ORLANDO, Fla. – The Orlando International Airport has lost one of the biggest and most affordable off-site parking lots: Park Bark And Fly, located on South Semoran Blvd. just north of MCO since 2004.
The popular shuttle-serviced lot was known for its dog bone-adorned mini buses — until shuttles stopped running to the airport on Feb. 4.
Park Bark And Fly was as popular with locals as it was with airline crews, offering daily $11 parking and monthly rates.
Once MCO’s biggest off-site parking area, it has room for over 3,500 cars but now caters to RV and boat storage, and any vehicle owner who wants to park long-term but doesn’t require shuttle service to the airport.
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Founder and owner Pete Madison is conflicted by the decision to close to airport travelers. He gave all staff members a severance but giving them the news was the hardest part.
“I’m really sad to get rid of 20 years,” Madison said. “Getting rid of the people was tough. But we had to do it. So we’re regrouping, and it works for us now, we hope. It’s been very tough.”
Madison said the parking lot will remain open, but he cannot afford to continue operating shuttles.
“These buses, we just bought four or five new ones, they were like $100,000,” Madison said. “Our first buses were under 50k. Everything’s gone up. And liability insurance is killing us.”
Madison said he carried liability insurance for riders’ safety, but in the past year, the cost increased by 80%.
And the cost of paying drivers and maintaining the buses has also soared, along with inflation.
“And if you keep in mind because we have that amount of buses and sometimes they go out with one or two customers so people don’t have to wait here, so now you’re sending a bus there with two people on it gone for an hour,” Madison said.
While the new $3 billion Terminal C has eased passenger congestion at the airport, Madison said the distance — farther south than the old A and B terminals — means a longer drive time for his buses. It took his drivers an extra 15 or 20 minutes, depending on traffic, each way.
Madison said he would love to add back shuttle service, but “it’s impossible now.” He’s getting ready to retire, and “the market’s changed.”
Despite the shortage of parking on-site at MCO, especially during holidays, Madison said the loss of Park Bark And Fly will not make it more difficult to find airport parking.
“Actually, it would have been a year or two ago, but this year, none of it filled up this Christmas,” Madison said. “The whole industry has changed a lot. Fewer people are looking for spaces because of companies like Uber and Lyft. It’s a cheaper alternative for people to use rideshares. Pay for an Uber instead of paying for a week of parking.”
MCO, however, is not seeing the slowdown in parking that Madison experienced over the past year. In fact, the airport opened three new surface lots in December and has added an additional 2,000 spots since last year.
All of those spots are more expensive than most off-site lots, including Park Bark And Fly.
MCO airport parking starts at $14 per day at the economy lots.
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