Stan Cramer of Cramer airport parking reports that the state of PA is suing the Harrisburg International Airport to prevent it from taking his business by eminent domain. Update yourself on my comments on the fiasco here.
Here’s the gist of the story, from a news release from the PA Attorney General’s Office:
Attorney General Tom Corbett today filed an Antitrust lawsuit in federal court to stop the owner of the Harrisburg International Airport (HIA) from acquiring through eminent domain, nearby property that is owned by Cramer Airport Parking, HIA’s only customer parking competitor. The lawsuit seeks to preserve competitive pricing and services for parking at Central Pennsylvania’s largest airport facility.
The complaint states that the authority’s action to acquire a competing business would create a monopoly and likely force customers to pay higher prices and receive fewer services by eliminating customer choice.
The Cramer land does not abut SARAA’s property, and instead is surrounded by property owned by Amtrak and Norfolk Southern, plus other commercial and residential lots. According to the complaint, Cramer Airport Parking offers 1,000 spaces less than one mile from HIA and can expand to 2,000 spaces. The current rates are $5 per day, $28 per week and a reduced fee if the customer uses available discount coupons. HIA offers 2,474 parking spaces in its parking garage at the airport. The rates are $1 per hour for the first two hours and $2 for each additional hour up to a daily maximum of $14. Garage parking is adjacent to the HIA terminal. In addition, SARAA offers 3,100 parking spaces at its Economy Long-Term Parking lot known as "SmartPark," less than a mile from the terminal by shuttle. Customers using that facility pay $5 per day and $30 per week.
SARAA has the potential to expand its facility by 9,000 parking spaces using space in its daily lots, "SmartPark" and property in front of Penn State’s Middletown Campus. The complaint states that HIA parking lots already operate well below capacity. "In reality, the authority has no actual plans for the site," Corbett saiHowever, the airport, in taking over its parking competitor, is acting outside its authority under Pennsylvania law and therefore has no immunity."
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JVH
