Decide how long you need to leave your car at the airport. For brief stops at the airport while waiting to pick up an arriving passenger, the airport's cell phone lot might work. You can't leave a car there unattended, but parking in the lot is free. For slightly longer stays while dropping off or picking up a passenger and luggage, consider the ground floor parking lot across from the baggage claim area. The upper levels of the main parking garage at the Philadelphia airport work for overnight stays and short trips.
If price is more important than convenience, try parking in the economy lot located on the opposite side Interstate 95, north of the airport. A free shuttle links the lot with the airline terminals every 13 minutes at all hours of the day.
Pay airport parking fees. As of May 2010, a stay of less than 30 minutes inside the parking garage will run you $3, and it will cost $38 if you park on the lower level for 24 hours. For a parking spot on the upper levels of the garage, where airport authorities permit overnight parking, the 2010 rate is $20 per day. The more distant economy lot requires $11 per day.
To determine the precise price of airport parking for two hours or 12 days, try using the calculator on the website of the Philadelphia Parking Authority. The parking authority recommends parking on the short-term level of parking garage only for stays of less than four hours.
Make alternate plans if the vehicle you plan to park is a truck or bus. These kinds of vehicles won't fit inside the main parking garage, nor are they allowed inside the economy lot, according to the parking authority's regulations. Note that smaller vans equipped for wheelchairs are allowed to park on the lower level of the main parking garage at a reduced rate.
