Picture this: You wake up late, rush out the door, hit every red light + arrive at the airport only 45 minutes before your flight boards. You pull into a packed parking garage and quickly spot an empty space. You zoom down the aisle and get ready to pull in, just to see it was a Kia Soul playing tricks on you. 😩
Enter: Columbia Metropolitan Airport’s newly-installed Parking Guidance System – a state-of-the-art light system that indicates taken + available spaces (as well as disabled + Wounded Warrior parking spots) in the parking garage at CAE. Hello, lifesaver. 🚗
Here’s how it works + why you should #TryThis the next time you travel. 🛫
Experience:
Hassle-free parking at Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE)
What we tried (with pricing):
While we, unfortunately, didn’t have an actual flight to catch, we still went through all the motions of parking at CAE – just like we would if we were on that nonstop to Dallas. 🛫
How it works:
- Upon arriving at the airport, you’ll drive by a large display showing the number of parking spots available.
- Next, pull up to the parking garage ticket kiosk + get your ticket.
- When you enter the garage, you’ll immediately see a large display above every aisle showing how many total spots are available on that aisle.
- Take a glance around the garage and you’ll see festive red and green lights hanging above every car – green lights indicating available spots.
- Turn down your aisle of choice, head straight towards the green light + turn into the parking spot. It’s that simple.
Color system:
- Green light: Available spot
- Red light: Taken spot
- Blue light: Disable spot
- Purple light: Wounded Warrior spot
Garage parking costs:
- 0-20 minutes: free
- 20-40 minutes: $3 (with $1 for each additional 20 min.)
- Daily maximum: $12
- Weekly rate: $66
- More on CAE’s parking options
Don’t miss:
An open parking space ever again.
What we’re still talking about:
How truly easy it was. It took no longer than 3 minutes from the time we pressed the button to get our parking ticket to the time we pulled into a spot. Watch a video of the whole process.
How you can experience this:
When you’re ready, book a flight from CAE to any of its nonstop destinations. Then park in the garage using the new system. Easy as that.
Note: Some regular flight routes are currently offline due to COVID-19. Keep an eye out for updates from Delta Air Lines, United Airlines + American Airlines on reinstated service.
Things to know if you go:
- Experience: Parking with ease at Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE)
- Price: Varies by parking time length (see rates)
- Website: https://flycae.com/airport/parking/
- Address: 3250 Airport Blvd., West Columbia, SC 29170
- Social: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter Ⓟ
