Hybrid vehicle drivers know all about the advantages of driving "green" cars.  These vehicles combine the best of regular cars with the best of electric cars. Hybrid cars have lower toxic emissions and better fuel economy. Owners save a considerable amount on fuel costs long term. These vehicles are safe, reliable and comfortable, and today there are even tax benefits for buying a hybrid car.

Today there's one more advantage of driving a hybrid to consider – preferred parking! Chicago's Midway airport offers preferred parking for hybrid vehicles. This makes parking at Midway much more convenient, and hybrid drivers are practically guaranteed a good parking space.

You can easily find and download a map detailing Preferred Parking spaces for hybrid vehicles at Midway. There are 6 spaces located in Employee Parking lot B, and 1 space designated in Employee Parking lot A.

Midway's Orange Economy Parking Lot offers 14 hybrid vehicle spaces. This is a great choice for hybrid drivers who prefer economy long-term parking. There are also 13 hybrid car spaces in the Terminal Parking Garage.

The Red Economy Parking Lot at Midway has 11 hybrid spaces available, while the Yellow Economy Lot has 3 spaces. The Terminal Parking Garage spots are the most convenient spaces as they are closest to the Terminal. The Yellow Lot and Red Lot options are the next in proximity to the Terminal respectively. The Orange Lot and Employee Lots are the farthest away.

Preferred parking spaces for hybrid vehicles at Chicago Midway International Airport are designated by the green leaf symbol. These spaces are located close to elevator lobbies in parking garages or near Shuttle Bus Stops in surface lots.

Midway airport is one among many airports across the nation that now offer preferred parking as a type of reward or incentive for drivers who go green with hybrid cars.

Some airports such as Boston's Logan International Airport not only offer preferred hybrid parking, but grant preferred parking privileges to clean fuel vehicle taxis. Clean fuel taxis get head-of-line privileges at the airport's taxi stand.

This is a big incentive for taxi companies that serve the airport, as it equates to more time on the road, less time in the taxi queue and subsequently, more earnings in fares. Not only do green taxi companies save on the cost of fuel, they're able to earn more on airport transfers in the process.

If you happen to drive a hydrogen vehicle and you're traveling out of a Los Angeles airport, you may be able to take advantage of the public access hydrogen fueling station at LAX. This BP station serves not only the fleet of hydrogen vehicles owned by Los Angeles World Airports and operated at LAX, but the growing number of owners in the community driving cars powered by hydrogen.

Promoting and supporting hybrid vehicle use is just one aspect of eco-friendly trends that are becoming popular with airports around the world. Airports can do little to reduce the emissions produced by airplanes, but they seem eager to support the reduction of ground level emissions through the use of clean energy cars.

If you're exploring options to save on parking at La Guardia, you'll find plenty of options with a quick search online. You can opt to park at the airport, but parking lots there can fill up, especially during peak travel times. There's no shortage of off site parking options that offer guaranteed parking space and discounted rates, but there's still the hassle of driving to any parking area near the airport.

Even New Yorkers in the know about the traffic situation around La Guardia dread trips to the airport. Whether you're traveling from midtown Manhattan or another location makes little difference. Routes to the airport involve everything from costly tolls to serious delays in traffic at the Midtown Tunnel, the Grand Central Parkway or the Long Island Expressway near Queens Blvd. Not only is the drive to La Guardia arduous, it's unpredictable in terms of how fast you'll be able to make it to the airport.

Park, Sleep and Fly packages available at nearby hotels can relieve the burden of driving to the airport to make a flight on time. These packages usually include free shuttle service to the nearby hotel, or at most involve a very short (and cheap) taxi ride.

If you have an early morning flight and you'd like to avoid the dreaded drive to La Guardia plus save a lot of money on parking, a Park, Sleep and Fly package may be the best choice. La Guardia primarily handles domestic flights, and if you'll be returning within 7 days, parking will probably be free with just one night's stay at a Park, Sleep and Fly hotel.

Park, Sleep and Fly packages are popular with travelers going through major airports, but they aren't necessarily the best choice for everyone at all times. The timing of your flight has a lot to do with whether or not this option makes the most sense.

If you're taking an afternoon flight that won't involve rush hour traffic, driving yourself to an off site airport parking site may be the best choice. Nothing says you won't run into traffic delays, but the odds are much better you won't during non-peak traffic times. This also applies for weekend flights when traffic isn't likely to be overly heavy.

Think you'll be fine to drive and park yourself for an evening flight out of La Guardia? This may be the case, but traffic is very unpredictable in the early evening. Consider that even if your flight is at 8:00 pm, you'll want to arrive at the airport by around 6:00 pm, as La Guardia is very busy during late afternoon and evening hours. This means you'll need to drive to La Guardia during evening commute hours, which can involve serious delays.

Consider when you'll be returning from your trip when deciding on Park, Sleep and Fly, too. Will you arrive just in time to hit evening rush hour traffic? You might be much more comfortable relaxing at the hotel where your car is parked for an hour or so than you would be sitting around La Guardia waiting for traffic to die down.