By Scott Miller
smiller@scbiznews.com
Published Sept. 15, 2010

The Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport will expedite facility upgrades to have space ready for Southwest Airlines by the end of the first quarter of next year.

The Airport Commission today also increased parking rates for some lots and lowered others, and the airport reported another monthly decline in passenger traffic.

Traffic for July was down 1.7% from the same month in 2009, which was a down year. In 2009, GSP reported an 11.45% decline in passenger traffic.

In July, 123,929 passengers traveled through GSP. Year-to-date, passenger traffic is down 0.7% at 724,412.

While passenger traffic declined, cargo traffic is up 25%.

“That’s a good sign for the overall economy,” said GSP Executive Director Dave Edwards.

Parking

The new parking rate structure is designed to be more competitive with the airport in Charlotte, which charges $4 a day in its long-term lot. GSP reduced the rate for its long-term lot from $7 a day to $4. Additionally, the airport commission approved increases from $12 to $14 a day for the short-term lot, and from $10 to $12 a day for the garage. The airport also added an $8 rate for its daily lot, which previously cost $10.

GSP customers effectively will pay more to park closer to the terminal and less to park further away. The moves were designed to be revenue neutral. New rates take effect Oct. 1.

Southwest

GSP officials still don’t know when Southwest will begin service or where it will fly; an announcement is expected this fall. But the airport commission approved more than $1 million in facility upgrades today for Southwest that will be complete by the end of the first quarter of next year.

To meet that schedule, the commission preauthorized staff to award contracts and begin construction as long as the costs are within the budget of just over $1 million.

The airport is designing renovations now and plans to put the project to bid in October and begin construction in November.

Renovations for Southwest, which were agreed upon based on the incentives used to attract the airline, include development of a new ticket office, baggage claim office, airside ramp and operations office, departure lounge and gate area improvements and an area for curb-side check-in. The airline will operate in concourse A.

Southwest announced plans in May to begin service from GSP sometime in 2011. A Southwest spokeswoman did not return a call seeking comment for this story.

Terminal upgrade

The commission postponed discussion on a major terminal renovation project because Chairman Roger Milliken could not attend today’s meeting. The commission will schedule a special meeting on this topic to be held in the next month.

Related content
US Airways to add service from Greenville-Spartanburg airport to New York
Airport may undergo $84 million terminal renovation
Upstate awaits Southwest Airlines destinations