JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Over 11,000 people are expected to hit the skies out of Jacksonville International Airport ahead of Memorial Day Weekend. At JIA, you may encounter some limited parking due to airport parking reaching capacity.
Against the calming cadence of piano music in the JAX terminal, it’s the mildly hectic pre-holiday rush.
“Thursday, Friday, we’re talking about 13,000 people that are flying out, so we’re telling people at some point this weekend. All parking around the airport may be full,” Greg Willis of the Jacksonville Aviation Authority said.
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Becky Wilson of Green Cove Springs felt it firsthand.
“I had to go back around to the economy parking lot, so it’s very full out there,” Wilson said.
“You might wanna park off the airport. You might wanna have a friend or family member drop you off,” Willis said earlier.
Aaron and his wife, Samantha Aker, traveling home to Indiana, did one better: “We just took a shuttle today, the rental car was offsite, so we just dropped it off,” Aaron said.
But some relief is on the way. “We’re under construction of a third car garage. That will be completed by the end of the year,” Willis told Action News Jax.
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Willis says the new garage has been under construction for several years, but the work there should have no impact on Memorial Day travelers.
We also just passed the one-year mark of the hourly PARKING garage fire. Willis says 70% of the structure is still operational, but “There’s about 350 spaces that are still impacted as a result of the fire. Those are spaces that are pretty much within walking distance of the terminal.”
Meanwhile, Aker is getting here as early as possible, four hours ahead of her departure time.
“Because traffic here is crazier than our little, small town,” Aker said.
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