A 2,300 percent increase in a flight crew parking pass at the Durango-La Plata County Airport has left pilot Dan Fisher frustrated and with unanswered questions.
But an airport official countered that there are reasons for the increase, and most have to do with increased airport use.
Fisher, of Bayfield, began working at the airport in June and paid $15 for a yearlong employee parking pass. Wondering if his pass had expired Jan. 1, he went to the airport’s administrative office and was informed the pass was no longer valid.
He now must purchase a $30-a-month pass – an annual cost of $360.
Fisher said part of his frustration is that pilots and flight attendants need parking only about 15 days each month. Flight-crew parking has been switched from a gravel lot, next to car-rental parking, to the main parking lot.
A colleague told Fisher that a year ago, airport parking was free for crews.
Airport Manager Kip Turner concurred that crew parking has been at a minimal cost and free in the past. But he said as airport traffic increases, especially during the holidays and peak seasons, he finds himself needing to make accommodations with available resources.
It has been a privilege to give airline crews a designated lot with discounted parking, he said. But the airport now needs the gravel lot for overflow passenger parking.
Crew members will now be asked to park in the main parking lot, designated for customers, for $1 a day. Airport customers pay $7 a day.
“We are still honoring them with a discounted rate,” Turner said.
However, Fisher argues that $1 a day is simply a euphemism. He’d be satisfied if he paid $1 only on the days he needed to park, but he has to pay even when he doesn’t use the facility, and it adds up, he said. Customers use the lot only when they travel, he added.
The airport’s rates are similar to others’ rates, Turner said.
Denver International Airport charges $36 a month for crew parking. And because crews are not full-time airport employees, they are unable to park in the employee lot, which is free.
The Durango-La Plata County Airport would have to build a new lot to provide discounted parking for crew members, and that doesn’t make economic sense, Turner said.
Fisher said he also was miffed by a lack of communication between the Durango-La Plata County Airport Commission board and crew members. He was not formally notified of the changes and believes that other crew members will be upset when they learn of the changes.
“It would have been nice to have been notified,” he said.
Joe Kerby, La Plata County manager and member of the airport commission board, said Turner did mention changes would be taking place regarding parking fees, but they had received no specific details.
Fisher said he had difficulty getting contact information for either Turner or a commission board member. Kerby said that La Plata County and city of Durango administrative offices can provide those numbers. Kerby said he can be called at (970) 382-6220 and is open to discussing the matter.
The board meetings are every third Thursday of the month at 3 p.m. and open to the public.
Unfortunately, several crew members are unable to take off work to attend meetings because they are constantly traveling for work, Fisher said.
“It would be nice for these board members to know how many people they’ve hurt,” he said. “It’s my airport, too. I pay taxes.”
vguthrie@durangoherald.com
