Why a Tow Costs More Near Piedmont Triad Airport in Greensboro

A tow near Piedmont Triad International Airport often costs more than one downtown for one main reason: the haul to your shop. The airport sits west of Greensboro, between Greensboro, Winston-Salem and High Point. If your shop is near Elm Street, your car makes a long ride east into town. Where it quit counts too, like inside the 7-foot Premium Garage or on an I-73 ramp. You get your price by text before anyone is sent.

Why is a tow from the airport priced higher than one downtown?

Most of a tow price follows the ride your car takes on the truck. Near the airport, that ride is often long.

The airport's own directions show the distance. From Greensboro, you take I-40 West to exit 212B. You merge onto the Urban Loop, then follow Bryan Boulevard west to the airport exit. From Winston-Salem, you leave I-40 at exit 210, take NC 68 North for about 3 miles, then get on I-73 South.

Say you land late and your car won't start in the Economy Lot. Your shop is near downtown on Elm Street. Your car has to ride Bryan Boulevard and the loop all the way back east. Now say your shop sits a short drive from the airport. Same dead car, much shorter ride. That gap is most of the price difference.

Compare a car that quits on Gate City Boulevard near the Coliseum. If your shop is close by, the haul is short and the job is smaller.

Which shop should you choose if your car dies near PTI?

This is the biggest choice you make on the call. Out here you're between three cities, not one. Think it through before you dial if you can.

• You live in Winston-Salem or High Point. A shop near home may be a shorter haul than one across Greensboro. Ask yourself where you want to pick the car up later.
• Your regular shop is in east Greensboro. That's a long ride from the airport. A shop closer to PTI can find the problem first. You can move the car to your usual shop later.
• You're in a rental. Call the roadside number on your rental papers first. The rental company may have its own plan for its car.
• You don't know any shops out here. Say so. Pointing you to a good repair shop is part of the Stay-With-You Promise.

Have the shop's name and street address ready. "The place by the airport" won't help your driver at night.

Does it matter where at the airport your car stopped?

Yes. "At the airport" is not an address. PTI sits on a 4,000-acre campus with more than 50 companies on it. Give the exact spot, and name a landmark like Airport Parkway or the loop road by the airport hotel if you're outside the lots.

Inside the Premium Garage

The garage has 2,000 spaces on several levels, about 40 yards across from the terminal. Its entrances are on the departure and arrival levels. The airport's parking terms say the garage takes vehicles up to 7 feet tall and 20 feet long. Even the airport shuttle doesn't go in, because of the height limit.

That limit shapes the job. A tow truck may not fit inside. So tell the dispatcher you're in the garage, which level, and a landmark near your car, like the EV chargers on Levels 1 and 2. If the car only needs a jump, say that too. Your partner plans how to reach the car before anyone is sent, and your texted price covers that plan.

In the Economy Lots

These lots sit on both sides of the garage. A free shuttle runs to the terminal around the clock. Note which side of the garage you're on and the nearest sign you can read. A car in an open lot with room around it is the simpler kind of pickup.

In the short-term spaces out front

Short-term spaces are in front of the building, on both the departure and arrival levels. They're pay-by-plate for up to four hours, and the airport asks you not to leave a car there longer. PTI has no cell phone lot either. If your car quits out front, call right away so it doesn't sit.

The parking terms also say the Airport Authority can move or tow a parked vehicle for operational, safety or security reasons. If it does, you pay its towing and storage costs. That bill is separate from anything you book with us.

Is it just a dead battery from sitting while you were away?

Often it is. A car that sits in a lot for a week can come back to a weak battery. NOAA keeps a weather station right at the airport. Its 1991 to 2020 normals there show about 65 nights a year at or below 32°F. January's normal low is about 30°F. Summer is hard on batteries too, with about 29 days a year at 90°F or hotter.

Listen when you turn the key. A click or a slow crank points to the battery. That's a jump start, which is a smaller job than a tow. If the car starts and then dies again, it needs a car tow to a shop.

Landing late? The terminal is open all day and all night. If you parked in the garage and get in late in the evening, the airport says to call Airport Communications at 336-665-5642, or use a courtesy phone in baggage claim, for an escort to your car. Airport police work around the clock too. You can wait inside, warm and in the light, and track your truck on a map until your driver is close.

What if you break down on the roads around the airport?

The airport's directions use Bryan Boulevard, NC 68 and I-73 to reach the terminal, with most routes starting on I-40. I-40 and I-73 are divided interstates. A truck coming from the wrong side has to go to the next exit and turn back. Give three things when you call:

1. The road. I-73 leaves the Urban Loop at Bryan Boulevard, so say clearly which one you're on.
2. Your direction. Heading toward the airport, or heading back toward Greensboro or Winston-Salem.
3. The last exit or cross street. For example, I-40 exit 210 at NC 68, or exit 212B.

If anyone is hurt, or your car is stuck in a live lane, call 911 first. Sentinel is not an emergency service. After a small crash where nobody is hurt and every car can drive, North Carolina's G.S. 20-166 says to move out of the travel lane to the shoulder as soon as you can. Then turn on your hazards and stay buckled in if the shoulder is narrow.

What else moves a tow price near PTI?

Distance is the big local piece. These matter on every airport-area job:

• What you drive. A small car is a simple load. An all-wheel-drive SUV or a light pickup may need a flatbed.
• What went wrong. A flat with a good spare can be a flat tire change. Keys locked inside is a car lockout. Neither one needs a tow.
• Where it sits. A car that rolled off the pavement on a ramp may need a winch-out before it can be loaded.
• Where it goes. The shop's address sets the length of the haul. A closer shop means a shorter one.

What if the airport towed your car?

Sentinel doesn't do impounds or airport tows. Start with the airport. Its 24 Hour Info line is 336-665-5666, and Parking Services is 336-665-5631. The parking terms also say a car left unclaimed for more than 90 days can be removed under the airport's Abandoned Vehicle Policy, so don't let it sit. If your car won't run once it's released, we can send a partner to tow it to your shop.

How does Sentinel price a tow near the airport?

Sentinel Towing is a towing and roadside network. A vetted local partner tow company does the job, not us. You tell us where the car is, what you drive and which shop it should go to. We text your price before anyone is sent. That price is the most you pay for the job. If the job changes, we text a new price first, and you decide. Then we check on you by text until your truck arrives. If your car goes on the truck, you can ride along when it's safe and allowed, or we help you get a ride. You can read how it works, or see the Greensboro towing page for the rest of the city.

Stuck right now? Call 1-888-TOW-1213, or request help online.

PTI Airport Tow Price Questions

Rules change, so check the official source before you rely on it. Sources: PTI parking, PTI parking terms, PTI directions, PTI airport operations, PTAA Police, NOAA monthly normals, NOAA annual normals, G.S. 20-166.