The airport is planning to build a 5,500-spot parking deck. (BizSense file photos)
Starting this summer, for the first time in over 20 years, it’s going to cost more to park at Richmond International Airport.
This week the Capital Region Airport Commission voted to approve increasing the airport’s daily parking rates as well as its rental car fee.
As of July 1, daily parking at the garages nearest the terminal at RIC will be increased from $12 to $15, and daily rates at the economy lots west of Airport Drive will go from $7 to $10.
The price hikes are being implemented to help finance two new parking decks the airport is planning: a 5,500-spot deck for the general public that would be built at the current Economy A lot, and an additional two-story deck for rental cars.
The commission voted unanimously to approve the changes at its meeting Tuesday.
The changes were outlined in a committee meeting earlier this month, where studies showed that facilities like the current rental car garage are already at capacity, and RIC’s parking rates are much lower than those of its competitors.
Further increases are also planned for the coming years. A second increase is scheduled for next year that would bring garage and economy rates to $18 and $12, and by 2035 the garage and daily rates could reach $30 and $18, respectively.
Also set to increase is the airport’s Customer Facility Charge (CFC), the fee imposed on rental car companies at the airport. The current rate of $2 per day per rental vehicle will rise to $8.25.
The airport hadn’t raised its daily parking rates in 22 years. Bobby Ukrop, a local businessman who serves on the commission, expressed trepidation about the price increases at Tuesday’s meeting but said, “The reality is, if we don’t do this, we’re stuck.”
“We have to move this way even though it is painful,” Ukrop said to his fellow commissioners.
Both the new Economy A deck and rental garage are still in the planning phase, and are expected to take around three years to design and build. The airport is also planning to use the revenue from the price increases to add a parking reservation system that’ll allow customers to pre-book spots at a discount.
The terminal lobby at Richmond International Airport. (Courtesy Todd Wright/RIC)
A change to RIC’s security screening facilities was also put into motion at Tuesday’s meeting, as the commission voted to authorize the design of a new 159,000-square-foot checkpoint.
The new checkpoint would consolidate the two that currently service RIC’s A and B concourses, and add at least two security lanes. The two existing checkpoints each have four lanes, and the new one would have 10 lanes, with room to grow to 14.
Preliminary designs show the new checkpoint would be at the end of the hallway after ticketing, before the three-way intersection where the current atrium splits off into concourses A and B.
The commission voted to authorize Gresham Smith, a Tennessee architecture firm with a Richmond office, to begin designing the consolidated checkpoint, a process it anticipates will take six months.
Lastly, the airport reported its latest monthly passenger data at Tuesday’s meeting.
In February 2025, RIC saw an 8.2 percent decrease in passengers from the same period last year. The airport attributed the downturn in part to an influx of canceled flights: this February it saw 100 canceled flights, compared to 23 last February. A spokesman for the airport said that while airlines don’t disclose reasons for cancellations, most of February’s canceled flights came around inclement weather events.
The airport is planning to build a 5,500-spot parking deck. (BizSense file photos)
Starting this summer, for the first time in over 20 years, it’s going to cost more to park at Richmond International Airport.
This week the Capital Region Airport Commission voted to approve increasing the airport’s daily parking rates as well as its rental car fee.
As of July 1, daily parking at the garages nearest the terminal at RIC will be increased from $12 to $15, and daily rates at the economy lots west of Airport Drive will go from $7 to $10.
The price hikes are being implemented to help finance two new parking decks the airport is planning: a 5,500-spot deck for the general public that would be built at the current Economy A lot, and an additional two-story deck for rental cars.
The commission voted unanimously to approve the changes at its meeting Tuesday.
The changes were outlined in a committee meeting earlier this month, where studies showed that facilities like the current rental car garage are already at capacity, and RIC’s parking rates are much lower than those of its competitors.
Further increases are also planned for the coming years. A second increase is scheduled for next year that would bring garage and economy rates to $18 and $12, and by 2035 the garage and daily rates could reach $30 and $18, respectively.
Also set to increase is the airport’s Customer Facility Charge (CFC), the fee imposed on rental car companies at the airport. The current rate of $2 per day per rental vehicle will rise to $8.25.
