New Service Pays You to Park at the Airport

Forget about airport parking fees when you use FlightCar (flightcar.com). Instead of doling out dollars to garage your vehicle, you could make money by renting your auto. FlightCar, a new service, matches passengers taking off with those landing in town looking for rental wheels. You can also use FlightCar to rent a ride at your destination.

Whether or not someone rents your vehicle, you always get complimentary parking at FlightCar’s lot plus a free car wash and vacuum. Like most offerings based on the sharing economy, this one operates on trust.

So ask yourself, do you want a stranger driving your car? To allay potential users’ fears, FlightCar provides owners with $1,000,000 in liability coverage and

requires that “renters have a good driving record and meet rigorous standards.”

To be eligible to pick up a car, drivers must have had “no major violations or alcohol/drug related incidents in the past three years” and “have no more than two violations or accidents combined in the past three years.” FlightCar confirms this history by running a Motor Vehicle Records check on the driver before his or her first rental.

Those 18 to 21 cannot rent if any accidents or violations appear on their record and only those 21 or older may rent cars worth more than $30,000.

The company may, or may not, add a criminal records check. Hmm. Before handing over my car keys, I’d want to know that the person behind the wheel wasn’t thinking “bank robbery getaway car.” Okay, that’s far-fetched, but still a possibility.

Also, a user’s driving is restricted to no more than 75 miles per day. For most urban explorers that limit gets them to and from museums, restaurants, hotels and attractions near the city. The average FlightCar renter puts less than 40 miles per day on the odometer.

What can you earn? That depends on your car’s make and model. My 8-year-old Lexus Hybrid would fetch .10 cents per mile. At 40 miles per day, my car would bring in $4.00 a day, or $12 a weekend. A 2015 Lexus would double the income to .20 a mile or $8.00 a day and $24 a weekend, plus, of course, the savings in airport parking. At Washington Reagan National Airport, my local facility, parking ranges from $15 to $36 per day. Factor in those fees and the savings add up.

Once at your vacation or business destination, you can drive away in a FlightCar vehicle. Rates start at $15 per day and cars come with free insurance and free GPS.

FlightCar is currently available in 14 locations: Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Oakland, Philadelphia, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle and Washington, DC.

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Would you use FlightCar?