How did I not know about Park Sleep Fly?

Thanks for the link Mardee. I would definitely use something like this for late arriving flights!

Thanks, I wasn't aware of this either. However, never forget you have an emergency 'park/sleep/fly friend' who is always willing to help a fellow Minnesotan.

Mardee, we have used PSF, also Park Sleep Hotels, a number of times in the MSP area. We live 3 hours from MSP, and it is not always wise for us to drive home after returning from Europe, so we spend the night. It has worked well for us--as long as the hotel shuttle is operating 24 hours. You never know when your flight home will be delayed. We always save $ this way vs. a separate hotel and parking.

Enjoy your trip!

We’ve used this in Montreal and Boston, both times to sleep upon our return to N. America. In Montreal, the hotel we chose didn’t have a shuttle but reimbursed us our taxi fare for getting to and from the airport. A great deal.

We used this option a few times when LAX was our home airport. It can be a great deal for trips of less than 2 weeks. I highly recommend too.

Thanks, I wasn't aware of this either. However, never forget you have an emergency 'park/sleep/fly friend' who is always willing to help a fellow Minnesotan.

Laurie Beth, believe me, I haven't! But in this case, I was getting in so late, and didn't want to take the light rail at that time of night. But I am going to make a trip down there at some point in the next month or so and will be in touch about getting together. :-)

slbdaisy, I know what you mean about driving after a flight. I made the mistake of driving home after my flight from London with my 2 grandkids, and thought I was going to die. I forced them to stay off their devices and talk to me, though, lol!

khansen, I was really excited to find out about it! :-)

Mona and redheadlibrarian, good to know that you've both tried it and liked it.

Sleep and long term park is quite common at Chicago ORD. I'm more aware of folks booking directly at the airport hotel of choice. Many hotels offer long term parking, noted on their websites. The Park Sleep Fly site, however, gives a great overview of available hotels. First stop shopping?

The Park Sleep Fly site, however, gives a great overview of available hotels. First stop shopping?

ORDtraveler, it was definitely easier than scrolling through dozens of websites and/or Google maps, trying to find a hotel that will allow parking and has a shuttle. I'm wondering what the difference in price would be booking direct with a hotel. I had to pay about 1/3 of the price up front (it is completely refundable) and the rest when I arrive at the hotel, but I can still use my IHG card to pay and get points for that.

This isn’t just a thing in the US and Canada. Lots of hotels in the immediate area around Amsterdam Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands offer Park Sleep Fly too. It comes in very handy for early morning flights.

Dutch_Traveler, I was wondering about that. That's very good to know—thanks!

I also just realized that they have Park Only options, and Park Sleep Cruise options, where you can park at a cruise port, I'm assuming.

We have used this many times all over the USA for years. This is not a new program,.

Suki, I never said it was. But there's very little posted here about it (especially in the last few years), so I decided to pass this information on to those of us who did not know about it. :-)

Really one of the best options if you are flying out of LAX and have your car with you. Glad it worked for you.

I did not know about this. Thanks Mardee.

We have used this program in Kansas City, St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Grand Rapids, Michigan. We stay the night before our flight and also the night we return. Typically, there is a limit to the number of nights we can park for a trip. But we have found if we stay two nights it doubles the eligible number of parking nights. Since our trips are often 2-1/2 - 3 weeks and the limit has been seven nights per trip, we pay for the extra nights. This has worked very well for us.

A couple years ago we had trouble locating a hotel with a shuttle service. We started using a private service for transport to and from the airport which is about 120 miles from our home. We calculated that by the time we paid for gas, hotel and parking vs a private service we about break even cost wise. Plus we are helping a local small business owner. Recently I was told of a hotel with a shuttle. I'm not sure we would use it at this point. It's been nice not having to pack a small piece of luggage with toiletries, a change of clothes and night clothes. And to sleep in our own bed the night before and the first night back in the States. A few times our flights have landed close to midnight. How wonderful to have a driver waiting to take the weary travelers home. But I digress...

I think you will find the park sleep fly to be a good plan for some trips.

Happy Travels!

Traveler Girl

Mardee, thanks for sharing. This will be so helpful to so many.

The things we don't know that we don't know!

