Tampa Keeps the First Hour Free
Over the past couple of weeks I've been writing about things that come out as a negative for the normal travel - mainly in the form of increased parking prices.
But here's some nice news for those who drive to Tampa Airport to drop off and pick up friends and family - the airport will continue its policy of allowing one hour of free parking.
Eliminating the perk, which had been introduced to reduce congestion, was seen as a way to make a couple of extra million dollars in revenue each year. But eventually it was shelved that it would just make roadways busier.
So the policy stays - with one caveat. It's free only if you leave within the hour. Under the old policy, if I parked for two hours, the first would be free. That's not the case anymore. The airport thinks a few hundred thousand dollars in additional revenue will come from this change.
But despite that, it's nice to see a polciy that makes life easier for travelers stay relatively intact.
Read more at the St. Petersburg Times.
More Details from Delta on the JFK Renovation
I know I've already written about Delta's plan to get rid of Terminal 3 at JFK, but that was before the project was officially announced, which it was later this week.
So here are the highlights - work starts on the $1.2 billion project next month. That work includes building a new connector between Terminals 2 and 4, the demolition of Terminal 3, and adding nine new international gates to Concourse B at Terminal 4. Delta says Terminal 3 operations will begin shifting to T4 in May 2013, and Terminal 3 will be demolished two years later, and its former space will be used for aircraft parking.
Delta says that new dual taxiways as part of the project (probably space created by Terminal 3 going away) will help improve operational efficiency, and that passengers will be able to transfer between terminals more quickly, all while providing better amenities.
Delta also provided some renderings of the project - which you can see below.
Security checkpoint.
New lobby/check-in area.
The gate spaces look very open - which I like.
Delta says this new connector will make transferring between terminals a breeze.
Atlanta Mulls Tax on Off-Airport Parking
Here's a good story to keep in mind for those who travel out of the world's busiest airport - Atlanta. While the airport, of course, has the most control over the parking that it controls, it does have an influence on off-airport parking sites as well. In Atlanta's case, it charges parking owners a fee per parking space to help cover the price of grand transportation.
But now the airport wants to change things up for more revenue - it is now pursuing a new 8% on gross parking revenues. The airport says they're not covering their ground transportation costs and this should fix it.
Of course, if the costs of off-airport parking operators go up, they'll be inclined to increase their fees for passengers to compensate for the new tax. One nice (potential) benefit for the airport, then, is that on-airport parking starts to look for attractive from a cost perspective.
Either way, this doesn't shake out all that well for consumers. The Atlanta City Council must approve the measure.
More details here.
DART Delays Expansion to DFW
Over the past few years, the Dallas metro area has been building up the DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit) light rail system. It's been planned for a long time that its Orange Line would make its way to Dallas-Fort Worth International by 2013. Well, on Tuesday it was reported that the project has been delayed for an unspecified amount of time. Not surprisingly it comes down to money - the extension to DFW will cost about $275 million and a new revenue stream would be needed (i.e. a federal grant) to make this station happen on schedule.
Personally, I love mass transit links to airports. I live in Rhode Island, and if I ever have to fly out of Boston, I try to get there by train. There's ample commuter rail service into the city, and it's a quick transfer to a subway or bus rapid transit line to get to the airport. The price is pretty low, and just not having to deal with traffic makes it worthwhile. Instead of sitting in a car for awhile I can actually get things done on a train.
But, if this station doesn't end up happening, Dallas will have a situation similar to that of Washington, DC, where the airport close to the city center (National) has an easy mass transit link and the major international airport (Dulles) doesn't.
As an unofficial Washingtonian this summer (for an internship), I will be the first to admit that I vastly prefer flying out of National. It's proximity to the city reduces travel times, and having Metro access means its a very cheap ride (less than $5) to get to the airport. I don't have a car, and a taxi ride to Dulles will run me about $80.
That leads me to believe that depending on how long the station is delayed, this might actually be good news for the folks over at Love Field, and, by extension, Southwest Airlines. The Love Field DART stop is located on part of the new Green Line extension that is slated to open in December.
Anyway, I'm kind of disappointed by this news but I understand the need for fiscal prudence. It would be nice to see this station happen though.
What do you think about mass transit links for airports? Are they worth the money?
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