Starting May 1, rates will go up, the Metropolitan Airports Commission board decided Monday.
General parking rates will double for the first hour from $4 now to $8 at both the Lindbergh and Humphrey terminals. The increase is aimed at encouraging short-term parkers to pass up the general parking ramps intended for longer-term parkers.
The maximum general parking rate at the Lindbergh will rise from $15 a day to $18. At the smaller Humphrey, it will go from $13 to $14.
Short-term parking at both terminals will now be $5 for the first hour. That's up from $3 for the first 30 minutes or $4 the first hour.
Valet parking fees are going up, too. From November through April, they'll be $40, up from $30. The rest of the year, they'll be $28, up from $25.
To soften the blow, the airport discount given for paying for parking with a debit or credit card will double to $2.
All this means it will be $4 a day cheaper to park at the Humphrey Terminal instead of the Lindbergh, where parking ramps have filled at times.
Given a surge in passenger traffic at the airport and the strong demand for on-site parking, the MAC felt it could raise rates for its 19,000 parking spaces.
The increase, the first in nearly two years is expected to add $12 million a year to the MAC's till. It gets about $55 million a year in parking revenue now.
