Taking off Travel blog

Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport (MSP) is the upper Midwest’s largest and busiest airport. It’s also the 12th busiest in the US, racking up 32 million passengers in 2010 and 437,075 landings and takeoffs.

History of MSP Airport

Officially, the airport isn’t part of a city, but provides access to several, including Minneapolis, St. Paul, Bloomington, Eagan, Mendota Heights and Richfield. Dating back to the early 20th century, the airport stands on the site of a former Speedway racetrack and was originally called Speedway Field.

Terminals

The airport has two terminals, one named after Charles Lindbergh, a Minnesotan, and the second, the Humphrey Terminal, after vice-president Hubert Humphrey. The Charles Lindbergh Terminal, constructed in 1962, handles international flights and many major airlines. It was also one of the settings for disaster movie Airport. Low cost airlines and charters are based at the other terminal. There are plans in hand to expand the airport by doubling the size of the Humphrey Terminal, adding a new concourse to the airport and installing a regional jet terminal. This is part of the MSP 2020 vision. Read more »

Most of the world has been in a belt tightening phase for the last couple of years and there’s no sign that this is likely to decrease. So if you’re planning to travel this holiday season and are already affected by rising air fares, higher baggage charges and premiums for extra legroom and other in-flight amenities then you will be looking for ways to save. One of the ways that you might be able to do that is with near airport parking. As the name suggests, this is parking that is near the airport but not on the airport premises which means you don’t have to pay the usual inflated fees to park at the airport.

Save on Near Airport Parking

Some research shows that the savings you can make are significant. But you have to start now if you want to make those holiday savings. The entire world loves a coupon and if you’re parking near the airport it’s a good idea to check out the latest coupons available from your off airport parking provider. Sometimes you can save as much as 10% on the cost of parking and there are other bonuses too. Look out for providers who have tie-ins with other companies that allow you to maximize your savings. (One of ours is with the AARP, for example). You might find that you get other perks if you’re a member of the partner organization.

Perks and Security

There’s nothing worse than coming back to your car and finding that it won’t start or that it’s stone cold after you’ve been away for a break. Some near airport parking providers will make sure that your car is warmed up and ready so that when you get in you can drive away comfortably. In addition, let’s not forget that your car is in a secure facility while you are enjoying your family vacation and you won’t have to worry about it while you’re away. Can you guarantee that with an on-airport parking facility?

Double Dipping

And then there’s the best bit – double dipping! You can book your near airport parking deal with a credit card and if you sign up for the off airport parking provider’s reward scheme you can earn points with them at the same time as you earn points from your card provider. If there are tie-ins with accommodation and car hire as well you can potentially earn multiple times on the same trip. It may not exactly be money in your pocket but it certainly is less money going out. So think about it: if you’re traveling over the holiday season consider near airport parking as one way you can cut your travel costs.

(Image: add1sun)

Could the roads look like this on Thanksgiving Day?

Happy Thanksgiving Week! Have you already started your Thanksgiving holiday? It’s the busiest time of the year for travel, with many people taking vacation well before the day itself and making a full week of it, traveling to visit family and friends. If you’re one of the early birds, perhaps you traveled this past weekend (a report in the Chicago Tribune lists last Friday as the busiest flying day this season) and already relaxing somewhere while you read this.

Others, if the Baltimore Sun report is anything to go by, will be starting their Thanksgiving vacation tomorrow in what the paper’s Michael Dresser calls the holiday’s ‘inexorable transition from a holiday to a holi-week.’ (Sounds good to me! )

Some, though, prefer to wait till the last minute, and travel on the day itself. As we’ve pointed out before, traveling on the holiday date can be a great way to save money on your trip, though I wouldn’t take that for granted this year.

The AAA says Thanksgiving Day will be the day that most people take to the road. The organization is predicting a 4% rise in traveler numbers for the season, with 38.2 million people driving, 3.4 million flying and just under a million traveling by buses and trains. Return travel this coming weekend is also expected to be congested (though you always have the option of flying and booking off airport parking).

It seems that rising travel costs aren’t stopping people from traveling for one of our most cherished national holidays, but the advice from TripAdvisor’s Jamie Counter is that if you’re also thinking of making a Christmas trip then the best deals are probably already gone.  Flying off-peak and from smaller airports might provide some hope. (Image: Osvaldo Gago)

Drumroll, please! Park Ride Fly USA is now on Google+. We have a shiny new page where we will be sharing our latest blog posts and travel stuff for those who want to follow us there. And I also have a Google+ profile specifically for this account, under the name Sharon PRF to avoid confusion with my personal G+ account.

So why have we waited so long for a Google+ account, when they were available to some back in July? The truth is that we wanted a business page for the airport parking reservations business so we decided to wait till now and do them both together. We’ve tricked out the page with a few of our site photos to get started.

What can you expect from us on Google+? Well, it’s a work in progress. We’ll be sharing more of the travel stuff we find interesting as we already do through Twitter and Facebook. I hope to have the chance to connect with you there, too. All you have to do is click the profile button in our sidebar to go straight to the page or follow this link to find the Sharon PRF Google+ profile.. See you there!

(Image: Magnet 4 Marketing dot Net)

Planning to park at Chicago Midway (MDW), Albany Airport (ALB) or  Indianapolis Airport (IND)? If you are, have we got an offer for you!  Book 4 or more days at MDW, IND or ALB and receive a $25 Restaurant.com certificate once your stay is complete.

That’s $25 to spend on the site that matches great restaurants with great people.

Check out the offer details here:

Indianapolis Airport Parking

Midway Airport Parking

Albany Airport Parking

This offer is available while stocks last for buyers purchasing new airport parking reservations of 4 days or more online only. It cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer.  Full terms and conditions available on Park Ride Fly USA’s site.