New Orleans airport parking gets more expensive

The new daily rates:

• Short-term garage: $26 (was $22).
• Long-term garage: $22 (was $20).
• Surface lot: $20 (was $18).
• Economy garage with shuttle: $12 (no change).
• Valet: $36 (no change).

Zoom in: The first half-hour in the short-term garage and surface lot will remain free, the airport says, and the first 30 minutes in the long-term garage and economy garage will remain at $4.

• But, the rate is going up for every 30 minutes after that. It will now be $3 instead of $2.

Friction point: The parking lots at the airport fill up quickly on weekends and peak travel times.

• The airport has tried to alleviate some of the frustration by offering a real-time parking tracker and reserved parking.

• It also says it is running the free shuttles more frequently to make the economy garage at the old terminal more desirable to travelers.

By the numbers: The airport says this is the first parking rate increase since 2019, when the new terminal opened.

• The parking lots are operated by New South Parking, and the airport says it is contractually obligated to "adjust" rates every two years but hasn't happened because of the coronavirus pandemic.