Charlotte airport parking fees just increased again. Why the rise in costs now?
Parking fees at Charlotte Douglas International Airport increased again for all lot and deck spaces, starting Nov. 6.
The rate changes are being made because of a growing number of local passengers and investments in the parking programs, which includes an expansion of facilities, airport officials said in a news release. Parking areas are full or near capacity because of customers leaving their vehicles at the airport.
Among the different parking choices, the hourly rate will increase from $6 ($24 daily max) to $8 ($32 daily max). It’s free for the first 15 minutes. That’s a 33% increase.
The fee to park in the daily deck is growing from $12 to $20. That 67% hike to the cost to park at the airport represents the biggest change for airport parking in the latest round of fees.
Changes are also coming to valet service, $35 to $45 (28% change); Express Deck Preferred, $16 to $24 (50% hike); Express Deck Self-Park, $16 to $20 (25% raise); Daily North, $12 to $14 (17% increase); and Long Term Lots 1 & 2 move from $10 to $12 (20% hike).
Charlotte Douglas officials declined to provide additional comments about the rate changes on Monday.
The last time the airport raised parking prices was July 2021. The latest increases are in line with other major airports that made changes after the pandemic, airport officials said.
Rates at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, about 2 /12 hours away from Charlotte, increased in May. The hourly rates for basic parking options based on location range from $3 per hour to $7.50 per hour. The daily maximum rates are $12 to $30 per day.
Passengers are being encouraged by the airport to book parking online for availability at parkCLT.com or through the CLT Airport app. Discounts are offered to customers subscribed to the email parking service.
About Charlotte Douglas Airport
The Charlotte airport is the seventh busiest airport in the world and had nearly 48 million passengers and more than 505,000 arrivals and departures last year. This year’s total is expected to exceed 2019’s record-breaking count at 50 million, according to a monthly CLT activity report and data from Airports Council International.
The airport averages 1,400 daily aircraft arrivals and departures and 4 million passengers each month for people traveling to, from and through Charlotte for connecting flights.
This story was originally published October 31, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
