By Andrea K. Walker , andrea.walker@baltsun.com|July 28, 2009
The tough economy has taken its toll on a free parking perk travelers have enjoyed for years at BWI airport.
Thirty minutes of parking, convenient for people who wanted to run in quickly and greet arriving travelers or help someone carry in a suitcase, used to be free in the daily garage at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.
But that free parking ended last week as a decline in travel by consumers has left airports such as BWI looking to cut costs or find additional revenue.
BWI is now charging $2 for the first 30 minutes, a change that it expects to bring in $500,000 in annual revenue. The daily maximum of $20 has not changed.
"It's primarily a financial decision," said Jonathan Dean, a spokesman for the airport. "During this economic downturn, BWI has worked to contain costs and raise revenue where possible."
Airports across the country are facing the same predicament as they experience the trickle-down effects of the struggling airline industry. As airlines cut flights, that affects revenue at airports. Airlines pay airports fees based on such things as the number of passengers, weight of planes and how much real estate they take up in an airport. Fewer people traveling also mean fewer people paying for amenities such as parking.
"As airline travel goes, so goes the airport," said Henry Harteveldt, a travel industry analyst for Forrester Research. "The fewer flights and the fewer passengers flying means that airports have to find a way to keep the beast fed. There are enormous fixed costs to running an airport."
Harteveldt said it's unusual for an airport the size of BWI to offer free parking close to the terminal and not surprising that it would be one of the first amenities to go in tough times. Dean noted that the airport has a free cell phone parking lot with 50 spaces where drivers can wait if they're picking up someone.
BWI's new fees are comparable to airports in the area. Reagan National Airport charges $2 per half hour for the first two hours. Philadelphia's airport is $3 for the first half hour, while Dulles International Airport charges $4 per hour. These airports also have free cell phone lots.
Dean said the free lot helped with traffic flow during a recent expansion of the airport. Now that construction is completed, the pickup area is easier to navigate and the free parking isn't needed as much, he said.
