Short Term Parking

First 30 minutes free, 1–3 minute walk to Main terminal

Short Term Parking at ALB sits on the first level of the North Parking Garage plus a signed surface area beside/behind it, all directly across from the Main terminal. You’re talking a 1–3 minute walk from most spots to the doors, faster than crossing some downtown streets.

Rates run $2 per hour with a $24 daily max, which is more than three times the Economy E-Lot daily rate. That’s why regulars treat this as a short-visit lot only, not something you use for an actual overnight or multi-day trip.

The key trick: the first 30 minutes are free. Locals pull into Short Term instead of circling the pickup lane when the cell phone lot fills up, then walk in to meet relatives at baggage claim and walk them out. Anything past an hour or two, they move to Long Term or Economy instead.

Short Term effectively acts like a “didn’t plan ahead” tax if you leave the car too long. Parking guides call out that an absent‑minded full day here hits the $24 cap, versus under $10 in Economy E-Lot, so infrequent flyers who don’t read the boards sometimes get a nasty surprise at the exit.

All Short Term entrances and exits take credit cards, and most garage lanes support E‑ZPass Plus payment, which regulars use when evening flights from New York and DC land together and the pay-on-foot kiosks back up. One tip: if you’re dropping off or picking up and expect to be under an hour, just park here, grab the free half-hour buffer, and walk inside instead of clogging the curb lane.