Free Parking at Major Texas Airports for Veterans

I recently returned from a seven day trip to Dubai with my six year old son. We had a great time, the trip report is coming soon. During the planning phase of the trip, I tried to cover every base to ensure the least amount of time spent going to/from the airport.

I have parked at the terminals at Dallas/Fort Worth international Airport for the cost efficient $24USD/day due to running late or not wanting to deal with shuttles. As a recently retired member of the armed services, I came across a “deal” I did not know existed.

DFW Airport offers complimentary parking for vehicles with military plates.

Eligible vehicles include:

⁃ Disabled veterans license plates issued by the state of Texas or any U.S. state that indicates the owner of the vehicle is a disabled veteran of the U.S. armed forces.

⁃ Military specialty plates issued by the state of Texas are eligible for complimentary parking as well. The plates included, but are not limited to Bronze Star Medal, Commendation Medal with Valor, Meritorious Service Medal, Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, and Congressional Medal of Honor, to name a few.

The vehicle is ineligible if it has temporary plates or has not mounted the permanent plates.

Here are the steps I completed to receive the complimentary parking:

⁃ Disabled my NTTA toll tag. Doing this keeps the vehicle from being charged as DFW airport entrances/exits are toll roads. I was able to disable the toll tag through the NTTA website.

⁃ I pulled a ticket and displayed it on my dashboard while I was traveling. DFW allows up to 90 consecutive days of parking.

⁃ Exit through a cash lane. There were three on the left side of the northbound exits this past Saturday. The cashier stepped out to verify my plates and waived the associated fees for parking, approximately $200USD, at the terminal.

Final Word

This is such a cool program for veterans using airports in Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. This seems to have been a thing for awhile but I did not know about it as I have not been traveling as much in the past year. If you knew about this offering, please share with your veteran friends…if you did not know about this, you are welcome. Take care.