BUF Airport Parking Operator Lays Off 90 Due to COVID-19 Dropoff

Sept. 30, 2020

Ninety employees of SP+, the firm that operates parking facilities at Buffalo Niagara International Airport, have been laid off as a result of the drastic reductions in air travel stemming from the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a filing today with the state Department of Labor, SP+ said the furloughs instituted at the beginning of the pandemic in March have now become permanent.

The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but officials of the Niagara Frontier Transortation Authority – the airport operator – noted that passenger levels remain as much as 85% below normal levels due to the dropoff in air traffic.

"Things have bounced back a bit, but unfortunately, not that much," said NFTA spokeswoman Helen Tederous, noting the closure of the Canadian border has significantly decreased the airport's passenger base.

Many concessions along the airport's concourse have also shuttered, though some – such as the new Elmwood Market – have opened during the busiest portions of the day, she said.

Tederous said no authority employees have been laid off in response to Covid-19 conditions, but noted that some airport parking facilities have been consolidated. She said the affected employees include those processing payments in the lot booths, maintenance personnel and shuttle drivers.

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