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Kuwait Airport long term parking on weekends

The long term parking at the airport is so small that on weekends it’s usually closed with a sign saying that it’s full and you’re basically forced to park in the short term parking and pay an exuberant price or park outside the cargo terminal for free but have to take the long walk back to the airport. Since I’ve been traveling a lot I kinda developed a routine which was working pretty well for me until this past weekend.

What I do now is get to the airport early like I usually do but I park in the short term parking. I then checkin to my flight and once I get the boarding pass I get back to my car and just park it outside the long term parking entrance and I sit and wait for someone to leave so that security will let me in. Usually it takes 15 to 30 minutes and it’s became a routine that works for me.

So this past Thursday, 30 minutes had passed and no one had left but since I had already checked in and still had around an hour for boarding I was doing ok. Then a car pulled up behind me and a Kuwaiti guy got out and came up to my window. I rolled it down and told him parking was full and I was waiting. The guy then goes to the security office and a few minutes later comes back with a Kuwaiti security guy who comes up to me and is like I am going to let the guy in because he wants to try his luck and look for a spot. I told the security guy I had been waiting here for 30 minutes now why can’t I go in to “try my luck”? Then the Kuwaiti guy came and told me to move my car so he could go in. I was like no, I was here first and I have been here for 30 minutes and I am not moving. The security told the guy in Arabic that I was a westerner and you know how stubborn they can be. The Kuwaiti guy kept trying to get me to move and telling the security he had his whole family in the car and his flight would be taking off soon etc.. etc..

Finally around 10 minutes later a passenger comes into the long term parking and was leaving. I tell the security guard I should be let in first to park and then you can let the other guy go in and try his luck. Of course he didn’t listen and let both of us in. I ended up driving the wrong way to get to the parking spot first to park.

So much drama just for parking. We definitely need more long term parking spots. My temporary fix would be to combine both the short and long term parking spots into one and then develop a pricing plan that would work for both. Until then it’s going to be like this every weekend.

63 replies on “Kuwait Airport long term parking on weekends”

I park in cargo terminal, its a short 10min walk and its free!!!

But they should allocate some land and let people park there for a fee, then ride a shuttle bus to the airport……..

My FAVORITE subject ‘THE KUWAIT AIRPORT’ ….so let me roll! The solution is that they build the parking in the long term parking upwards, increasing the parking, but of course, that will take time and they will have to close the parking lot to do the construction leaving the only option of short term parking. Another option is that they build another parking lot near the airport (there is land available) and have buses that bring you to the airport, simultaneously building up the long term parking area. DOES ANY
ONE IN THIS GOVERNMENT, especially running this airport have any FORESIGHT??? Another parking situation that is about to explode is this business that everyone is a big shot and has to be picked up at the door by their drivers because 1) They think that they are VIP’s. 2) They want to avoid the congestion of the short term arrivals parking lot or 3) they are TOO cheap to pay 1.500 to park or even less than that, but definitely to park either way at this airport is horrendous and guess what? THE PEAK SUMMER TRAVELLING MONTHS ARE COMING. I have already planned my spot for pick-up by my driver, and I’m not telling anyone about my plan, but everybody better get your plan organized because it is going to horrendous to go through that airport real soon. And don’t remind me how easy it was to park and fly out of the Royal Terminal when the only time Kuwait was civil was when Wataniya Airways flew out of this country. Oh the good ol’ days! I didn’t fly out of this pathetic airport for the entire time WA was in operation, I cried when it collapsed, literally cried.

P.S. AND WHAT AIRPORT IN THE WORLD BUILDS A MCDONALDS THAT IS IN THE PARKING LOT FOR AIRPORT EMPLOYEES NOT FOR PASSENGERS – OH KUWAIT AIRPORT!

Didn’t someone get stabbed to death recently over a parking incident?
Why enter into any argument!?

also that person who got stabbed also happened to be Lebanese!

On a serious not well done for not caving in!

I flew out on FLYDUbai last week-end and in the area where you check in is so compacted that the passengers from other airlines where bumping into one another, hence the cleaning workers started organizing the crowds. Which brings up another subject apart from the parking, is the lack of check-in desk areas, and the simple solution is…..loose the retail space! Build check-in desks, get rid of the old xray machines and replace them with appropriate modern xray machines – start acting like an airport not a mall since you decided to stall the development plan and not build a new airport like every other GCC country is doing, Kuwait. I then see the new boarding gate areas that are boarded up for construction, so I ask the Starbucks manager, “When are they going to complete the construction on the boarding gates?”. “Oh, inshallah, sometime in May”. I then proceeded to ask, “How many gates will they addt?” He said, “ Three’. I replied, “ They need THIRTY.” He laughed. Then I go to find my gate and notice that the new area that they constructed a few months ago at the far end of the airport that increased the airport with four boarding gates downstairs is closed. So I ask an airport worker why is this space closed, he didn’t know, but I commented that they should have built aprons on this building so that it would increase the aprons for aircrafts which is sorely needed. I just got a blank stare. I could write an entire comment on how they could improve immigration in 3 easy steps, but I will forego that comment to tell you that I did speak to the immigration staff at the UAE airport about EGATE and they informed me that an American company set up EGATE for the UAE and that Qatar, Bahrain has also joined the UAE in implementing iris scanning. So, if Kuwait Airport were to implement an EGATE system with iris scanning, they would cut down on illegal forced passport entry, offer an efficient way for residents to go through immigration and with the addition of a window for new visa processing in immigration, residents could get through the immigration process much quicker. It takes me 45 minutes to 1 hour to get through immigration – ridiculous.

