CLT airport parking fees grew by up to 133% in 5 years. Some travelers have had enough
For travelers like George Schwab, the math no longer adds up for paying for parking at Charlotte’s airport, especially with another rate hike looming.
“By the time you go to the long-term lot, park your car, wait for the bus, then slog your luggage onto the bus... it’s a lot of work,” Schwab said. A round-trip Uber from his home in south Charlotte costs about $100, he said. Under the new rates starting March 1, the cheapest long-term parking option for his 11-day trip to Tucson, Arizona, would cost $154.
Charlotte Douglas International Airport will increase parking rates by 9% to 40%, with daily increases ranging from $2 to $8 depending on the lot.
This is the third round of parking fee rate hikes in a little less than five years. During that time, prices to park at CLT have jumped between 40% and 133%. That triple-digit increase was for the Daily Deck, which rose from $12 in 2021 to $28 in March.
Schwab wonders why anyone would bother paying more for parking at the airport nowadays.
“I don’t know why people even do it, especially with the increases,” he said. “It’s ridiculous. It’s insane. Your car is sitting out in the open. Who knows what’s going to happen to it?”
Airport officials defended the latest price hike as a response to rising operating expenses and shifting demand. The city-owned airport did not make any officials available for an interview to answer questions about the rate increases.
Charlotte airport parking rate increases
Here is a breakdown of what to expect starting in March:
Valet: $50 (up from $45) — Pre-book or drive-up Hourly Deck: $35 (up from $32) — Pre-book or drive-up Daily Deck: $28 (up from $20) — Pre-book only Express Deck Self-Park: $24 (up from $20) — Pre-book only Express Deck Preferred: $24 (no change) — Pre-book only Daily North: $18 (up from $14) — Drive-up only Long-Term 1 & 2: $14 (up from $12) — LT1 is pre-book; LT2 is drive-up
All lots except valet remain free for the first 15 minutes.
Why your next CLT trip starts with a bigger bill
According to the airport, the additional revenue from the price increases will fund upgrades to parking safety, infrastructure and reliability to improve the overall passenger experience. The airport did not provide examples of upgrades.
Projected revenue for the parking fee increases also was not provided. But the airport reported gross parking revenue for the past three fiscal years: $94 million for 2023, $115 million for 2024, and $124 million for 2025. That’s a 32% increase over two fiscal years.
“Parking revenue at the airport varies from year to year due to several factors,” the airport said in a statement. “CLT is financially self-sustaining and does not collect local tax dollars.”
The largest increase from current rates to the new ones affects the Daily Deck, where the maximum daily rate will jump by 40%, rising from $20 to $28. The Daily North Deck will see a 29% increase (from $14 to $18), while the Express Deck Self-Park rate will climb 20%, moving from $20 to $24.
These changes followed previous rate hikes in July 2021 and November 2023.
Daily price increases ranged from $10 for long-term parking to $35 for valet in 2021; by 2023, those rates rose to between $12 and $45. Daily increases ranged from $2 to $10, based on the parking area.
Prior to 2021, Charlotte Douglas had maintained steady parking rates for several years. The last price adjustments occurred in September 2016 for Long Term lots and as far back as February 2014 for the Hourly and Daily decks, according to the airport. Those increases were relatively modest, ranging from $2 to $4.
In November 2020 during the COVID pandemic, Charlotte Douglas launched a new parking revenue system to modernize the experience for customers. Plans were underway before the pandemic began.
This new system introduced high-tech features such as license plate recognition for paperless and contactless entry, real-time availability updates and expanded mobile payment options via Google Pay and Apple Pay.
Those digital upgrades built upon the online reservation system launched in 2019, which continues to offer passengers a discounted rate compared to drive-up pricing.
Will more Charlotte travelers swap airport lots for ride shares?
When the airport announced the latest rate hikes in mid-January, Ted Kaplan, the Charlotte airport’s chief business and innovation officer, emphasized in a news release the airport’s commitment to making parking dependable.
Schwab remembers when parking was a different experience at Charlotte Douglas, when he moved to the area decades ago. He recalls when long-term parking was just three bucks a day and gradually increased over the years.
He understands inflation is a factor, too. For now, Uber remains his top choice to reach the airport’s front door. It’s easier and cheaper than parking and catching a shuttle there.
“It’s a lot of work,” Schwab said. “There’s no cost savings and no advantage.”
Not everyone feels that way.
After several frustrating flight cancellations to Orlando, Florida, because of bad weather, Martin and Beth Holmes parked their silver SUV at the Charlotte airport hourly parking deck last Wednesday, Jan. 28, to try again.
As they unloaded luggage, the Charlotte residents were unaware that the maximum price for parking at that site is set to rise from $32 to $35 a day in about a month
“We wouldn’t know much about that, unlike somebody who flies all the time,” Beth said, noting they rarely fly. “But to be this close to the terminal... Yay.”
Booking parking options at CLT
To help manage the influx of travelers, the Charlotte airport is pushing its digital platforms.
Currently, 16,000 of the airport’s 25,000 spaces are available for online booking via parkCLT.com. About 65% of all parking is now reserved digitally, allowing travelers to earn points through a Royalty Program that currently has 250,000 members.
Participants earn one point for every dollar they spend, and they can move up through four levels to get benefits. This includes discounts, early access to deals and free parking upgrades.
To collect points, travelers need to sign up and book their parking ahead of time on the airport’s website or app.
While airport officials see these changes as a necessary investment, customers like Colleen Edington and Caron Bottorff remain skeptical.
“I don’t think it’s fair, but I don’t think there’s anything we can do about it,” Edington said while picking up a passenger.
“It’s very expensive,” Bottorff said, “and it shouldn’t go up that much. It’s making it harder for people.”
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