Palm Beach Int'l Airport Parking Forces Early Arrival

Aug. 10, 2006
Construction on a new seven-story parking garage at Palm Beach International Airport has closed one of the long-term lots, leaving 719 fewer spaces for people to park.

Accustomed to driving your car to the airport, into the long-term parking garage and out of the baking South Florida sun?

Get ready to rough it for a while.

Construction on a new seven-story parking garage at Palm Beach International Airport has closed one of the long-term lots, leaving 719 fewer spaces for people to park. Only 1,967 of those prime spots remain. Parking in the premium area also has been reduced by 50 spaces.

When space runs out, passengers are sent to the airport's park-and-ride lot. You will save $6 a day, but it's farther from the terminal. A shuttle, which officials say could take up to 20 minutes, is the only way to get to your plane.

"There is a little bit of an inconvenience now," airport spokeswoman Lisa De La Rionda said. "We want to get through this with as minimal an impact to our customers because inconveniences can leave a lasting impression."

Construction on the 3,200-space garage started about a month ago. When it opens next year, the garage will nearly double the number of long-term parking spaces.

For now, the number of spots available in the long-term area varies by the hour, so airport officials say it's best to plan on taking the shuttle, and arriving 20 minutes earlier than usual.

If you find a closer spot, "then you've got 20 extra minutes to relax," De La Rionda said.

An electronic message board near the airport's entrance alerts drivers when the long-term parking area is full and directs them to the park-and-ride lot. There are also two other permanent signs that flash when the long-term area is out of room.

Since construction began, airport officials have monitored the long-term area continuously. Computers track the number of parking tickets taken at the entrance gate throughout the day, as well as the number of cars that leave the lot. Manual counts are also taken by airport employees, De La Rionda said.

If the long-term lot is full, large groups can save time by dropping off passengers outside the terminal, she said. That way, only the person driving the car will have to use the shuttle, she said.

Three buses constantly loop the airport and the park-and-ride area, picking up passengers at 12 bus stops located throughout the 4,037-space lot.

There are two pickup points outside the baggage claim area, where passengers can wait for a shuttle to take them back to their cars.

Airport officials started discussing plans to build the new garage more than six years ago to handle increasing passenger traffic. The plan was shelved, however, when airline travel plummeted after the Sept. 11 attacks.

But it was revived last year because of continuous record-breaking traffic at PBIA. At the time, airport officials said demand for overnight parking had grown so much that the long-term lot had to be closed several times a week because it was full.

The garage is expected to open by the end of next year, although minor construction will continue through the spring of 2008, De La Rionda said.

Long-term headache

Long-term parking

Before: 2,686 spaces.

Now: 1,967 spaces; 1,768 in the garage and 199 in one lot; 719 spaces were lost to construction.

After: 3,200 spaces in the new garage; 5,167 total when the garage opens next year.

Premium parking

Before: 142 spaces.

Now: 92 spaces; 50 spaces lost to construction.

Bottom line

Travelers parking cars should get there 20 minutes earlier than they usually would.

News stories provided by third parties are not edited by "Site Publication" staff. For suggestions and comments, please click the Contact link at the bottom of this page.