New Rates Proposed for John Wayne Parking : Airport: Short-term users of the garages near the terminal would pay more, while patrons of long-term lots would get a price break.

Some will pay more, some less for a coveted parking space at John Wayne Airport under a proposed price restructuring.

After three years of complaints from airport patrons that parking rates are too high, the all-day maximum rate in the two most convenient garages flanking the passenger terminal would drop from $14 per day to $9 under a plan proposed by the airport’s staff.

To promote use of the long-term, remote lot on Main Street between MacArthur Boulevard and Red Hill Avenue, the daily fee would be reduced from $7 to $6 a day. The all-day rate at the more convenient long-term lot in front of the terminal would remain $7.

But the savings to users of long-term parking would be offset by higher rates for people who park in the two garages to escort passengers to and from flights and leave within an hour or two.

The hourly rates in the garages and the lot in front of the terminal would rise from $1 an hour to $1 every 30 minutes for the first two hours. After the first two hours, the rate would revert to $1 an hour until the daily maximum of $9 is reached. In the remote lot, parking would be $1 an hour until the $6 maximum is reached.

“The proposed (parking) fee strategy seeks a fairer distinction between short-term convenience parking rates and long-term parking customers,” says an airport staff report, “as well as more equity in the fee structure among the airport’s various parking locations.”

The plan goes before the Orange County Airport Commission on Wednesday and the Board of Supervisors on Aug. 31.

Airport officials couldn’t be reached for comment Friday.

The long-term lot in front of the terminal is usually full. For that reason, airport officials recently decided to operate the remote lot on Main Street on a daily basis. Previously the Main Street lot was open only during peak holiday periods.

Airport patrons interviewed Friday griped about not being able to get into the $7-a-day lot in front of the terminal, and they had mixed reactions to the proposed price changes.

“I think it would be good to make long-term parking less expensive,” said Cindy Dostal, a professional dancer from Costa Mesa on her way to Seattle. “I parked in the garage today because I didn’t have time to use the remote lot.”

Others, such as Ken Sherman, a Santa Ana business consultant who was dropping someone off at the terminal, said the changes won’t make any difference.

“I just wish the first three days were $7, just like in the remote lot,” Sherman said. “I use the airport a lot, and I often have to leave my car here for three or four days.”

Tim Murphy of Cal State Fullerton’s Sports Information Bureau summed up the feelings of many interviewed Friday when he said: “I’m just here dropping somebody off. . . . I think that, under 30 minutes, parking should be free.”

If you’re there more than 30 minutes, Murphy reasoned, “then you didn’t plan ahead very well.”

Parking fees contribute about $12 million to the airport’s $85 million in annual revenue. In their staff report, officials said they expect the change in fees to cost the airport about $200,000 a year. The report does not indicate whether that would be lost revenue or simply the cost of implementing the new rate structure.

Long-term parking fees at John Wayne currently are on par with other airports in the region, while short term rates are a little cheaper than most.

At Los Angeles International Airport, parking in the garages closest to the terminals costs $3 for each two-hour increment, with a daily maximum rate of $16. Parking in remote lots ranges from $5 to $7 a day. In Lot C, a remote facility with shuttle service available, the first two hours of parking are free.

Burbank Airport has valet parking for $15 a day; short-term parking in a lot in front of the terminal is $24 a day. Patrons pay $5 an hour or a maximum of $13 a day in the closest garages. Economy lots are $7 a day.

Long Beach Airport charges $50 for a book of 10 parking coupons, each worth $5 a day on parking that would otherwise cost $9.45 per day for the first three days, and $6 a day for the fourth and fifth days. The sixth and seventh days are free.

In addition to proposing changes in parking fees, the airport staff is suggesting that the Board of Supervisors reduce landing fees charged to airlines.

The proposal is to reduce the fee from $1.76 to $1.66 per 1,000 pounds of landed weight. Currently, landing fees generate about $8.1 million annually in airport revenue.

Parking Rate Changes John Wayne Airport officials are proposing new prices for parking that would reward long-term users at the expense of those who visit the airport for only an hour or two. The Board of Supervisors will consider the proposal on Aug. 31. Facility: Northwest/southwest parking garages (Short term, next to terminal) Current Price: $14 a day maximum; $1 an hour Proposed Price: $9 a day maximum; $1 a half-hour for first two hours; $1 an hour thereafter to maximum *Facility: East parking lot (Long term, front of terminal) Current Price: $7 a day maximum Proposed Price: $7 a day maximum; $1 a half-hour for first two hours; $1 an hour thereafter to maximum *Facility: Remote parking lot (Long term, on Main Street between MacArthur Boulevard and Red Hill Avenue) Current Price: $7 a day maximum Proposed Price: $7 a day maximum; $6 a day maximum; $1 an hour $1 an hour to maximum to maximum Source: John Wayne Airport