Hear Ye, Hear Ye! Royalty Program Perks Now Available
Online Booking Encouraged
If you’re rushing to the Airport to catch a flight, the last thing you want is to furiously drive around searching for a place to park. Even worse, you pull up and see that a lot or deck is FULL.
Even though CLT has plenty of parking options—nearly 25,000 spots—they fill up quickly, especially during peak times like Spring Break and the holidays, when average daily occupancy is often above 90%.
Behold! The new Royalty Program at the Airport bestows its loyal online booking customers with majestic perks. And it’s already a success, with more than 210,000 drivers signed up for the convenient, time-saving option since it launched in September 2024.
Currently, some 16,000 parking spots are designated for online booking only. A reservation guarantees the availability of your preferred option. It’s designed to give travelers peace of mind and better rates the further out you book — while helping the Airport operate more efficiently.
“We encourage people to book their parking when they book their flight,” said Garrett DiCorpo, CLT parking & ground transportation revenue manager. “From the Airport’s side, it gives us some visibility into where and when people will be coming, so we can lock in our resources to those lots. We can get an idea of how many buses or shuttles we need to run, for example, from 8 a.m. until noon,” he added. “It just lets the Airport stay flexible.”
Extra Perks for Each Tier
The CLT Airport Royalty Program offers airport parking customers extra perks. It features four tiers –blue, bronze, silver, and gold – and allows drivers to earn points toward rewards when parking at any of CLT’s parking products. You’ll earn one point for every dollar you spend.
Each tier offers additional benefits – ranging from discounts and promotions to free upgrades like parking closer to the terminal.
“I go out of town for work every week, so I pre-book online and I know I have a spot,” said frequent flier Danny Brown, who has already reached Silver Tier status (500 points in a calendar year) in the Royalty Program. “I’ll book in advance so I can get the flash deals.”
Traveler Jenny Boone agreed, “It’s super easy. Usually, I do the Hourly Deck, but this is the first time I booked the Express Deck because it was half-price.”
Drivers start earning points once they create an account, register their vehicle, book online and park. Points are pending on a purchase until the exit time of your booking. Then, they are added to your Royalty Program account to spend on future rewards.
You can view bookings from the last 90 days, and you have until the end of the following year to earn points or retain your existing tier level. There are no blackout dates, but same-day booking can be limited, so it’s best to plan ahead. If you need to cancel a booking, no worries! You can cancel up until your scheduled entry time. Your pending points will be adjusted in the account to reflect the change.
If you need to modify or extend a reservation during your stay, you can change the dates on the app and pay the difference when you exit. If you return early, you’ll be refunded for the unused time, but at the drive-up rate, not the online booking rate. Your points will not expire if your Royalty Program account is still active. However, you cannot combine promo codes or rewards or redeem points for cash.
Join the Royalty Program Today
It’s as easy as signing up online at parkCLT.com or using the CLT Airport app. “CLT has an awesome app, and not every airport has one,” said DiCorpo. “You can check everything from wait times for buses to security wait times and, of course, booking parking online and getting the discounts.”
CLT Airport has also implemented license plate recognition technology (LPR), offering drivers reservation verification and easy access to and from all the parking facilities, except Valet. As a backup, you’ll receive a QR code when you book to add to your Apple or Google wallet.
Traditional “drive-up” parking—where drivers take a ticket and pay upon exit—is still available in Long Term 2, the Hourly Deck and Valet. (Long Term 2 parking is the only option that cannot currently be booked online, while the Hourly Deck and Valet are hybrid.)
So, if you want one less thing to worry about when traveling, unpack your crown or tiara and join the Royalty Program to start receiving your exclusive parking benefits.
Go to parkCLT.com or download the free, all-in-one CLT Airport app at the App Store or on Google Play.