Thanks for sharing Mardee! I always depart from Tampa airport where I live, but there are few direct flights to Europe from there. This would give me the option of leaving from Orlando airport instead, which has more direct flights to Europe. It’s worth a little more expense to me if I can fly direct. Looking forward to your impression of the service.

KD, it's good to hear from folks who have used it - thanks!

Barbara N, Yes, I'm excited to find out about it!

But we have found if we stay two nights it doubles the eligible number of parking nights.

travelergirl, that is very good information to know—thank you! It would definitely be worth adding another night at the hotel for a longer trip. I also appreciate the info about a private shuttle. For me, it would not really be an option, as I like having the chance to have some extra time in the Twin Cities to do some shopping, etc. Duluth is a beautiful city that sits right on Lake Superior, but the shopping options are not as great as they would be in larger cities. And as mentioned, I miss Trader Joe's. :-)

The things we don't know that we don't know!

Exactly, jean!

Kathy, I will definitely let you know, but so far it sounds like a winner to me! :-)

Unfortunately, it doesn't work for really long trips. I checked around SFO and the cheapest deal was around $650 for one night and 36 days of parking. Long term parking at SFO for the same period would be about $875. A Lyft round trip from home about 1.5 hours from the airport would be about $300. We will probably either do Lyft from home or park our car at a friend's house halfway to the airport and Lyft from there.

Our flights often tend to be early at PDX, so we always use the Park Sleep Fly option. It gives us peace of mind and a good night’s sleep because we don’t have to worry about morning traffic, car breakdowns, etc. The free shuttle service is nice so we don’t have to find parking at the airport, and the Park Sleep Fly package is always cheaper than just paying for the parking.

Thanks Mardee, didn't know about the program. Other people have told me, in the past, about a PDX adjacent Hotel which did this and that was about 12 years ago. I kept them in mind to do this if needed.

katiecem, I can definitely see it not working well for very long trips. Even if I had a month away, I would almost certainly leave my car at home and take the shuttle down. But it's great for shorter trips!

Gelato girl, every review I'm hearing has been great! That's really good to know.

RobertH, I just checked and they offer the service at PDX. I wonder whether it would be cheaper if you went to the hotel directly?

We've used this a few times in Boston for early morning flights. However, most of the hotels max out the parking at 14 days, so it doesn't work for longer trips.

"RobertH, I just checked and they offer the service at PDX. I wonder whether it would be cheaper if you went to the hotel directly?"

Could be. Seems like enterprising Hotels have been doing this for a while but lacked the advertising to make it well known.

We used this option many times for early morning departures on Champion and Sun Country, and for the most part it worked fine. Winter has more issues because upon return from your trip your car might be covered in snow or not start. Some hotel didn't offer shuttle times early enough for us, and I remember once we were the ONLY people left waiting at Humphrey for shuttle pickup.

I still check out this option every time we fly, but it been years since we used it because of the length of our trips has increased since we retired.

When you take the shuttle from Duluth, do you park at Groome near Wade Stadium?

Hey, mnannie, I have Groome pick me up at UMD (Kirby Plaza). It costs $10 more but it's just so much closer that it's worth it.

And I totally get that about the length. I don't know I would ever use it for an overseas trip, but it's perfect for this 6 day trip to Salt Lake (and I'm using Sun Country). I've got another 6-day trip in early September heading to Cleveland but for that one I'll probably just use the shuttle.

Winter has more issues because upon return from your trip your car might be covered in snow or not start.

Ha, in winter, I'm MUCH more likely to take the shuttle. I don't like driving long distances in MN if there's a chance of snow.

We regularly do this and have a specific hotel where we stay. When we needed a longer park of about 24 days they were willing to accommodate us. We always book directly with the hotel, and I think for the longer park we booked by speaking directly to the manager. I know we discussed it in person with the manager the trip prior.

Looks like the security of the car is entirely up to whatever the hotel has:

https://parksleepfly.com/help

Is parking at the hotel secure?

Most hotels provide security measures for their extended stay parking. The parking area may be fenced off, monitored by cameras, and/or patrolled by security. Should something happen to your car during your trip the hotel is not held liable, so remove any and all valuables from your car and ensure all the doors are locked. If you have specific concerns discuss them with the attendant on your arrival.