Parking rates increase at Myrtle Beach airport

Parking rates at Myrtle Beach International Airport lots increased this month as part of a long-term effort to fund construction of a parking garage to accommodate a steady increase of vehicle traffic from tourists and locals.

“We need to start banking money now, this is a huge project,” said Kirk Lovell, assistant director of Horry County Airports.

The new rates were approved by Horry County Council as part of the 2017 fiscal year budget last month, and went into effect July 1.

Parking in the economy lot increased from $7 to $9 a day, long-term parking rose from a maximum of $9 to $12 daily, and short-term parking increased from a maximum of $15 a day to $21 a day.

Hourly parking rates also increased on a sliding scale that allows for the first 15 minutes free, $3 for the next 15 minutes, and then $1 for every 15 minute increment. Previously, the rates were free for the first 15 minutes, $2 for the second 15 minutes, and then $1 for each 15 minute increment up to the maximum daily rate.

Lovell said airport parking fees were examined from dozens of other similar-sized facilities and tourist destinations to create the new fee. Included in that review were Charleston International Airport that charges a maximum of $8 or $15 a day in its lots, Charlotte Douglas International Airport that charges a maximum of $20 for short term, and long-term lots max out at $5 and $10.

Savannah Hilton Head International Airport charges a maximum $12 and $8 a day in its lots, or $1 an hour short-term parking.

Lovell said the increase in rates will fund parking needs as the Myrtle Beach airport continues to grow, and is also aimed at pushing motorists to park in the long-term and economy lot to free up spaces in the short-term parking area for those who are picking up or dropping off passengers.

With additional money coming in for parking, planning can begin to design the parking garage, determine how many additional spaces are needed and start the approval process required from the Horry County Council and Myrtle Beach City Council, Lovell said.

As to when construction on the parking structure will begin, Lovell said that won’t be determined until the planning process is well underway.

“This is really in the discussion phase and planning, which will take three to five years,” Lovell said.

Parking demands have increased steadily since 2012, when two days before Memorial Day there were 899 cars parked in the lots. Just two days before Memorial Day in 2014, there were 1,116 cars parked, and this year there were 1,545 cars packed onto the pavement.

The airport has 1,483 spaces and reclaimed 260 additional spaces from a rental car company earlier this year. A temporary overflow parking area was also created that allows for 220 parking spaces.

Through May, 665,695 passengers have filtered through the airport, an increase of 8.04 percent compared to the same period last year

“More people than ever are flying out of the airport so it’s generating more (vehicle) traffic,” Lovell said.

He attributed the increase to the growing availability of flights from the airport, particularly to 35 non-stop destinations in the peak season -- more than Charleston’s 23 nonstop destinations.

This story was originally published July 11, 2016 at 6:24 PM with the headline "Parking rates increase at Myrtle Beach airport."