Atlanta Airport Mulls Fee Hike

Last week, I talked about fee hikes for off-airport parking companies at the Minneapolis Airport. Well now we're seeing more of the same at Atlanta - except to a greater degree.

Here's the deal - Atlanta has a shiny new international terminal that they're working on, and they need to issue some bonds to finance the rest of the project. Obviously, investors want to make sure that their money is safe. The more concerned they are, the higher the interest the airport has to pay. But, if airport management can find new sources of revenue, investing becomes a bit more attractive.

And what's that new revenue source? New fees for businesses!

Shuttle and limo services currently pay an annual fee to the airport - the new plan is to charge them by trip. Such a move can add a couple of million dollars in extra revenues, according to estimates.

And the off-airport parking companies could see a hit here, too. They pay annual fees as well - now the airport is looking for 8% of revenues.

I can see this from a few angles. From the local business side of things. Naturally companies that rely on the airport need to pay their fair share. But I am concerned about the effects of any rise in fees.

From the airport side, if they need to jack up rates to cover their costs, that's fine. And making sure its bonds are attractive is also very important for the long-term health of the airport. But this potential change seems abrupt. The airport should've been raising fees at a gradual pace that is predictable to business owners who can then rationally react to them.

And, while the airport is right to be constantly looking at revenue streams to boost its financial performance, it needs to consider travelers here. New international terminals are often built to make the travel experience more enjoyable, but the terminal is just part of that.  If these potential fee hikes force hotels to consolidate shuttles or make a parking company go out of business, that makes life harder for the normal passenger.

Anyway, we'll see how this goes, but just like in Minneapolis, I don't see this panning out well for passengers in the short-term. Naturally, an airport in good financial shape is a good long-term outcome, though.

You can read more about the proposed hikes here.