ST. LOUIS – Thanksgiving is one of the busiest times of the year for air travelers, and large crowds are expected at St. Louis Lambert International Airport through this weekend.

Just like any other time of the year, one important decision for air travelers to make comes down to this: How do you get to the airport?

If you don’t have a friend or family member able to drop you off, it could be costly. Your other options basically come down to catching a taxi, using a rideshare service (like Uber) or parking near the airport to catch a shuttle to your terminal.

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In recent years, Uber and parking near airports have become popular options. These trends were recently analyzed in a study from UpgradedPoints.com, a national travel-centric website. The study analyzed the costs of parking at 50 major US airports and compared those to the average costs associated with two Uber rides (to and from) the airports.

Essentially, the study examined whether it would be more expensive to use Uber or park at each of these airports. A research team found it’s cheaper to Uber twice than park for a “long weekend,” presumably Friday-Sunday in most cases or perhaps longer for Thanksgiving weekend, for flyers at 14 of the 50 major airports.

Data reveals, however, that’s not the case for St. Louis.

According to Upgraded Points, the average “long-weekend” parking cost around Lambert Airport is nearly $38 and the average two-way Uber cost totals around $80.

Rates could be different depending on demand and the time your decision on a service is needed, but research generally indicates one Uber ride to St. Louis Lambert International Airport might cost you just as much as parking for several days.

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In this regard, St. Louis was similar to nearly two-thirds of airports surveyed.

Results vary elsewhere, especially for cities with high tourism. In San Diego, for instance, it costs around $38 per day for economy parking, the most expensive in the country. For a three weekend, that adds up to around $114. Meanwhile, an average Uber trip to and from the San Diego airport costs only around $32.

The research team at UpgradedPoints.com used data from Uber and AirportParking.com to organize this study.

Not measured in the study are taxi services. According to Numbeo, a cost-of-living website, taxi fares are around $30 for a ten-mile trip to and from the airport before tips.

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