Idle Car Still Drains Pocketbook Airport Parking Lots Took In $3.8 Million Last Year

It’s spring! Time to tap into the savings account for the long-awaited trip to Disneyland, Graceland or Miami Beach.

But while Inland Northwest escapees are plopped beside the pool, many of their cars will be sitting in a Spokane International Airport parking lot.

The 3 million travelers who used the airport last year spent $3.8 million in its three public parking lots - an increase of $700,000 over 1994, according to figures released last week at a meeting of the airport board.

Most drivers paid $5.50 a day for one of 1,400 spaces in the four-story parking garage. That translates to $38.50 a week - more than some airlines charge for a one-way ticket from Spokane to Seattle.

There are cheaper alternatives for travelers who think their money is better spent on postcards, sweatshirts and mai tais.

The easiest way to save a few bucks is to park in one of the airport’s outdoor lots. Both are well-marked.

One lot, just outside the parking garage, costs $4.50 a day or $23.50 per week. The “budget lot” requires a little more walking and costs $3.50 a day or $21 a week.

Or, travelers can park a couple of miles from the airport in the Diamond Airport Parking lot, 5602 W. Sunset Highway. The lot offers valet parking and free shuttles to the airport.

The price listed on the sign is $4.25 a day or $19.50 a week. Travelers can save a dollar on the daily rate by clipping Diamond’s coupon from the Val Pak coupon book most people receive in the mail. Coupons also are available from travel agents.

Diamond’s gravel lot has a few covered spaces for those who know to ask for them, said manager Mike Weller.

Those who don’t want to mess with parking can call Airport Shuttle Service, which picks up passengers at their homes. Costs vary with the distance of the trip, but is about $8.75 from downtown Spokane, a company employee said. Taxi service for a similar ride is about $15.

The best shuttle to the airport is the one offered by a friend or relative, said Spokane travel agent Madeline Ross.

The driver can pull up to the curb at the airport long enough for the traveler to wrestle his bags from the car’s trunk. Or the friend can pay 75 cents to park in the garage for a half-hour.

“Most of your leisure travelers are looking for somebody who can drop them off,” said Ross. “That’s still preferred for anybody who’s going to be gone for more than three or four days.”

Airport spokesman Todd Woodard said airport officials plan to build a “ground transportation center” by Christmas. That’s a highfalutin name for a 14,000 square-foot building where people will meet their rides - whether it’s a friend, taxi, shuttle or rental car.

The airport also plans to resurrect its valet parking service for travelers who aren’t worried about money. Cost is $6.50 a day for parking and an additional $9 for a car wash (neither price includes tip).

About 160 people used the service when it was offered on a temporary basis last Christmas, proving that frugality is not a universal trait among the region’s travelers.

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: STA AIRPORT SHUTTLE IS BEST DEAL AROUND The best buy is Spokane Transit Authority’s airport shuttle. Riders pay just 75 cents for the ride to or from STA’s downtown bus station. The shuttle runs from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekdays, with shorter hours on weekends. The shuttle - which costs taxpayers and STA customers $234,000 a year - started in July. It is used by about 100 people a day, and most of them are airport employees, said STA spokeswoman Teresa Stuekle. STA plans an advertising campaign for the shuttle this year, Stuekle said.