You can’t park there anymore

Airport economy lot to close; officials target roadside parking too

Parking at the airport is going to get harder for some travelers in Fort Lauderdale.

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport will eliminate its economy parking lot on April 19, moving travelers into a parking garage where they’ll pay twice as much and find fewer spaces — although they’ll be closer to the terminal.

At the same time, the airport is trying to find more space for the crush of cars waiting to pick up passengers.

Many, including ride-hailing services like Uber, line up along highways and side streets to wait for planes. Others squeeze into the airport’s tiny cellphone waiting lot.

The problems are symptoms of an airport that has added dozens of flights in recent years, increasing traffic and putting parking at a premium.

Airport officials acknowledge that they’re trying to raise revenue by eliminating the economy lot.

“The best use of the parking garage is to generate the revenue for the airport, to help us

maintain our low-cost infrastructure, and also to give the passengers that option,” said airport spokesman Greg Meyer. “We don’t have the luxury of being able to have an economy lot any more.”

The top three floors of the garage will be cleaned and re-striped, and new signs will direct drivers to open parking spaces, Meyer said.

PHOTOS BY MIKE STOCKER/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Drivers waiting for arriving travelers line up illegally along the airport ramp from northbound Federal Highway. New signs mark the tow-away zone.