From the ‘what goes up, must go up’ file: if you plan to park at Denver International Airport, know that you’re going to have to pay more to do so. The planet’s tenth busiest airport recently raised parking rates in—according to a prepared release—“an effort to optimize revenue for the airport and make Denver’s operating costs more competitive.”
Here’s what you can expect to pay per day, and what the rate was once upon a time:
- Pikes Peak and Mt. Elbert $7.00 used to be $6.00
- East and West Economy Lots $11.00 used to be $10.00
- East and West Garage $21.00 used to be $18.00
- East and West Valet $30.00 used to be $27.00
Before you say this just another way of nickel and diming passengers to death, consider the economic mechanics via which most airports operate. The more ancillary revenues an airport can raise, the less it has to charge airlines for operating there – and that can beget more competition. “[Denver] is focused on increasing revenue we receive from non-airline courses,” says John Ackerman, the airport’s chief commercial officer. He contends that this serves to “attract…increased air service and is a direct benefit to travelers from around the Denver and Rocky Mountain region.”
Denver already has some of the most competitive air service in the country. The nation’s fifth-busiest airport is home turf for Frontier Airlines. DEN is the epicenter of the carrier’s operations. While neither discount airline Southwest or United (newly merged with Continental) are headquartered in the Mile High City, both airlines have major hubs at Denver International Airport. Southwest in particular has been growing Denver as a focus city in recent months, putting continued downward pressure on airfares.
The last time DEN raised parking rates in the airport’s parking garages was more than half a decade ago, back in 2005. Rates for the Pikes Peak and Mt. Elbert shuttle lots were hiked in July of 2009.
Story by Jerry Chandler
(Image: mwilkie)
