Parking fees to increase at Las Vegas’ McCarran airport

Parking prices at McCarran International Airport will increase for the first time in six years starting next year.

The Clark County Commission approved a Department of Aviation plan Tuesday to increase fees at McCarran’s parking garages by varying amounts.

The increases will be the first at the airport since 2013, according to the county.

The daily rates are set to increase Feb. 3 at the following areas:

* Long-term parking garage (all terminals): From $16 to $18.

* Valet (all terminals): From $23 to $30.

* Economy lot: From $10 to $12.

* Impound rates: From $10 to $50.

Daily rates in the short-term garages ($36) and the remote lot ($15) will not change.

The Department of Aviation said in a presentation that McCarran’s daily rates will remain lower than the averages for the top 20 U.S. airports: $27.20 for long-term parking, $36.20 for valet parking and $13.91 for economy lots.

“In all three scenarios, we are well below market average,” said Joseph Piurkowski, the department’s chief financial officer.

The increases are projected to bring in an additional $4.7 million annually for McCarran, bringing the projected yearly revenue from parking fees to an estimated $38.4 million, according to county documents.

Officials say an increase in passengers using taxis, Uber, Lyft and similar options to get to and from McCarran is contributing to declining customer satisfaction ratings.

Tina Frias, chief administrative officer for McCarran, said transportation issues are the main reason the airport fell from tied for first last year to tied for third this year in the J.D. Power North America Airport Satisfaction Study.

“This is primarily attributed to declining scores in airport access,” she said. “We scored lower on all aspects (of transportation), particularly in traffic flow.”

To combat that, revenue generated by the increased fees is slated to go toward supporting McCarran’s parking and ground transportation capital improvements and operating costs for the airport’s throughput and capacity for projected volumes in passenger traffic, Frias said.

Those near-term improvements are slated to cost $53.5 million, including $15.6 million for departure curb improvements, $13 million for airport roadway and garage repaving and $9 million for the parking access and revenue control system.

“To improve the airport access experience, there are a number of critical projects that are warranted to improve our roadway infrastructure,” Frias said. “That would help improve the customer experience and maintain capacity.”

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on Twitter.