The comparison nobody else prints
The Airport's Own Lots, and the Three Times This Desk Is the Wrong Call
A reservations desk that will not compare itself against the obvious alternative is asking you to take it on trust. Here is the comparison, including the part where the alternative wins, which for short trips in Tucson it usually does.
01What the field has
Tucson International has a large amount of its own parking, and the important thing about it is the arrangement rather than the quantity.
- Front lots, under canopy, and you walk in. The hourly and daily lots sit in front of the terminal beneath a solar canopy array, and the walk to the door is a walk rather than a ride. Roughly two thousand of the field's spaces are within walking distance.
- A garage, covered, also a short walk.
- An economy lot, uncovered, with a courtesy shuttle. The least expensive of the field's options, on a frequent van.
- A covered economy area, smaller, priced between the two.
No figures are printed here on purpose. The field's prices change, they are not ours to publish, and a page that reprints somebody else's price list is selling their product under our name. Go and look at what the field charges for your dates.
Note also what we do not say: we attach no word of endorsement or authority to the field, and we do not name its operator. It is a facility, we have no relationship with it, and the independence line at the top of every page says so.
02When the field wins, which is often
A trip of one to three days. Almost always. Cheap, shaded, no van, no interval, no wait. If you are reading this page for a weekend trip, the useful answer is: park at the field.
Any trip where the walk matters more than the rate. Late arrival, small children, a lot of luggage, a mobility need. A walk from a front lot beats a van ride at any price.
A trip where you do not know the return date. The field takes you as you come. A reservation is a run of dates, and if you genuinely do not know the second date then a reservation is the wrong instrument.
03When this desk makes sense
Three cases, and they are the honest ones.
One: long runs
Seven days and up, and especially a month and up. Weekly and monthly pricing on the airport mile is where the difference actually appears, and it appears as a lower daily figure rather than as a better experience.
Two: a vehicle that does not fit an ordinary stall
A pickup with a bed cap, a van, anything long. Reserving a longer stall means it is there when you arrive. At the field you take what is free.
Three: the few weeks when the front lots fill
Predictable rather than random. Winter visitor weeks, the days around a large local event, the run either side of a holiday. On those days a reservation is not cheaper, it is certain. The calendar names them.
04Side by side, honestly
| The field's own front lots | A reservation on the airport mile | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting to the terminal | Walk, no wait | Van, two to seven minutes, plus the wait |
| Cover | Canopy over the front lots, belonging to the field | Canopy at some lots, belonging to that operator |
| Short trips | Usually the better answer | Usually not worth it |
| A week or more | Fine, at a daily figure | Weekly pricing, lower daily figure |
| A month or more | Fine, at a daily figure | Monthly pricing, and the biggest difference |
| A long vehicle | Whatever is free when you arrive | A longer stall reserved in advance |
| Certainty in a tight week | Whatever is free when you arrive | Held for your dates |
| Booking | None needed | Free quote, then you agree, then it is placed |
05Why we print this at all
Because the alternative is a site that quietly hopes you have not checked, and that is the kind of site that gets an advertisement refused. A desk that only makes sense for some trips should say which trips, and then be useful for those.
If your trip is in the column on the left, park at the field and keep the difference. If it is in the column on the right, send the dates and we will quote them.