The Reno-Tahoe International Airport says their parking has been filling up fast on weekends and it has been a busy summer. With the holidays approaching, they're making plans to alleviate their parking problems.
The airport has started a land feasibility study with the hope that solutions to their parking problems come out of that. Meanwhile, they're looking at some interesting possibilities and looking for some answers.
The planes may have no problem parking at the Reno Tahoe Airport, but for cars and trucks it's another matter.
"We flew out of Reno Airport on a Friday: Friday afternoon around 11:30 am the outside parking was full," said Larry Easterling. "It was packed. When we drove in there were no spaces. We had to drive clear up to the 3rd floor for a spot," said Elaine Easterling.
The Easterlings aren't the only one's encountering this problem. An airport spokesperson says the parking lots have been filling up quickly on the weekends all summer.
They've opened up the employee parking lot to the public as a 400 parking space overflow lot. "We have signage up, people can see they enter into the airport. That overflow lot is on the right hand side, rather than what they are used to seeing on the left which is the surface lot and parking garage," said Reno Tahoe Airport Authority Public Relations Coordinator Annie Turner.
The airport is also looking toward the future with the land feasibility study they've started. The study will look at airport parking solutions through the next 10 to 15 years. It's expected to be finished sometime next year.
"We are open to looking at having dirt lots or paved lots. Another thing I would like to add, we are working with community partners to potentially talk to us a little bit more about having additional parking that is close by. We are looking at having people shuttled over from those lots during the holidays," said Turner.
The study will also look at the possibility of moving the rental cars out of the parking garage. "We are looking at having a consolidated location would take the rental cars off property and move them to a site nearby. This is part of this land site study we are doing. Moving the rental cars would open up 700 spaces within the parking garage," said Turner.
The airport is suggesting that right now instead of parking in their lots, that people try to get a ride, take a taxi, Uber, Lyft, public transportation, or other ride-share service. If you do have to park, plan to be there 2 hours early, rather than the usual one hour. If the lots are full, look for that overflow parking.
