Driving to the airport over the holidays? Here’s advice to avoid a parking surprise

Sacramento International Airport officials are warning that crowding could start this holiday season long before travelers hit the ticket counter.

A section of the airport’s popular economy lot is now closed for a paving project, making it likely the remaining portion of that lot will fill up and close numerous times during the next two months.

That lot and the parking garage have filled at times in recent weeks, offering an early warning at an airport that has seen seven straight years of growth in the number of flights and fliers, but no new parking lots.

The airport periodically will be opening a temporary overflow lot near the cell phone lot to compensate for the 1,500 economy lot spaces being paved during the next two-plus months. The daily price at the overflow lot will be $10, same as the economy lot.

Airport officials initially said last month they would open the overflow lot only on days when all other lots on airport grounds were full. That, however, would have required people to park and pay at several higher-priced lots, including the $18-a-day parking garage and the $29 daily Terminal B lot.

Airport user John Middleton ran into that problem and protested that the policy was unfair.

“The airport should open the overflow lot when the reduced-capacity economy lot is full rather than wringing additional parking fees out of unwilling customers,” he said.

Airport officials amended the policy after the first weekend, saying they want to make the situation more “palatable” for airport users.

They now plan to open the temporary overflow lot only when the $10 economy lot and the $12 daily Terminal A lot are full.

Airport spokeswoman Samantha Mott said the airport decided to fill the $12 daily lot before opening the overflow lot because of logistics.

“Opening the overflow lot is staff- and labor-intensive,” she said. “We have to have additional security guards and shuttles running out there.”

The lot also requires an extra level of security and parking-payment compliance personnel, she said.

In the overflow lot, unlike the others, travelers will pre-pay at kiosks placed in each shuttle bus shelter. Drivers must pay by credit or debit card and enter their license plate number, or the last six digits of the vehicle identification number if the vehicle does not have a plate, Mott said.

November and December are expected to be the busiest those months have ever been in the airport’s 51-year history, each with more than 1 million passengers.

Mott said people who plan to park at the airport should consult the airport’s website before heading to the facility to review parking availability.

She said the airport is doing the economy lot paving project now, during the holidays, because that fit the construction company schedule.

This story was originally published October 17, 2018 at 3:00 AM.