+1 Valet is actually the cheapest option at 1KD/day. Of course I am sure they just park the car in sandlot under the sun, but whatever. Its the quickest, easiest and cheapest option.

Or you can give your car to one of your friends who might need one. Ask him to drive it periodically and keep it in good condition. Free!

How dare you do that to a Kuwaiti? Dont you know they can deport you? (as if chewing gum and driving around with a crack wind shield wasnt enough they’ll now deport for not giving / letting a local national a parking spot)

One does not simply deny a local his ‘rights’ and walk away to post it on his blog. Tell us the rest of the story, what happended after you were done parking?

So far nobody has suggested developing the public transport, so that there is no need with having to take the car to airport in the first place. I’m sure for a weekend getaways, most people can manage with just a bag or 2.

Wait what? Phlipino Taxi is 3.750 to the airport from Midan Hawalli (on the border of Salmiya) and one of those orange taxis back is 5 KD. Did prices go up in the last 3 months?

Taxis aren’t allowed to carry passengers from the airport; other than the official airport taxis. The fares for those just went up as Mark posted earlier.

For drop-off its not a problem, but for pickup the cops will stop the cab, and this has been the rule for a while.

I found the easiest way is to let a friend drop you. No hassle, no parking.

Also, I wonder if they remove all the abandoned cars in both the lots would that help.

take a Taxi to Airport while going, while returning take the bus get down in Farwaniya and take Taxi, i assume u won’t have too much luggage… 🙂

id rather get dropped off and picked up than go through all this, no matter how long i am leaving

I’ve been putting it in Valet, for the weekend it costs me kd 5, you drop of you car to the gate and you pick it up from the arrivals gate. Perfect.

Park your car in the short term parking and have someone come later on at night to pick it up. Done!

That was vert childish from you Mark. Seriously, you did not want to go in or let the man to go?! what the hell?!

anyhow, I just give my car to the guys at the departure entrance they park it for me. As soon as my return flight touches down, I call them and once i leave the customs I find my car waiting for me right outside arrivals exit.

what risk? how about the guy wait in line like everyone else until a spot is free instead of driving inside ahead of us and then waiting for a spot to free up while the rest of us are waiting outside.

I misread this “I told the security guy I had been waiting here for 30 minutes now why can’t I go in to “try my luck”?”

I thought you were offered to get in as well. So my previous comments are invalid.

Classic 3azeez style of turning wrong to right by using a very lame argument! No risk involved here; its simply manners, courtesy and etiquette of first come first serve!!

How would you like it if you were waiting in line at KFC or McDonalds and an expat tries to muzzle his way through the queue? Am sure you would “jump” on him.

@nYx, I was not trying to turn any wrong to right. I’m merely acknowledging the fact that majority of people nowadays lack proper manners, courtesy and etiquette. With so many different people from different cultures living between us, the kindness and proper manners have been redefined to something many of us are still struggling to cope with.

You asked how I would feel if an expat tries to “muzzle” his way through a queue? Well, over the past few weeks only I have got used to this happening everywhere. From security checks at the airport, to having some retard person jumping out of the vehicles passenger seat and running to my parking spot to reserve it for his friends vehicle far behind me, and waaay too many examples I can speak about.

As for “jump” on him thing you mentioned in the end… you know very well that most expats get physical while the furthest Kuwaitis usually go is just verbal.

I have never felt so speechless after any denial speech / comment on any forum whatsoever like I have today!!

Lotsa luck 3azeez, this is just what your beautiful country DOESNT need; DELUSION and DENIAL!

I know for a fact that recently one of the locals called up an airline and asked if they could take their 4 year year old’s car seat with them on the flight and strap it in like how they do in their car… Amazing !!!

2 comments:

1) The short term parking is not actually that much more expensive than the long term. The long term is 2 KD/ day right? And if I remember correctly the short term works out to maximum 3KD/ day. I have parked “long term” in the short term area twice in the past year. It happened by chance 1 time when the long term was full a helpful parking attendant or guard told my friend and I about the short term. And then we actually walked up to one of the pay booths and the worker also confirmed it.

2) One reason Kuwaitis are not so concerned about the parking situation at the airport is because so many have family drivers and/or many friends/ relatives that they just get dropped off & picked up.

Guys…Its in the principle…as idealistic as that sounds.
Somebody has got to take a stand…once in a while atleast.
I would have done the very same thing.

you could have gotten stabbed mark, this isn’t worth it. I know its ur rights and all that, but remember that its not worth it.

Leave your car on the short term. When you return after few days, tell them that you lost your ticket. They will probably charge you KD 10 for lost ticket and this is all.

Hi all,

Quick question then. . .did we establish that the cargo terminal is free, even if long-term?

I’m talking about 3 – 4 weeks. . .

Thanks!

I parked on the cargo village in August for two weeks. Last week I received a parking fine through the leasing company for that time! It was only 5KD though, so cheaper than leaving it in the official car parks. I am apprehensive about parking there again though just in case they decide to impound my car. As for the airport taxis, last time I wanted to use them they tried to rip me and another western guy off (they were insisting a trip to Mangaf was 18kd), and I emailed their complaints section but the message just got bounced back to me. Disgraceful.

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