Los Angeles International Airport, the first port of call for almost every Australian travelling to the US, announced on December 31 that they would be closing the cheapest of their three parking lots (Parking Lot B) and converting it to employee parking only.
Management claims that this change represents an effort to consolidate their parking operations, meaning fewer shuttles between parking areas and the terminal. Benefits for the consumer are that the remaining parking lots are closer to the airport than the economy lot, and that the existing employee parking will be available for any overflows in peak seasons such as Christmas and Thanksgiving. At the same time however, there has been a rate increase of $2 per day up to $12.
A report issued by US Today on January 19 indicates that 15 major airports across the US raised their parking fees in 2009. In that country domestic airport parking revenue rose 2.6% in 2008 to $3 billion, even as passenger volumes fell 3.6% to 735 million.