Philadelphia’s airport is reopening economy parking for first time since pandemic began

Philadelphia International Airport plans to reopen part of its economy parking lot for the first time since it shuttered the popular $13-a-day option at the start of the pandemic, airport officials confirmed.

Beginning April 21, about 1,850 parking spaces will be made available for travelers — about a quarter of the 7,100 spaces that have sat vacant since March 2020. The decision marks a reversal from less than six months ago, when officials said they would permanently close the lot amid a dramatic overhaul of the airport’s parking operation born out of the economic crush of the pandemic.

Some passengers had hoped the lot would reopen temporarily for holiday travel, but reviving the dormant space and the $10-million-a-year shuttle bus operation between the lot and the airport terminals could not happen overnight, officials said.

“It’s really easy to close down a parking operation, like we did two years ago. It’s really hard restarting one,” said PHL chief revenue officer James Tyrrell.

PHL spokesperson Heather Redfern said the airport has been planning this partial reopening for months, “but did not want to confuse passengers traveling during spring break.” Officials said they would release more details on the lot’s return in the coming weeks.

The economy lot is a short-term plan as the airport looks to add another surface parking lot, closer than some other nearby options. Officials said they are soliciting construction bids for that lot soon and completion won’t be expected for two to three years.

Most of the 40-acre economy lot will remain closed, however, as the airport plans to develop the surface parking space into cargo facilities over the next decade. This week, officials announced progress on the construction of sites that will provide commercial cargo facilities to businesses within a stone’s throw of the airfield.

But with an anticipated boom in travel demand this summer, airport personnel recently began clearing out the tumbleweeds from the lot and doing minor maintenance around the plaza entrance.

Some regular fliers have bemoaned the loss of the economy lot as they struggled to find affordable, long-term parking spots. For the last two years, PHL has maintained about 12,000 spots at its various parking garages. Airport officials have said there are an additional 9,000 or so spaces at private lots nearby, though those options have dwindled too, with the sale of one long-term private lot last year.

Robert Frieling Jr., a business agent for Teamsters Union Local No. 115, the union that represents parking and other transportation personnel at the airport, said he was pleased that the airport began bringing back workers laid off early in the pandemic to operate shuttle buses between the lot and the terminal.

“I think it’s a solid indicator that passenger volume is increasing,” Frieling said of the reopening.

Airport officials said the Philadelphia Parking Authority will provide staffing, and First Transit will operate shuttle buses on site. But Frieling said it’s not clear if the lot’s reopening will have an impact on the PPA’s long-term prospects at the airport.

In January, the city made an unprecedented move to take control of the lucrative airport parking operation managed by the PPA for more than half a century, and plans to seek a new operator within the next year.

The PPA has said it plans to apply for the competitive bid to keep its 100-some workers employed at PHL.

Staff writer Catherine Dunn contributed to this report.