UPDATE: Council votes to increase parking fees at Kelowna airport

(UPDATE: Nov. 23 @ 9:40 am) – On Monday, Kelowna City Council heard from city staff about the proposed increase to parking fees at the airport.

The new parking fees will include:

• Valet parking will now be $25
• Curb-side will now cost $2.50 for 30 minutes
• The first hour of short-term and long-term parking will increase to $2
  • Each additional hour will cost $3 while 24 hour parking will now cost $23
• Long-term daily parking will go up to $15 and weekly will now cost $75

The gold pass, which includes six months of prepaid parking, is going to increase to $1,100.

Aircrew parking will cost $32.50 per month and vehicle storage will cost $75 per month.

Council questioned whether this was the appropriate time to increase fees given that not many people have returned to air travel yet.

However, Shyane Dyrdal, senior airport finance manager, explained that these increases would not be brought up unless it was needed.

“It is needed to help cover the costs of parking and the operational needs of the airport,” Drydal explained.

“This is the only fee increase that we have at the airport this year. So, we are maintaining low aeronautical fees, no increases to landing or terminal fees or increases to the AIF either.”

Dyrdal also explained the increase to parking fees would support the airport’s operational costs and capital development in the future.

This is the first increase brought to council in nearly three years.

Council voted to pass the motion and increases will be coming in January 2022.

(Original Story: Nov. 21 @ 4:45 pm) – Kelowna Airport and city staff are recommending an increase to the fees which have not been increased since December 2018.

City Council will decide during Monday's afternoon meeting.

Valet parking, which returned on Nov. 8, could see an increase from $20 to $25 while curb-side parking meters would increase from $2 to $2.50 for 30 minutes.

Short-term and long-term parking would be raised to $2 for the first hour and each additional hour would cost $3.

Long-term daily parking would increase from $14 to $15 and long-term vehicle storage would increase from $30 to $75.

The report explains that the airport has compared these recommendations to similar fees at other airports in the province.

“The recommended parking fees are forecasted to increase parking revenues by [$500,000] in 2022, based on forecasted passenger numbers of $1.67 million,” adds the report.

The airport is also recommending changes to the wording for taxi and other transportation service fees so aircrew trips are not charged the $2 pick-up or drop-off fees because these transportation services have contracts with airlines to drive aircrews to hotels and drop them off before their next flight.