PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The parking crunch at Philadelphia International Airport should be easing a little, just in time for summer vacation season.
Parking became tight during the pandemic, when the airport closed its economy parking lots to clear the way for cargo facilities. About 1,800 economy spots were restored last year.
Megan O'Connell, the airport's director of marketing and branding, said that number will soon double. "In the next several weeks we will be opening up additional spots to get us to about 3,600, which is really great ahead of the summer travel season, so people can have that affordable option as well," she said.
Economy spots are $15 a day, compared to the $28 daily rate in the garages.
"The cargo plans are ever-evolving," O'Conell told KYW Newsradio. "Obviously if we can find capacity to create extra space for people, we're going to try and do that. And we were able to do it in time for the travel season, which was important to us."
Overall airport volume is rebounding, with 4 million people expected to fly this summer. "We are expecting approximately 263,000 passengers to depart for PHL from the Wednesday before until the Tuesday after Memorial Day," PHL Public Affairs Manager Heather Redfern said during a news conference Thursday. She says total volume is still 17% below 2019's all-time high.
The Transportation Security Administration has a summer staffing plan in place, said Christine Assili, the TSA's deputy federal security director for PHL. "We expect wait times to be within normal ranges of 10 minutes to 20 minutes depending on whether you're PreCheck or not," Assili said.
A long-term renovation of the airport's 53 restrooms continues, so passengers may have to walk farther to go … before they go.
