Translation: Parveen Shakir

Detroit Metro Airport Raises Long-Term Parking Pates.

Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News November 17, 2003 By Rajiv Vyas, Detroit Free Press Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Nov. 17–With the holiday travel boom on the horizon, Detroit Metro Airport has raised long-term parking rates at the McNamara Terminal to $11 a day. The $1 increase could generate $2.5 million more a year.

The airport has kept the daily rate at $5 for most of the Blue Deck adjacent to the Smith Terminal and at the Yellow lot near the Berry Terminal. Both are long-term. in our site detroit metro airport

The rate increase at McNamara took effect in early October, before the airport’s busy Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

Northwest Airlines and 11 other carriers sent a letter to airport officials asking them to analyze and adjust parking rates to increase revenue.

Analysts said travelers are price-sensitive.

“Large as well as small corporations and individuals like me would count every cost, and parking is an important part,” said Kevin Mitchell, chairman of Business Travel Coalition, a lobbying group for corporate buyers of airline services.

“I have been parking at the McNamara Terminal since it opened,” said Larry Taylor, a builder who lives in Farmington Hills. “It’s working out well, but $11 is a little stiff.” Parking is big business at many airports. At Metro, it is the second-largest source of revenue, accounting for 16 percent of the budget, or $38.5 million. The biggest chunk of money, 46 percent, or $107 million, comes from the fees the airport charges airlines to land planes. go to website detroit metro airport

Airport officials are trying to increase revenues so they can reduce the landing fees for struggling airlines, which have lost a combined $20 billion since 2001. Officials already increased landing fees because of the drop in passenger traffic and increased operating costs. Airlines protested, citing their huge losses.

The last time Metro raised parking rates was May 1, 2000, when it raised the daily rate at the Blue Deck from $10 to $12. The rates were later dropped to $5 as much of the demand for parking shifted to the McNamara Terminal.

The new increase at McNamara is “part of the airport authority’s continued goal to generate as much non-airline revenue as possible to reduce costs to struggling airlines,” said airport spokesman Brian Lassaline.

Valet parking rates at the McNamara Terminal’s Westin Hotel also increased early last month from a daily maximum of $26 to $28.

When the McNamara Terminal parking deck opened in early 2002, the daily rate was $13. It was reduced six months later to $10 to draw more travelers and increase revenue.

Although the airport has increased the parking rate at its most popular lot, off-site parking lots have kept their rates about the same since July.

“The McNamara Terminal structure is high-demand, premium-convenience parking,” said airport spokesman Michael Conway.

Travelers who park at the Blue Deck or other off-site parking lots must take a shuttle to the McNamara Terminal, setting aside about 30 minutes to reach the terminal.

NWAC,