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© St. Petersburg Times, published October 29, 2001
Is it another sign that travelers are slowly returning to the skies? At least the ones who can afford to have somebody else park their cars?
Today, Tampa International Airport is reopening its valet parking service for the first time since Sept. 11, offering busy fliers the option to drop off their cars at the curb of the main terminal's ticketing level and breeze inside to await their flights.
Airport officials stopped the valet service when the Federal Aviation Administration ordered that they close the short term parking garage above the terminal, where valets park the vehicles, as a security measure. The garage reopened this month, with parking employees inspecting each car that enters.
On average, fewer than 100 cars a day used valet parking before Sept. 11, said Joe Hills, the airport's parking and ground transportation director.
Even at $16 a day, valet parking was essentially a break-even deal, he said. But officials decided to give it another try, shifting valets who had been helping check car trunks for explosives back to their old jobs parking Mercedes and BMWs.
With airport revenues down sharply due to fewer passengers, it's unlikely officials will put up with many months of losses if valet parking doesn't bounce back quickly, Hills says.
The valets will have one new advantage. Airport officials hiked the price of short-term parking to $14 a day, making it only $2 cheaper than leaving your car at the curb.