But some think the pickup area will become only more congested because fewer people will want to park for such a short period if they have to pay a fee. Drivers said the pickup area isn't convenient because you can't wait long because of federal restrictions related to homeland security. Wait more than a few minutes and a police officer will flash his lights or write drivers tickets.
Many people at BWI Monday were surprised by the new fees, which were noted on white pieces of paper taped to the ticket dispenser.
"I don't like it," said Michele Bishop of Glen Burnie as she pulled a suitcase out of her car. "It's going to be a big mess over there," she said pointing to where drivers were dropping off travelers.
"It's a bit of an annoyance," said Christian Clausen, 40, who had just dropped off his wife for a flight. "It caught me by surprise. I was expecting it to be free." Clausen said he might not have parked if he had known he would have to pay.
Wendy Hickman, who lives in Northern Virginia, was dropping off her fiance, an Army reservist who was being deployed to Afghanistan.
"I'd like to go in and see him off without having to pay for it," said Hickman, a student at George Mason University in Virginia.
Airports have been raising parking fees, charging for Internet access and adding more space for kiosk and other retail ventures to help generate more revenue, Harteveldt said. Denver International Airport recently raised some of its parking fees by $1 a day.
BWI has also cut employee travel and slashed $1 million from its advertising budget to reduce operating costs, Dean said. He said there was no shortfall in the budget but that the airport needed to make these changes to keep the budget balanced.
The number of passengers traveling through BWI declined 6.1 percent in May, compared to the same time last year, the latest figures available. Parking revenue is also down, Dean said, although he didn't disclose by how much.
"The airport recognizes the state of the industry and the fact that passenger traffic may not rebound until next year," Dean said.
