Looking to park at Columbia’s airport? Here’s a guide on what you need to know
Travelers at Columbia’s Metropolitan Airport can “park with ease” by choosing from several on-site options that can be reserved and paid ahead of time at a discount.
Airport parking includes garage spaces, a surface lot and a premium membership lot travelers can secure online before heading to the terminal, according to information on the airport’s website. All parking spaces are accessible year-round and around the clock.
In a hurry? Valet parking is also available.
Garage parking
Drive-up rates at CAE’s parking garage start at $3 per half hour, with a daily maximum of $17, according to the airport’s parking information page.
For travelers who pre-book garage parking — as opposed to drive-up— every seventh hour of parking is free for up to 60 hours, according to the website.
Spaces, however, are limited, as the garage is undergoing a long-term construction project that’ll add solar panels to the third floor to create more energy efficiency. As a result pre-bookings for the month of June are blocked, according to the website.
Surface lot rates
The airport’s surface lot is positioned as a lower-cost alternative, with the first 30 minutes priced at $1, each additional half hour at $2 and a daily rate capped at $12.
Valet and Premier Parking
For passengers in a hurry, valet service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at $25 per day, the airport says.
Frequent flyers can also opt for Premier Parking, a flat-rate lot near the terminal offered as an annual membership priced at $1,000 per year, with payments required in advance of using the designated lot.
Pre-booking
Pre-booking, like drive-up parking, is managed by LAZ Parking, and can be used to reserve garage or surface-lot spaces in advance.
The airport says pre-booking can offer discounts on long-term stays, includes free cancellations “at any time,” and now applies a new long-stay discount structure that effectively makes every seventh day free (the seventh, 14th, 21st and so on), up to 60 days.
Other discounts
Accessible parking discounts are available to travelers with a valid Americans with Disabilities Act handicap placard or license plate: the airport says one day of free parking can be reimbursed after the trip, but customers must pre-book and pay for the full stay and present their placard or plate and booking statement to an attendant upon return.
Restrictions
Travelers parking at the airport may only park in designated spaces — with vehicles subject to ticketing or towing otherwise. CAE also says there is no assigned parking, even with pre-booking, and that vehicles left for more than 30 days may be considered abandoned unless arrangements are made in advance with the parking contractor.
Travelers with questions about pre-booking or existing reservations are directed to contact LAZ Parking at 803-822-7930 or by email here.
Parking at CAE compared to other airports in S.C.
Parking costs at larger international airports around the state are comparable to CAE, including:
- Greenville-Spartanburg International: garage parking at $19 per day; economy or surface lots at $10 per day; valet parking at $26 per day; hourly parking in garage A/B at $2 per hour, up to four hours (first 15 minutes free)
- Charleston International: hourly garage parking at $3 per hour with a $21 daily max; daily garage parking at $5 per hour with a $17 daily max; economy lot at $5 an hour with a $13 daily max; valet parking at $25 a day
- Myrtle Beach International: short-term parking at $32 per day (first 15 minutes free; 16–30 min $3; each additional 15 min $1); long-term parking at $12 per day; economy parking at $10 per a day; valet parking $7 per hour or $25 a day.
