Palm Springs airport reports parking completely full for first time ever

Travelers looking to fly out of Palm Springs International Airport on Thursday or Friday will need to find alternatives to their own vehicles. Parking at the airport is completely full as of Thursday morning, according to airport officials, likely for the first time ever.

Officials are asking any passengers flying out Thursday or Friday to take alternative transportation such as taxis or ridesharing options like Uber and Lyft.

"We've added tons of new flights," said Daniel Meier, deputy director of aviation, marketing and air service for the airport. "All these new flights are driving more people through the terminal."

On Nov. 19, the Transportation Security Administration reported screening more than 2.2 million flyers in a single day — the highest number since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. That trend is also playing out in Palm Springs, with huge volumes of travelers booking flights around the Thanksgiving holiday.

Meier said all lots, including the airport's holiday overflow lot, were essentially full as of 7 a.m. Thursday. He said the airport anticipates that the lots will remain full until at least Friday afternoon.

The airport representative said similar parking availability issues could arise again later in the holiday season.

"It’s a possibility over Christmas," Meier said.

He said airport officials were discussing options to expand parking and avoid those issues if at all possible.

"There are some other lots that are used for things like taxi staging and employee parking" that we're looking at, Meier said.

"I love all the growth we’ve been having," he added, "but the growth definitely comes with some growing pains."

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Palm Springs airport parking completely full for first time ever