The airport hadn’t raised its daily parking rates in 22 years. Bobby Ukrop, a local businessman who serves on the commission, expressed trepidation about the price increases at Tuesday’s meeting but said, “The reality is, if we don’t do this, we’re stuck.”
“We have to move this way even though it is painful,” Ukrop said to his fellow commissioners.
Both the new Economy A deck and rental garage are still in the planning phase, and are expected to take around three years to design and build. The airport is also planning to use the revenue from the price increases to add a parking reservation system that’ll allow customers to pre-book spots at a discount.
The terminal lobby at Richmond International Airport. (Courtesy Todd Wright/RIC)
A change to RIC’s security screening facilities was also put into motion at Tuesday’s meeting, as the commission voted to authorize the design of a new 159,000-square-foot checkpoint.
The new checkpoint would consolidate the two that currently service RIC’s A and B concourses, and add at least two security lanes. The two existing checkpoints each have four lanes, and the new one would have 10 lanes, with room to grow to 14.
Preliminary designs show the new checkpoint would be at the end of the hallway after ticketing, before the three-way intersection where the current atrium splits off into concourses A and B.
The commission voted to authorize Gresham Smith, a Tennessee architecture firm with a Richmond office, to begin designing the consolidated checkpoint, a process it anticipates will take six months.
Lastly, the airport reported its latest monthly passenger data at Tuesday’s meeting.
In February 2025, RIC saw an 8.2 percent decrease in passengers from the same period last year. The airport attributed the downturn in part to an influx of canceled flights: this February it saw 100 canceled flights, compared to 23 last February. A spokesman for the airport said that while airlines don’t disclose reasons for cancellations, most of February’s canceled flights came around inclement weather events.
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I can’t say the price raise is unfair. I just continue to hope they add covered pedestrian access from the new parking garages to the old ones, so people can get to the terminal without relying on the bus.
Park and Go by the Sheetz is smiling!
Yet this is also their way of justifying a price increase as well!
A new checkpoint is an unnecessary expense. The current system works well by separating the concourse traffic and is under used as it is.
I am concerned that a single checkpoint would yield to more congestion at TSA (as TSA will use this as an excuse to have fewer total agents). The TSA process at RIC is speedy (relative to other airports). Let’s not mess that up.
The checkpoint is, by and large, a huge and intrusive waste of people’s time and taxpayer expense. 9/11 was 23 long years ago now. Yes, Richmond has made it much simpler by comparison but I’m not celebrating that flying is less of a hassle while still a big hassle. I’m writing from a high speed train in Europe where we simply walked on and didn’t worry if we brought a bottle of water or something with more than 3.4 oz of liquid in it.
If the DOGE bros genuinely want to reduce government expense, greatly simplify/reduce this burden.
Sure was good and cheap while it lasted.
I’ll prepare myself for July 1
I use the lot parking garage every week. I have an issue after I prepay at the gate about 50% of the time. The system is very slow so even when it does work you wait wondering if the gate will go up. The attendants that work at the gates in the late evening are extremely rude, barely acknowledge you while you are trying to get an issue resolved. Last week it was over 30 seconds before the attendant even acknowledge me. Price increase and poor equipment, time is perfect for a
price increase.
I’m not sure I understand how waiting 30 seconds is a bad experience. It would take them awhile to realize the gate isn’t working, no? This sounds like user error.
This. The pre-pay before you reach the exit feature works 50% of the time. It’s laughable.
And actually getting a receipt from a kiosk is hit or miss.
While I don’t really have any qualms about the rise from $12/d to $15/d. I do think that $30/d in 2035 is ridiculous. I am lucky my home is a quick uber ride from airport.
IIRC there are 3 economy lots, and isn’t one of them closed and left vacant? What am I missing?
yeah I think they need more close parking from the utilization of the garages
Prices were increased from $10/day to $12/ day July 1st 2007. Airport should get there facts correct, but in any case probably overdue.
As I recall, at the Orlando International Airport you get a discount on the parking fee when you use the Sun Pass (their equivalent to our E-Zpass). Why not do something similar here?