the lt lot is full. You will then exit the lt lot, where someone will hand you a special voucher to use at the short term lot. When you leave the short term lot, you hand the voucher and your short term ticket to the cashier, and you will get the long term rates. The only inconvenience is the extra time to/from the long term lot on departure day, but a great time saver on return.Originally Posted by Ancien Maestro
So, does the parking authority give you a voucher for short term parking when checking in at long term? Doesn't sound its that much of an inconvenience to then access the short term parking..
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I'm surprised with the extra journey required.. some airport parking lots will stream you directly to short term if the lt parking lot is full..Originally Posted by malsf1
Yes. There will be signs indicating that the lt lot is full. You will then exit the lt lot, where someone will hand you a special voucher to use at the short term lot. When you leave the short term lot, you hand the voucher and your short term ticket to the cashier, and you will get the long term rates. The only inconvenience is the extra time to/from the long term lot on departure day, but a great time saver on return.
Perhaps a design oversight..
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Perhaps a design oversight..
I agree. It would be great if there were a sign on 101 before exiting at San Bruno directing people to the short term lot at SFO.Originally Posted by Ancien Maestro
I'm surprised with the extra journey required.. some airport parking lots will stream you directly to short term if the lt parking lot is full..Perhaps a design oversight..
Another design issue I've pondered is why the Air Train system was cut off at the car rental facility rather than continuing to the long term parking lot. I'm sure there was a reason, but I haven't figured it out.
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This one boggles the mind. If they had extended the AirTran a few hundred feet, they could have created an exit at the long term lot and gotten rid of all the blue long-term parking buses. Or was that simply too rational?Originally Posted by malsf1
Another design issue I've pondered is why the Air Train system was cut off at the car rental facility rather than continuing to the long term parking lot. I'm sure there was a reason, but I haven't figured it out.
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Another design issue I've pondered is why the Air Train system was cut off at the car rental facility rather than continuing to the long term parking lot. I'm sure there was a reason, but I haven't figured it out.
The multi-story long term lot wasn't originally supposed to be a long term public parking lot.Originally Posted by malsf1
I agree. It would be great if there were a sign on 101 before exiting at San Bruno directing people to the short term lot at SFO.Another design issue I've pondered is why the Air Train system was cut off at the car rental facility rather than continuing to the long term parking lot. I'm sure there was a reason, but I haven't figured it out.
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Another design issue I've pondered is why the Air Train system was cut off at the car rental facility rather than continuing to the long term parking lot. I'm sure there was a reason, but I haven't figured it out.
Originally Posted by malsf1
I agree. It would be great if there were a sign on 101 before exiting at San Bruno directing people to the short term lot at SFO.Another design issue I've pondered is why the Air Train system was cut off at the car rental facility rather than continuing to the long term parking lot. I'm sure there was a reason, but I haven't figured it out.
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Originally Posted by mikew99
This one boggles the mind. If they had extended the AirTran a few hundred feet, they could have created an exit at the long term lot and gotten rid of all the blue long-term parking buses. Or was that simply too rational?
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So building the tram extension after the fact, would have been too expensive you're saying..Originally Posted by Eastbay1K
The multi-story long term lot wasn't originally supposed to be a long term public parking lot.
What was the parking lot meant for in the first place?
Whether or not it was intended as a long term lot, it is now one. Even if it is extended after the fact, it would seem that the cost, when spread over several years, would be recouped from the cost savings from fuel, maintenance, and drivers' payroll.
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But that would simply be lowering the rates for people who were willing to pay for short-term during that time. By making you go to LT and then get redirected to ST, they can recoup the higher rates from those who weren't originally interested in ST.Originally Posted by malsf1
I agree. It would be great if there were a sign on 101 before exiting at San Bruno directing people to the short term lot at SFO.
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The train still uses fuel (electricity) and needs maintenance. Drivers' payroll is probably the only line item that can be eliminated, and it's not clear that that overall there would be a net savings.Originally Posted by malsf1
Whether or not it was intended as a long term lot, it is now one. Even if it is extended after the fact, it would seem that the cost, when spread over several years, would be recouped from the cost savings from fuel, maintenance, and drivers' payroll.
Plus with a fast and frequent train, there would likely be revenue erosion on the daily or ST lots.
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Sorry.. I missed how the costs can be recouped from the cost of savings from fuel, maintenance and driver's payroll.. being a LT lotOriginally Posted by malsf1
Whether or not it was intended as a long term lot, it is now one. Even if it is extended after the fact, it would seem that the cost, when spread over several years, would be recouped from the cost savings from fuel, maintenance, and drivers' payroll.
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I get the part where rates would be lower for long term compared to short term.. ST has higher turnover, so probably less parking space time occupied..Originally Posted by channa
But that would simply be lowering the rates for people who were willing to pay for short-term during that time. By making you go to LT and then get redirected to ST, they can recoup the higher rates from those who weren't originally interested in ST....
But OP, said that going through long term, you get a voucher for long term rates in the short term parking lot.. I'm not too sure that a bait and switch is happening, resulting in higher revenue..
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But OP, said that going through long term, you get a voucher for long term rates in the short term parking lot.. I'm not too sure that a bait and switch is happening, resulting in higher revenue..
Originally Posted by Ancien Maestro
I get the part where rates would be lower for long term compared to short term.. ST has higher turnover, so probably less parking space time occupied..But OP, said that going through long term, you get a voucher for long term rates in the short term parking lot.. I'm not too sure that a bait and switch is happening, resulting in higher revenue..
It's not. I was replying to a poster who said just put a sign up on 101 and let people go straight to ST when they're full.
That would erode the ST revenue since people who were interested in parking and paying for ST would be charged the lower LT price. The ticket system they use now only provides the discount to those interested in parking LT.