Spokane airport construction affects Memorial Day travel

SPOKANE — Travelers flying out of Spokane International Airport this Memorial Day weekend will encounter significant changes due to construction on a $335 million renovation project that has altered parking and drop-off procedures.

Airport officials now recommend passengers arrive two hours earlier than their scheduled departure time as construction begins on the TREX Central Hall project, an island-shaped layout designed to consolidate the airport’s two terminals into one central facility.

The construction has eliminated the airport’s paid hourly parking lot, which has been completely demolished. The area now serves as the construction site for the renovation project.

“When we had two terminals before, you want to co-locate them in that central location, but now we want to take that central location and put a building there that’s going to consolidate the two facilities into one, great one,” said David Haring, Spokane International Airport CEO.

Travelers who previously relied on the hourly parking lot must now use the airport’s parking garages. Parking in the garage or outside of Concourse C costs $5 for the first two hours.

Taxis and shuttle buses now operate from the rental car area rather than their previous locations near the main terminal entrance.

“The hourly parking that, that’s what we’re on right now. And so that that’s been removed. And then, picking up, you know, either, taxis or shuttle busses or things like that, those are now down in the rental car area. So those are going probably be the two big things that people need to be aware of,” Haring explained.

Airport officials have stationed workers throughout the facility to assist travelers with questions about the new parking arrangements during the busy Memorial Day weekend and throughout the construction process.

The project is funded through bond proceeds and partially self-funded by the airport, with a small portion coming from grant funding.