110
19 days ago
Why flying out of major South Texas airport is about to get more expensive
Summary
Grabbing an Uber or Lyft ride to the airport? It's about to cost more if you're flying into or out of the McAllen International Airport in the Rio Grande Valley.
On Monday, McAllen city leaders approved a $3 fee that will be charged on all Uber and Lyft rideshares at the Valley's largest and busiest airport. Officials said charging the new fee will allow the city to tap into the only group of people whose use of the airport doesn't currently help pay for its upkeep. It will assist in repaying millions of dollars that McAllen is set to borrow for the airport's extensive terminal expansion.
"We are an enterprise fund that does not get subsidized by the city, so this will help us as we continue to move forward with some type of debt service for our terminal expansion," Airport Director Jeremy Santoscoy explained to the McAllen City Commission during a meeting on Monday, February 23.
Santoscoy was referring to how the airport must pay for its own upkeep entirely through any profits it earns from charging fees to the customers who use it. None of McAllen's municipal budget goes toward funding the airport. But with travelers now exceeding more than 1 million per year, the airport is gearing up for its first major renovation project in more than a decade. The terminal will undergo a $176 million expansion that will include new ticket counters, baggage claim, security inspection areas and more as the city-owned airport strives to meet the demands of that bumper growth.
Nearly every person who passes through the McAllen airport pays some sort of fee to do so - whether that's a passenger boarding a flight, someone paying to park their car in short- or long-term parking lots, or renting a car. The only group not paying usage fees are people who use rideshares at the airport. The airport sees as many as 4,000 Uber rides per month, the airport director said, though he didn't mention the number of Lyft rides. Nonetheless, those rideshares could generate millions - and they're something passengers often encounter at other, larger airports.
"The $3 fee is estimated to give us about $4 million in debt service," Santoscoy said.
But the rideshare fee plan wasn't without its detractors. District 2 Commissioner Joaquin "J.J." Zamora said McAllen doesn't have the same kind of passenger volume as airports in Austin and Houston and shouldn't rush to emulate their big-city ways.
"Why do we have to be just like everybody else? Why can't we just be we?" Zamora asked.
The commissioner tried to kill the rideshare fees, but his effort failed when no other commissioner seconded his motion, despite others having expressed reservations of their own. Instead, by a vote of 6-to-1, the commission approved a plan that will implement the fee in stages. The rideshare fee will go up by $1 every 90 days until the full $3 fee is in effect. However, it remains unclear when the new policy will go into effect.
This article originally published at Why flying out of major South Texas airport is about to get more expensive.
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On Monday, McAllen city leaders approved a $3 fee that will be charged on all Uber and Lyft rideshares at the Valley's largest and busiest airport. Officials said charging the new fee will allow the city to tap into the only group of people whose use of the airport doesn't currently help pay for its upkeep. It will assist in repaying millions of dollars that McAllen is set to borrow for the airport's extensive terminal expansion.
"We are an enterprise fund that does not get subsidized by the city, so this will help us as we continue to move forward with some type of debt service for our terminal expansion," Airport Director Jeremy Santoscoy explained to the McAllen City Commission during a meeting on Monday, February 23.
Santoscoy was referring to how the airport must pay for its own upkeep entirely through any profits it earns from charging fees to the customers who use it. None of McAllen's municipal budget goes toward funding the airport. But with travelers now exceeding more than 1 million per year, the airport is gearing up for its first major renovation project in more than a decade. The terminal will undergo a $176 million expansion that will include new ticket counters, baggage claim, security inspection areas and more as the city-owned airport strives to meet the demands of that bumper growth.
Nearly every person who passes through the McAllen airport pays some sort of fee to do so - whether that's a passenger boarding a flight, someone paying to park their car in short- or long-term parking lots, or renting a car. The only group not paying usage fees are people who use rideshares at the airport. The airport sees as many as 4,000 Uber rides per month, the airport director said, though he didn't mention the number of Lyft rides. Nonetheless, those rideshares could generate millions - and they're something passengers often encounter at other, larger airports.
"The $3 fee is estimated to give us about $4 million in debt service," Santoscoy said.
But the rideshare fee plan wasn't without its detractors. District 2 Commissioner Joaquin "J.J." Zamora said McAllen doesn't have the same kind of passenger volume as airports in Austin and Houston and shouldn't rush to emulate their big-city ways.
"Why do we have to be just like everybody else? Why can't we just be we?" Zamora asked.
The commissioner tried to kill the rideshare fees, but his effort failed when no other commissioner seconded his motion, despite others having expressed reservations of their own. Instead, by a vote of 6-to-1, the commission approved a plan that will implement the fee in stages. The rideshare fee will go up by $1 every 90 days until the full $3 fee is in effect. However, it remains unclear when the new policy will go into effect.
This article originally published at Why flying out of major South Texas airport is about to get more expensive.
Bypass all the ads with a subscription to YouTube Premium — here's how to get a great deal on the service.
Oregon State made the Elite Eight as a No. 12 seed in 2021.
Meta has sued the people and groups behind three scam operations that used images and deepfakes of celebrities to lure users to scam websites.
The 36-year-old Italian was forced to withdraw from this week's DP World Tour event.
Apple has revealed all of the details about its F1 coverage, including five-feed Multiview streaming.
We spotted sneaky sales on everything from wardrobe essentials to water flossers — score up to 55% off.
The buzzy lifestyle brand is bringing its joyful colors and prints to the masses, and we've got your sneak peek.
Bunnie Xo talks to Yahoo about surviving betrayal, leaving sex work and what “real marriage” looks like for her and Jelly Roll.
Running in walking shoes? Experts say that's a mistake.
Should it be Sean Strickland or Nassourdine Imavov next for the UFC middleweight title? Or, a third option, should they rematch for the honor? Answers to that and other reader questions.
AI Description
The article discusses an upcoming increase in costs for rideshare services at McAllen International Airport. A $3 fee will be charged on all Uber and Lyft rideshares, impacting travelers using these services.