Airport freebies: As airlines gouge, airports give back
— -- It's getting tough out there. Airlines continue to cut back on services while piling on fuel surcharges and fees for amenities that were once complimentary. But take heart: You may have to pony up now to check a second bag or to get that coveted aisle seat, but you can seek consolation with services that some airports still offer for free.
Free parking
In an effort to reduce traffic congestion on terminal roadways, dozens of airports now offer free cellphone lots. Drivers can park in these off-site lots and swoop in for the pick-up once an arriving passenger calls to say they're off the plane and at the curb.
Cellphone lots are great, but sometimes it's nice to be able to walk someone to or from the terminal without paying for an hour of parking. That's when the free 30-minute short-term parking offered by airports such as Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, and San Antonio International Airport comes in handy.
Milwaukee's General Mitchell International Airport also offers free 30-minute parking in its garage. However, anyone riding a motorcycle to what is, after-all, Harley-Davidson's hometown airport, can park for free as long as they like.
Free roadside services
But what if your motorcycle or car doesn't start when you're ready to leave the airport parking garage? That's no problem at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. In addition to free 30-minute parking in the short-term lot, BWI also offers complimentary road services in all parking facilities, including jumper cable services for dead batteries, changing or inflating flat tires and assistance with opening car doors if you've locked your keys inside.
Free phone calls
Airport pay phones seem to be disappearing now that so many people have cellphones. But hold on: Not everyone has unlimited cellphone minutes and not everyone has a cellphone (yet).
When Iowa's Sioux Gateway Airport removed all the payphones this past January they were replaced with phones that allow travelers to make free local and toll-free calls. The same thing happened at Nevada's Reno-Tahoe International Airport. Free phones for local calling were installed in mid-January when the traditional pay phones were removed. The airport's Brian Kulpin says, "When we opened our cellphone waiting lot last year, we quickly realized just how many people do not have cellphones. In the first week, more than 1,600 free calls were placed in our baggage claim area alone."
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