January 07, 2010 08:05 ET

Online Services for Park and Fly Packages Offer Ease, Savings

SUFFIELD, CT--(Marketwire - January 7, 2010) - Heightened airport security delays, missed flights due to traffic, scarce airport parking spaces, and airline charges for once-free amenities are driving travelers online in search of ways to make flying easier and less expensive. A review of websites offering park, stay and fly packages or off-airport parking turns up two that are helping air travelers to cope.

www.ParkSleepFly.com lets customers book a pre-flight hotel stay and parking at a discount. Park and fly packages include one night at an airport hotel, 7 to 14 days of free parking, and free shuttle service to and from the terminal. Site visitors can reserve airport hotel and parking, airport hotel room only, airport parking only, or cruise-port hotel and parking. "Park, stay and fly" has gained popularity as a travel strategy in part because of convenience, but also because the cost of a hotel and parking package is often the same as airport parking alone.

By clicking on Cities Served, travelers see hotel ratings, view photos of rooms, and compare rates for park and fly packages from over 1,500 hotels located minutes from 130 airports in the U.S., Canada, UK, and Europe. One helpful feature is a map showing the proximity of a hotel's location to the airport. "Our website gives people an option to proactively manage their travel time and expense, and minimize the pressures that flying today represents," said Jack Lambert, managing partner of ParkSleepFly.com, Inc.

Customers pay a small fee via credit card to hold their hotel room: balance of payment due at hotel checkout. Refunds are available until 48 hours before check-in. The site offers customer service 24/7 but if a traveler prefers to reserve by phone, they call 1-800-PARKING.

For those who don't need a hotel room, www.AirportParkingReservations.com offers a guaranteed parking spot at an off-airport lot near major airports.

Site users perform Three Steps: (1) Select departure airport and enter arrival and return dates. (2) View an airport map with a matrix of parking lots near the terminals -- sort by price, parking lot type or company. (3) Pay on a secure page and print out a receipt to present to the parking lot. The site posts unedited customer reviews and ratings of the participating parking facilities.