TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The holiday travel season is bringing packed parking lots to Tucson International Airport (TUS), prompting officials to recommend travelers reserve their spots well in advance.
Austin Wright, chief communications officer for the Tucson Airport Authority, said the airport's daily parking lot was about 95% full during a recent check.
"Starting that Saturday before Christmas it will be full steam ahead here at the airport," Wright said. "We just did a report actually on revenues generated for the airport and we are seeing parking revenues significantly up, which is great. That means that the local community is choosing to fly local and they're choosing to park here with us at the Tucson airport."
Wright said daily parking is consistently at capacity during busy travel periods. However, travelers have other options, including the parking garage and the economy parking lot, which offers the most affordable rates.
"It's a two or three minute shuttle ride. It's only $6 a day. It's super affordable, and we always have spots available," Wright said.
The daily parking and garage costs $15 a day. The economy covered is $9.
Despite the convenience of pre-paying for parking, some travelers have encountered technical issues. Dan Kehoe experienced problems with his prepaid parking reservation during his Thanksgiving trip.
"So when I got to the gate – the QR code when I scanned it, it said unknown vehicle," Kehoe said.
With limited time before his flight, Kehoe had to park in the hourly lot instead of his reserved economy spot.
"Instead of it costing $44, as I had reserved it for, it was gonna be $112," Kehoe said.
After multiple conversations with airport staff, Kehoe was assured he would receive a full reimbursement for the $112 charge.
"I feel much better now, right?" Kehoe said.
Regular travelers like Chris Loemberuno recommend arriving early to secure parking spots.
"Just get here early. My son uses it also. He parks at the extended down the road but I think it's very convenient," Loemberuno said.
Wright says TUS takes a lot of pride in making parking affordable, saving flyers money where they can.
"We realize that there's about a $27 fare premium when you fly out of Tucson compared to Phoenix. So being able to offset that fare premium with our parking is really important to us," Wright said.
"If you're flying for a week, for instance, if you're parking in the garage here at the Tucson airport compared to the garage at the Phoenix airport, you're saving over $100 just in garage parking fees alone."
To avoid parking complications on travel day, officials recommend reserving parking spots as early as six months before departure. Travelers can make reservations online through the airport's website.
If you have trouble with your reservation, contact the parking office at 520-573-4710 or fill out the contact form.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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Vanessa Gongora is KGUN 9's Westside reporter.. Vanessa fell in love with storytelling by growing up in sports. She was fascinated by how sports reporters go beyond the x's & o's to tell players' stories, and how sports bring people together, inspiring Vanessa to provide the same impact as a journalist. Share your story ideas and important issues with Vanessa by emailing vanessa.gongora@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
