"$8,800 fee for parking? Cars at airport since Katrina"

Monday, April 9, 2007

$8,800 fee for parking? Cars at airport since Katrina
The Associated Press

 
Kenner, La. -- About two dozen vehicles that have been languishing in the
parking lots at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport since
Hurricane Katrina are running up quite a bill -- and creating revenue
headaches for the airport.

Airport officials say 10 cars are still in the short-term parking lot, while
another dozen or so have been parked in the long-term lot since Katrina hit
on Aug. 29, 2005.

The cars are costing the garages thousands of dollars by clogging up
lucrative parking spaces, yet to remove them without locating the owners to
pay the mounting parking fees translates into lost revenue.

"We're struggling with this," said Carol Lowe, the airport's deputy director
of commercial management.

The airport has direct oversight of the short-term garage. The long-term
facility is operated by New South Parking of Houston.

The airport has had limited success in trying to track down the owners by
running license plates through a state-managed database, Lowe said.

Some vehicles have been claimed -- with bills of more than $8,800 for
short-term parking. Lowe said in most instances, especially with more
expensive cars, insurance policies should cover the fees.

For the remaining cases, "we're trying to be reasonable," Lowe said. "But at
the same time, these vehicles are taking up places where, when we're filled
up, we could have leased out and made money."

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