Five Off-Airport parking operators have joined together to form the Near Airport Parking Industry Trade Association (NAPITA). According to the association, the goal is to form working groups with government agencies, airports, and operators to share data, affect legislation, and create a better working environment between operators and airports.
“Open dialogue with the commercial ground transportation industry is critical for the efficient and safe operation of our airports” says Sarah Fisher, Chief Government Affairs Officer with The Parking Spot. “How you get to and from the airport curb is just as important in the overall air travel experience as what airline you can board and what items you can take in your bag, it’s just not getting the same amount of air time in the federal conversation.
Ground transportation operators are vital partners to the aviation industry.
The Near Airport Parking Industry Trade Association believes now is the time for attention to be given to the curb. Infrastructure construction, customer demand and utilization, private investments, traffic congestion, future technological changes, environmental concerns—all of these things, and more, demand that we put together thoughtful policy on how to handle airport ground transportation.”
Ground transportation operators are vital partners to the aviation industry. You cannot get to an airport or on a plane without some form of ground transportation, and when choosing how to get to the airport, more than 2,000,000 Americans choose to park with a NAPITA member. However, airports control access to their curbs for all types of ground transportation, including taxis, limos, ride-share services, rental cars, etc.
The curb space at our nation’s airports is not only important for the safety and security of the airport, but it is also a scarce resource for an increasing number of travelers and the ground transportation industry and becomes more congested by the day. Of these ground transportation operators, near-airport parking industry operators are the only ones that compliment and directly compete with the airport for ground transportation services.
NAPITA believes a federal stakeholder working group would provide the venue necessary to understand and address these and other issues, leveraging the expertise of our membership, the federal government, and airport operators to craft transportation policy that best serves the traveling public.
As the national organization for near-airport parking operators, NAPITA will continue to advocate for the industry and the vital role it plays within the broader air travel industry. The founding members are Parking Spot, Pre Flight, FastPark, Park ‘n Fly, and Wally Park. The web site is NAPITA.ORG.
