"Airport's Parking Lots Put Drivers on Standby"

Thursday, June 24, 2004

Airport's Parking Lots Put Drivers on Standby
By Steven Ginsberg
The Washington (DC) Post


John Moot figured that whatever circling he would be doing yesterday
would be on his descent into Boston. But here he was, stuck on terra
firma, stopping, starting and reversing in a parking garage at Reagan
National Airport looking for a space to land his Saab convertible.   
 
He spotted one, at last, and with a squeal of tire against pavement
zipped his car into it. 

"This is the first time I've ever encountered this," said Moot, who
flies from National every couple of weeks. "It's always been so
convenient. I guess it's not so convenient anymore. 

"If this is a regular problem, this will not be a good thing," he added,
before rushing off to catch his flight. 

It might well be a regular problem at National, where the 7,500 parking
spots were filled yesterday for the fourth time this year. Airport
officials said they expect to be at capacity again today despite using
about 100 employee spaces to handle the rush of passengers. 

The long lines of cars and anxious passengers coming out of them were
the latest sign that airport traffic -- and all of its attendant
problems -- has returned to pre-Sept. 11, 2001, levels. After years of
focusing on security issues, airport managers are being reminded of the
challenges they faced before the terrorist attacks: a shortage of
parking, busy terminals and long ticket lines. 

Washington Metropolitan Airports Authority spokesman Tom Sullivan said a
lack of parking at National is "a good problem to have because it means
traffic is back, but it also means airports are refocusing on capacity
issues again." 

Sullivan attributed the situation to a mix of business and leisure
travelers that peaks on Wednesdays and Thursdays. 

"What we're assuming is that business travelers are still out on
business, and I guess it's one of the first weeks most school systems
are out for summer, so we're really starting to see the start of summer
travel," Sullivan said. 

Airport officials have predicted that traffic at National will rebound
to 15 million passengers this year, after dropping as low as 12.9
million in 2002. Similarly, traffic at Dulles International Airport is
expected to come close to the 20 million mark, about where it was in
2000 before a low of 16.9 million last year, officials said. 

Baltimore-Washington International Airport officials said the airport
reached pre-Sept. 11 levels last year and has experienced a double-digit
percentage increase in volume since then. 

Parking problems have not extended to Dulles and BWI, both of which have
added thousands of spaces in recent years. Dulles has 25,000 spots, and
BWI has 30,000. 

But National doesn't have the acreage that those two facilities do and
has a limited ability to expand. Sullivan said that managers are looking
for ways to add spaces, probably by adding parking decks to existing
lots, but that there are no short-term fixes. 

Sullivan said travelers to National should call 703-417-PARK (7275) to
find out how many spaces are available. If there are fewer than 200, he
recommended taking Metro, a taxi, a van service or a lift from a friend.
If drivers get to the airport and find no spots, they'll have to wait
because there is no off-site parking, Sullivan said. 

That's exactly what some drivers were doing yesterday. They stared at
red signs that said "FULL" as they lined up three and more deep waiting
for the gates to rise so they could hunt for a spot. Some got frustrated
and backed away, gambling that they would have better luck at another
lot.   
 
Jeff Stalnaker sat in his pickup for 15 minutes before he got through,
then had to circle inside the garage a couple of times before finding a
spot. He said he sat and waited because he had heard that the economy
lot was full, too. 

"I don't think I had much of a choice today," said Stalnaker, who was at
National to pick up his mother. "I'm lucky I left a little early." 

The Waldorf resident said parking was enough of a hassle that he would
consider having his mother fly to BWI next time. 

Over on the other side of the garage, James Jeffries was also searching
for a spot, at one moment backing up his van in hopes of finding one and
in the next speeding ahead in search of another. 

Jeffries, a courier who goes to the airport three or four times a week,
wasn't prepared to look for long. He gave up quickly and parked his van
illegally on a crosswalk. 

"This is the first time I've ever had a problem parking," he said before
shrugging his shoulders and walking away.


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