Dec. 16--The cost of air travel has been rising lately, and soon it will cost more to park at the airport as well.
Hartsfield-Jackson International plans to announce new rates today for all four types of parking --- economy, daily, hourly and the off-site Park 'n Ride lot. The hourly rate at all lots will go from $1 to $2 an hour, while the maximum daily rate will increase slightly in all lots but the Park 'n Ride.
The changes take effect Jan. 2.
The airport also will add 1,200 parking spaces to the Park 'n Ride lot, bringing the total spaces at the airport to more than 32,000.
Other changes coming, according to Hartsfield-Jackson:
--Shuttle trams to move people between the terminal and the far ends of the North and South lots.
--Automated payment machines at some exits.
--Brighter and more uniform lighting in all decks.
The rate increase --- the first in five years --- comes as record numbers of people use airport lots. The lots were completely sold out several times this year, said airport spokeswoman Felicia Browder.
Raising rates is a way to "balance supply and demand" as well as help pay for the improvements, which will cost about $21 million, she said.
The people most affected are those who use the economy lots, where the daily rate is going from $8 to $10 a day, said Atlanta business travel consultant Chris McGinnis.
"That's the most price-conscious crowd," he said. "I can remember when it was $4 a day. It was so cheap."
Travelers who use close-in hourly lots are more likely to be the kind of people "with expense accounts paid in New York, where $28 a day for parking is nothing," McGinnis said.
Even with the increase, Atlanta's rates are lower than at comparable airports. At Los Angeles International Airport, it costs $3 an hour, and $30 a day, to park inside the terminal. Chicago's O'Hare raised rates this year to a minimum of $2 an hour and up to $50 a day in the hourly lots. In Dallas, daily parking is $16.
Workers will begin putting up signs today to let people know about the rates, said Browder.
Parking fees are a major source of funding for the city-owned airport. Last year, parking accounted for about 25 percent of operating revenue of $263 million.
NEW PRICES, STARTING JAN. 2
Type of parking..?.Current rate....??.. .New rate
Economy..........?.,..$1/hr...$8/day..??.$2/hr...$10/day
Daily............???$1/hr...$12/day.....?.$2/hr...$14/day
Hourly ..........??.. $1/hr...$24/day ??.$2/hr...$28/day
Park -- Ride....?.? $1/hr...$9/day..??..$2/hr...$9/day
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