Those who use the short-term parking ramp at Buffalo Niagara International Airport will likely lose their 30-minute window of free parking - and pay $2 more per day.
But other airport lots will offer an expanded two-hour period of free parking.
"We'll be maximizing revenues from those who want the added convenience of the parking garage, while giving more time to parkers who are dropping off or picking up, which often takes more than 30 minutes," said Greg Stamm, chairman of the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority.
The change in parking fees, which will see action at the NFTA board's March session and likely go into effect April 1, is projected to boost annual airport parking revenues by as much as $500,000.
In addition to ending "free time" in the short-term ramp, the proposal would raise the daily cap on garage parking charges to $20 per day, from the current $18.
The hourly parking rates for all other airport lots would remain at $3. The rate kicks in after the first two hours of free parking.
The 844-space, short-term parking garage, located directly in front of the airport terminal, is often full, according to airport officials.
The building is a popular option for those who plan to spend only a few minutes at the airport but are barred by federal security rules from parking on the circulatory road at the terminal doors. But it also has attracted more longer-term users.
The NFTA, which keeps a close watch on parking patterns, has noted a rising percentage of all-day and overnight parkers in the garage, which was intended for quick airport visits.
If approved, this will mark the first change in airport parking policies since April 1, 2005, when the NFTA boosted hourly fees in the short-term lot to a maximum charge of $18, from $15. The hourly cost of parking in the airport's long-term lots also was increased to $3, from $2.50, at that time.
The "first 30 minutes free" policy has been in place since April 2003.
Source: Buffalo News
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