Uncovered 3rd-floor stalls in the DAY garage are set aside for Reserved Parking
The Reserved Parking section sits on the uncovered 3rd floor of the on-airport garage at Dayton International (Main Terminal), so you still get the same short walk into the concourse as standard garage users. You pre-book online through the Metropolis/Parking.com FlyDayton system, then pull straight into signed “Reserved” stalls instead of circling levels looking for a gap.
Standard DAY garage pricing runs about $22 per day plus a $0.99 transaction fee, and the airport doesn’t publish a separate flat rate for Reserved Parking, which usually means pricing shows only in the booking flow and can move with demand. The trade-off: you’re paying a garage-level rate, not economy-lot prices, but you lock in a guaranteed on-airport space that’s closer than the long-term surface lots.
The reserved area shares the same covered entry path to the Main Terminal as the rest of the garage, but the actual stalls are on the uncovered top deck, so your car sits in the weather while you’re away. Walking time from a 3rd-floor Reserved stall to the terminal doors is typically under 5 minutes, with elevators and stairs positioned near the marked Reserved section.
Regulars at Metropolis-run airports report reserving these sections over Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Monday-morning bank times to avoid sold-out messages and 15–20 minutes of circling. Expect similar patterns at DAY: the 3rd-floor Reserved area is most useful during peak weeks when general garage spaces can tighten up, especially on early departures before 8:00 a.m.
Practical tip: book Reserved Parking as soon as your flight is firm, then print or screenshot your confirmation with barcode; at DAY, having that ready at the gate and exit machines usually keeps you out of the 3–5 minute queues that build when drivers fumble for their reservation details.