As a joint civil-military public airport in Louisville, Louisville International Airport is the second busiest airport in Kentucky, behind Northern Kentucky International Airport. With nonstop service to 28 destinations, SDF served more than 3.3 million passengers and handled over 4.7 billion pounds of cargo, freight and mail in 2010.

So traveling to or from the airport may be stressful. One way to eliminate the stress is to plan for transportation in advance. Centrally set in the city of Louisville in Jefferson County, the airport is situated the intersection of I-65 and I-264, just 10 minutes from downtown. Due to its convenient location, driving to the airport would be a great solution.

Do you decide on driving to the Louisville Airport and wish to avoid the hassle of parking at the airport? There are various parking options at the airport to choose from whether you plan to take a short break, a longer stay or just use it for pick up / drop off.

What are on-site parking options at the Louisville Airport? Louisville Airport boasts 5,880 public on-site parking spaces including a 4-level parking garage, surface parking lot and a credit-card-only lot in close proximate to the passenger terminal. The 4-level parking garage features three levels under cover, with the garage clearance of 9′1″ on the first level, 7″7″ on the second, third and fourth levels. You can choose the parking spaces as per your requirement.

1) 4-Level Garage - Hourly parking is available at 4-level garage. The level 1 is for cars that would be parked less than 4 hours. The parking rates are $ 1 for the first one hour, $1 for each additional 30 minutes, with the maximum daily rate of $19.

Over 4 hours parking is available at the levels 1 to 4. The parking fees are $2 for the first one hour, $2 for each additional hour and $13 for 24 hours. The weekly rate is $78, with the 7th day free.

Handicap Parking is available in the 4-Level Parking Garage. It is provided at the least expensive parking rates in despite of location. However, your handicap hang tag or license plate is required to display on your vehicle. You need to exit at a staffed booth.

2) Surface Parking Lot - If you are looking for long-term parking at the airport, head to Surface Parking Lot. There are no hourly rates. The maximum daily rates are $9 and the weekly rates are $54 with the 7th day free.

There is Courtesy shuttle service available, running from and to the Surface parking lot only. Shuttles run every 10 to 15 minutes, beginning at about 5am. However, there is only one shuttle running from 5pm until the last flight of the evening. From 7:30pm to 8pm, shuttle drivers will have a meal break. So shuttle service will not be available during this time.

3) Premium Credit-Card-Only Lot - This parking lot offers both long-term parking and short-term parking services, but cash is only accepted as the form of payment. The parking rates are $1 for the first one hour, $1 for each additional 30 minutes and $15 for 24 hours. To park for one week there, you will be charged $78, with the 7th day free.

4) Valet parking is also available at Louisville Airport, with a fee of $24 per day. The area designated for valet parking is located on the upper-level roadway on the west of the terminal. Although there is no need to make a reservation, reservations could be accepted online. If you have any questions about valet parking, call (502) 380-3723. To make a reservation online, visit this page:

Make a Reservation for Valet Parking at Louisville International Airport

http://www.airvalet.com/login.php

For all parking lots at the airport except for Premium Credit-Card-Only Lot, the acceptable forms of payment include cash, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, Dinners Card and American Express.

Louisville Airport also has a Cell Phone Lot for the benefit of visitors who wait for arriving passengers. This free, short-term waiting area could be accessed from the upper level roadway. The orange-and-blue sign will direct you to the area.

What are off-site parking options at the airport? As an alternative to on-site parking, there are off-site parking options at the SDF which may offer considerable discounts. Most of them offer feature secure facilities and shuttle services which run from their facilities to the terminals.

1) Thrifty Airport Parking is just a good off-site parking option, located at 3700 Crittenden Drive, just 1.5 miles from the airport. The parking rates are just $6.6 per day. There is free shuttle service to and from the airport. Shuttles run from 7am to 6pm from Monday to Saturday and from 8am to 4pm on Sunday for drop off. Pickup time from airport is 7am to 11pm.

2) Many hotels (including Holiday Inn Southwest and Crowne Plaza Louisville Airport) near the airport may offer up to 2 weeks free parking with one right stay. This could be convenient and economical especially for those who have an early flight and need to park at the airport. They also have shuttle service. For more info and details about these two hotels, check this page:

Hotels near Louisville Airport

http://www.parksleepfly.com/reservation/airport_code.php?referredBy=5205&airportCode=SDF

You may be wondering how Louisville International Airport will treat you when it comes to waiting for a good number of hours in there. The airport is a fully functional facility, which offers car rentals, accommodation, shops, restaurants, charging stations and much more. The airport can be a great source of information regarding airline news, weather forecasts, flight delays, information on developments at the airport and other interesting facts.

About the airport on Worldtravelguide.net

http://www.worldtravelguide.net/airport/360/airport_guide/North-America/Louisville-International-Airport.html

Stores and restaurants in the airport prove to be one of the major attractions for travelers in transit. The facility is adorned with efficient cafes and bars which often operate for more than 18 hours a day. Opening at 4 am, certain stores are great for any traveler as they close usually around 12 am. Emergency services and other amenities are important aspects of the airport that you should explore, especially when you have time to kill.

Charging stations prove to be of great use for all passengers as they can get their communication gadgets back to life after long flights and during emergencies. Concourses A and B at the airport are facilitated with cozy seats which are installed with USB ports and AC outlets. These can be particularly helpful in recharging mobile phones and laptops.

Sports bars, mouth-watering grille restaurants, apparel and merchandise shops, bookstores and much more fill the shopping arenas at the airport. Most tourists spend their free airport hours in such stores. Popular chains like KFC, Pizza Hut and Burger King also make for a startling cluster of food joints.

Paradise shops in Louisville International Airport

http://www.theparadiesshops.com/about.shtml

General info on the airport

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisville_International_Airport

Airport services for passengers

http://www.flylouisville.com/Information-and-Assistance/Passenger-Services.aspx

Just a 10 minutes drive from downtown city, the Louisville Airport is an international airport which drives a large number of passengers within the city's 200 miles radius. The Louisville International Airport has the non-stop service for over 20 destinations and easy connections to several cities all over the world. Food and merchandise at the stores at Louisville Airport are available at affordable process.

Louisville International Airport

http://www.ifly.com/louisville-international-airport

This Airport includes two runways which go parallel, over 62,000 taxiways and a crosswind runway as well. Apart from the general passenger and aviation services, the Louisville Airport is also the home to UPS and Kentucky Air National Guard. The Airport's future changed drastically when the United Parcel Service or UPS started the overnight-delivery services in the year 1982 with its core business at the Louisville International Airport.

About the Louisville Airport

http://www.flylouisville.com/Default.aspx

As the travelers walk through, they can see scintillating pieces of public arts. Pictures highlight the community's sight and the environment around. Also, the handcrafted quilts offer evidence of the unique folk tradition of Louisville. The primary essence of this city is even captured in canvases at the Airport.

Moreover, the Airport is easily accessible to the handicaps. People using the wheelchairs can also move freely due to the specially made curbs, elevators, doors and ramps. Elevators are featured with the raised controlling buttons that help the visually impaired.

Louisville Airport @ wiki

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisville_International_Airport

Firefighters, emergency medical professionals and airport police are on the duty all around and the airport also serves to be the economic engine of the city. The airport is expected to reconstruct parking facilities more to help the travelers.