Savannah/Hilton Head airport increasing parking fees 50% in effort to add needed spots
In an effort to retire the overflow lot, the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport is upping its parking fees for the first time since 2007.
Beginning June 18, the price increase will help fund a new 1,000-space lot and additional parking garage. Daily rates will rise at least 50% for all but one parking option:
- Long Term/Hourly Garage: $12 to $18 per day (50% increase)
- Economy Garage: $8 to $12 per day (50% increase)
- Surface Value/Overflow Lots: $5 to $7 per day (40% increase)
- Valet: $20 to $35 per day (75% increase)
Weekly rates are being discontinued, according to airport spokesperson Lori Lynah, but an hourly rate of $2 will still be available for short-term parking — a 100% increase from the previous $1 fare.
The updated prices were approved Feb. 7 by the Savannah Airport Commission, a group of senior airport staff and five city council-appointed residents. The commission controls the budget and operations of all municipally owned airports in Savannah.
Construction of the new 1,000-space surface lot is scheduled to start in “mid-summer,” Lynah said, and airport officials hope to have it ready for the 2024 Thanksgiving holiday. The proposed parking garage is still in the design phase, likely years down the line.
Lots close to the terminal are often filled to capacity on the airport’s busiest days, requiring the use of an overflow parking area off Ida J. Gadsden Drive. When that happens, the airport provides a shuttle service for the half-mile trip.
The parking improvements will likely coincide with a $30 million expansion of the airport terminal, which would almost triple its current size with four new gates and larger security checkpoints. Primarily funded by federal dollars, the massive project was underway as of Thursday, according to reporting from WSAV 3.
The Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport collected a record-breaking $11.32 million worth of parking fees in 2022, representing over a fourth of its total revenue that year.
This story was originally published June 14, 2024 at 5:46 PM.
