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

New Parking Guidance System at Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE) | Photo provided

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
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