You may not get first-class treatment, but your car can

You may not feel pampered by air travel these days, but the same can’t be said for your vehicle if you park it in a private, off-airport lot or garage.

While you rub elbows -- and more -- with airborne seatmates, hunt for legroom and fret about cabin air quality, your car can get a wash and a wax, an oil change, even a new windshield, then rest blissfully inside a ventilated garage free of pesky air pollutants.

Some lots even afford car owners privileges such as valet parking, reserved spaces, bottled water and frequent-flier miles.

Focused on catching their flight or getting back home, many travelers rush past perks and services they don’t know exist -- if they can find the private garage at all. But that may be changing.

Armed with Internet search skills and frustrated by rising fees at airport-run parking, more leisure travelers are discovering what business fliers have long known: You can get more services at private garages than at public lots, often for about the same price.

A day of parking, for instance, costs $10 at public Lot C, run by LAX. To get from the lot to the terminal, you lug your bags to a pickup point and onto the shuttle bus, then wait while it makes its rounds before heading out of the lot.

But for $12 or less a day, you can park a few blocks away at private lots and get help loading and unloading your luggage on a private shuttle. Some offer covered and valet parking too, usually at extra cost.

Here are some services and deals, exotic and not, that you’ll find at private garages that serve airports across the country:

* Washing and detailing: Offered by many private lots, these services are rarely bargains, but they’re convenient.

Star Park at Bob Hope airport in Burbank, for instance, charges $13 for a hand wash, $69.95 for a wash and hand wax, $28 for “express detail” and up to $195 for more extensive detailing.

At the Parking Spot, 5701 W. Century Blvd., near LAX, a car wash is $15 to $20 and a “basic detail” is $100 to $130, depending on the vehicle; you must valet park.

* Maintenance and repairs: At the Parking Spot on Century Boulevard, oil changes start at $35.91, tire rotation at $20 and transmission maintenance at $95.19. Although about a third of car owners who valet park order a wash, few use pricier services, said Chris Fincutter, general manager. Some lots also replace windshields; at Executive Valet Parking, which serves Bradley airport near Hartford, Conn., prices start at $119.95.

* Reservations: In many cities, including Los Angeles, there may be little reason to reserve online because parking, even during holidays, rarely sells out. Nevertheless, some people want the peace of mind of a guaranteed place and price.

Among sites offering this service are www.airportparkingreservations.com, covering various lots near 65 airports in the United States and Canada, with a $4 fee, and www.theparkingspot.com, a chain with 11 lots in six cities, including two in L.A., for a $4.95 fee.

* Creature comforts: Newspapers (while they last, which is not long) at check-in and bottled water at check-out are offered to Parking Spot customers. In Dallas, the chain is testing on-board music on its shuttles. Don’t expect coffee outlets or newsstands because customers are reluctant to linger before or after flights, said Tom Lombardi, president of www.airportparkingreservations.com.

* Discounts: Private lots may reduce rates during slow periods and raise them at high-demand times, such as spring break. Check the lots’ websites for cut-rate coupons and specials; some also give AAA discounts.

Frequent-parker programs are becoming more prevalent. With the Spot Club, first offered to corporate customers and now to leisure travelers, you can earn one day of free parking for every seven paid days at most Parking Spot lots, said Mark Wildman, director of marketing. (The Los Angeles lots plan to offer this program by the end of the summer.)

* Frequent-flier miles: At some lots, you earn miles without leaving the ground. MasterPark lots near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport credit 50 miles per day to customers’ Alaska Airlines accounts. They also offer computer kiosks where you can check in for Alaska’s flights.

* Hotel packages: Hammered by low occupancies after the Sept. 11-induced travel slump, more airport-adjacent hotels turned to parking for extra income and customers, Lombardi said.

Deals that combine a night’s hotel stay with parking may cost little more than the parking alone -- plus you get a head start on your morning flight. You can call hotels yourself or book packages near 75 airports at www.parksleepfly.com ($4 service fee, plus deposit), sister to Lombardi’s other website.

* Kennels: Park ‘N Bark Pet Resort, www.airportparknbark.com, a few minutes’ drive from Atlanta’s airport, will put up your cat for $15 per day or your dog for $20, and throw in parking at a nearby lot, with shuttle service to the airport. At least for now. (Co-owner Sherri O’Neal said she might revise or end the service after her kennels’ contract with the lot ends in October.)

* Pristine air: For the fastidious, there’s Johnny Park near LAX. At its garage, www.johnnyparklax.com says, “We have installed a state-of-the-art computer ventilation system. This will ensure that your car will never be exposed to air pollutants or jet fuel.”

Even the windows are sealed, General Manager Anwar Abdulla said. Daily rates, which vary, recently were $10.95 in the garage and $8.95 at the outdoor lot.

As for the future, Lombardi envisions a day when you’ll use a card issued by the parking lot to check in for your flight; check into a hotel and pay for a rental car at your destination; and debit your parking on return. You’ll never have to deal with a human.

For time-pressed travelers, that may be the ultimate service.

Jane Engle welcomes comments but can’t respond individually to letters and calls. Write Travel Insider, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. 1st St., L.A., CA 90012, or e-mail jane.engle@latimes.com.