Free Parking

I drove by the airport tonight and it got me to thinking. Since the last airlines pulled out of ORH till now, we have gotten nothing in parking revenues. Why is there is a rush to consider charging now?? If we are looking for additonal revenues, lets rent out the slot for the restaurant, review all the existing leases in the airport industrial park??

As a businessman, lets look at how much it will cost to staff the lot to accept payments. First of all we would need to have 24/7 coverage. At $10 per hour that is approximately $1,700 per week, now add in matching FICA, benefits and I would assume that we would be in the $2,500 per week (AT LEAST) range times 52 is $130,000 for the year.

How much can we collect on 4 flights per week and what would be our expected net?? Until we get more flights and passengers, it might not even make sense economically to charge for parking. Putting that aside, we need to follow the example of Rockford Airport, another airport who lost commercial service one hour outside a major metropolitant airport (Chicago).

They started with leisure flights like TransMeridian, Hooters and Allegiant then moved onto charters like Funjet and Apple Vacations. After proving to the airlines that they could actually support air service, NorthWest has begun multiple business flights per day to their hub, Detroit.
How much is parking at Rockford? FREE!!! Below is direct from their home page:


Free Parking at RFD Gets You There For Less!!!

All parking is FREE at RFD!!! Whether your trip is for business or pleasure, our well-lit parking facilities are designed to make your FREE parking experience at RFD both convenient and safe. RFD offers two parking lots near the terminal area. Lot A is located directly in front of the entrance to the airport. Lot B is located directly across the street from the terminal and is just a five minute walk to the front door. PLUS, 600 additional FREE parking spaces have recently been added to Lot A.

Additionally, complimentary luggage carts are provided in each lot to assist you in transporting your luggage. Passengers can be dropped off directly in front of the terminal doors - now that's convenient!

Don't let parking costs eat into your vacation fun! Fly RFD and park for FREE!