"Offer too good to refuse at Oakland Airport"

Saturday, May 22, 2004

Offer too good to refuse at airport
Oakland passengers can avoid car fares during summer
By Alec Rosenberg
The San Mateo County (CA) Times


OAKLAND -- A NEW PARKING lot next to Oakland International Airport is
making an offer travelers may find hard to refuse -- free parking all
summer long. Parking Company of America Airports is opening a
2,400-space parking lot Tuesday at the intersection of Pardee Drive and
Swan Way near Hegenberger Road and the airport entrance. Travelers will
receive free parking through Aug. 31. The only requirement is a minimum
stay of 12 hours. 

Oakland has been one of the nation's fastest-growing airports, led by
low-fare carriers such as Southwest Airlines and JetBlue Airways. That
growth has increased demand for parking -- the airport's 7,500 parking
spaces typically fill up on holiday weekends and the 5,000 off-site
spaces also are popular. 

PCA's offer, which could cut into business of other off-site parking
lots, is potentially equivalent to 200,000 days of free parking or a $2
million investment. PCA said it wants to build awareness and loyalty at
its new Hegenberger lot, which will celebrate its grand opening at 8
a.m. Wednesday. 

"By giving free parking, people will definitely find us," PCA Vice
President Dave Lawson said. 

PCA also is offering San Francisco airport customers one day of free
parking per trip (minimum two-day stay) this summer at its Produce
Avenue parking lot. But the free parking doesn't sit well with other
off-site airport parking operators, who charge about $7 to $9 a day.

"That's going to hurt us definitely," said Faraj Ezubeik, manager of
Expresso Airport Parking, a 1,000-space parking lot on Doolittle Drive
in San Leandro. "I'm sure they're going to hurt all of the airport
parking here." 

Expresso, 1.5 miles from the PCA-Hegenberger lot, will continue to focus
on service to keep its customers -- and its 30 employees, he said.
Billed as the lowest priced parking at Oakland airport, Expresso charges
$6.95 a day and gives 15 percent discounts to AAA members and major
corporations. Shuttles leave every 10 minutes and customers get free
coffee, muffins and newspapers. 

"We are trying to compete," Ezubeik said. 

PCA also will compete against itself. PCA operates two other Oakland
parking lots on 98th Avenue. Those lots, with an average daily rate of
$9, have about 1,400 spaces combined, which usually fill up on weekends.


"People are looking for places to park," Lawson said. 

The Hegenberger lot will employ 50 people and, like other PCA lots,
accepts reservations online at PCAFreeParking.com or by calling (877)
888-7275. 

"You can't compete with free," acknowledged PCA spokesman Jack Lyness.
"We're hoping that a significant amount of the traffic comes from people
who don't fly Oakland. That way nobody in Oakland loses." 

Oakland airport's passenger traffic rose 7 percent in 2003 to a record
13.5 million passengers, Oakland's seventh straight year of growth. 

Oakland airport charges $17 a day to park in its economy lot. The
airport is undergoing a $500 million expansion, which will include
adding a seven-story, 6,000-space parking garage. 

Some travelers prefer parking at the airport, while others choose to
park off-site because of the lower prices, airport spokeswoman Cyndy
Johnson said. 

"We really don't know what kind of impact this promotion will have on
our parking," Johnson said. "We really see the impact on the other
off-airport parking providers. They're the ones that are going to lose a
lot of revenue." Meanwhile, PCA is getting its red buses ready for
Memorial Day traffic and the five-minute ride between the Hegenberger
lot and airport terminals. 

"We're hoping that the additional savings of $100 or more on a family
vacation, or $30-$40 on a short business trip, will entice even more
people from around the Bay Area to give Oakland airport -- and
PCA-Hegenberger -- a try," PCA Chief Executive Alex Chaves said in a
statement. 

Downey-based PCA, which in October merged with AviStar Airport Parking,
operates 21 parking lots at 14 U.S. airports.


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