Most tourists taxi to AUA’s single Terminal 1; locals use Aruba Airport Short-Term Parking.
This is a basic surface lot directly in front of Queen Beatrix International Airport’s Terminal 1, so walking time to check-in desks runs about 2–4 minutes depending on row. It mainly sees use from Aruba residents doing quick drop-offs or pick-ups, not weeklong vacation parking. You grab a ticket at the barrier on entry and pay at machines before exiting; keep the ticket handy because you need it to raise the exit gate.
The lot sits on the terminal side of LG Smith Boulevard, closer to departures than arrivals by roughly 100–150 meters. Spaces are uncovered, so cars sit in full Caribbean sun for most of the day. That’s fine for an hour run into the terminal, less pleasant for multi-day parking. Marked pedestrian crossings link the lot to the sidewalk right in front of the main doors, so you’re not dodging traffic across the road.
Pricing tends to work like a classic short-stay setup: you pay by the hour, and at a certain point in the day it caps into a higher block rate. Figure on it making sense for 1–4 hour stops — airport staff say anything beyond a full day usually pushes people toward off-airport options or back to taxis. There are no reserved premium rows, status perks, or dedicated EV charging bays here yet.
One practical move: in the midday heat around 12:00–15:00, aim for rows closer to the terminal-side edge of the lot so your walk is under two minutes and you’re not crossing the entire tarmac-style field in 30°C sun with luggage.