flightcar12Leaving your car in an airport parking lot can be a costly expenditure, but one startup founded by a couple 17-year-olds wants to change that.

FlightCar, based in the Bay Area and backed by people like Ashton Kutcher, Alexis Ohanian and Ryan Seacrest, is a peer-to-peer car sharing company that operates at airports.

The premise is somewhat similar to that of companies like Lyft, UberX and Sidecar, but with a focus on travelers. The startup pays you to leave your car at the airport and allows other travelers to zip around town in your vehicle while you’re away.

FlightCar, which has operations in Los Angeles, Boston and San Francisco, today announced a new monthly program at LAX called FlightCar Monthly. With the service, already available at SFO and BOS, long-term travelers can make up to $300 per month and have free parking when they offer up their unused car to pre-screened travelers for at least 30 days.

flightcar12FlightCar already has 15,000 members since Kevin Petrovic and Rujul Zaparde started the company in 2012 when they were only 17. The co-founders, who have raised $6 million, have run into a few regulatory problems dealing with insurance coverage and avoiding airport fees that traditional rental companies like Avis and Hertz are required to pay.

FlightCar offers its renters free insurance, which includes liability and comprehensive collision coverage.

The company tell us that it wants to set up shop in Seattle by the end of this year. However, FlightCar is waiting to see how the city handles similar peer-to-peer transportation services like Lyft, UberX and Sidecar. Seattle City Council is set to enforce a cap on the number of vehicles that those companies can have on the road at a March 17 meeting.

“We hope Seattle helps lead the way in helping startups have the freedom to market new innovative sharing economy service models in the Pacific Northwest and even provides incentives for entrepreneurs to grow large companies that significantly benefit the local economy,” said Zaparde, the company’s CEO.

Like what you're reading? Subscribe to GeekWire's free newsletters to catch every headline

Job Listings on GeekWork

Find more jobs on GeekWork. Employers, post a job here.