Heading to the airport with your car? You should know this about parking at MIA and FLL

Vinod Sreeharsha
·4 min read
Miami and Fort Lauderdale airport parking garages expected to fill up during busy holiday travel season.

It’s bound to happen during Thanksgiving week: The airports in Miami or Fort Lauderdale will share a bulletin about full parking garages and lots.

But drivers come and go, so you might get lucky and score a coveted spot during the holiday stretch. And if you don’t, you have some options.

MORE: Crowds? Yes. But what else can you expect at Miami, FLL airports at Thanksgiving travel?

Here’s what to know about airport parking:

Miami airport parking options

Remote lot: Half-price parking is available at MIA’s remote Economy Park and Ride lot. The 460-space lot provides monitored parking and a free shuttle service to the terminal every 15 minutes for $12 per day, just under half the $25 maximum daily rate at MIA’s Dolphin and Flamingo garages. Located at 1350 NW 45th Ave., the Economy Park-and-Ride lot is accessible from either LeJeune Road or Perimeter Road. Credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and PaybyPhone are accepted.

Parking shuttles: Shuttle service pick-up and drop-off locations are on the departures level across from doors 3, 11, and 26. For more information, visit the MIA Parking web page.

Valet parking: The valet lot is across from the check-in area at doors 4 and 20 in the Dolphin and Flamingo garages. Valet parking attendants take a driver’s vehicle and park it in one of 225 dedicated spaces on the departures or arrivals level. Rates are $18 for under three hours, $30 for the first three to 24 hours and $30 each day after. Maximum stay is 20 days.

Nearby parking: A site called Cheap Airport Parking lists nearby hotels and parking lots that offer parking for travelers. You make a reservation, just like you would for a rental car. Most hotel parking lots you’ll find on this site are generally open around the clock, have security and offer a free shuttle to the airport, plus cancellations, according to the website’s FAQ guide. Parking prices and shuttle times vary.

Picking up a passenger: MIA’s Cell Phone Waiting Lot has 60 free parking spaces for non-commercial users waiting to pick up travelers. It’s just off LeJeune Road and Northwest 31st Street, accessible from LeJeune Road heading north or south.

Airport garages: MIA’s two biggest garages are expected to fill up early. Dolphin Garage serves Concourse D and E. Flamingo Garage serves Concourses E-J. If you park in one of the garages, expect to pay $2 every 20 minutes. If your car is parked for more than four hours, you’ll be charged the maximum daily rate of $25, according to the airport. Your car can stay in the garage up to 45 days, except where “no overnight” is listed. After 45 days, your car will be towed. Accepted payments: cash, credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover), Apple Pay and Samsung Pay. The airport no longer uses SunPass.

Fort Lauderdale airport parking options

Onsite: Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport has three garages and an overflow lot that opens at peak travel times during the holidays or when the garages are full (signs and workers lead you to it).

Alternatives: There’s a cellphone parking lot where people can park for free while waiting to pick someone up from the airport. FLL has curbside valet too. With the ongoing high demand for curbside valet service and self-parking options at FLL this year, especially during the holidays, airport leaders recommend getting dropped off by family, friends, or a ride-share service (Uber, Lyft, etc.) because the airport’s onsite garages are likely to be filled.

Helpful tools:

▪ Use the FLL app to see real-time parking availability and to help locate your car if you forget where you parked.

▪ To find the closest parking location to your terminal, visit FLL’s website.

Use Space Finder to check available spaces in the garages.

Parking fees: If you park in Hibiscus Garage Level 2 or Palm Garage Level 1, it costs $3 per hour, with a maximum of $36 per day. If you park in Hibiscus Garage Levels 3-7, Palm Garage Levels 2-4 and Cypress Garage Levels 7-9, it costs $3 per hour, with a maximum of $15 per day. Curbside valet is $25 a day and overflow is $10 per day.

Off-site parking if airport lots are full: Park ‘N Go, 1101 Eller Dr. in Fort Lauderdale, and Self Park FLL, 901 Old Griffin Rd. in Dania Beach, are self-parking lots that offer shuttles to and from Fort Lauderdale’s airport. Park ‘N Go’s website notes that during peak times, the lot may occasionally switch to valet parking. To check prices, availability and cancellation policies for Park ‘N Go, visit gator.bookparkngo.com/. For Self Park FLL, visit selfparkfll.com

Miami Herald staff writer Michelle Marchante contributed to this report.