NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — The new park-and-wait lot at Norfolk International Airport, said to be the closest such lot to an airport in the country, opened at high noon Thursday, and it didn’t take long before it was put to use, though it was hard for some to believe they could park that close, and park for free.
10 On Your Side found Sara Brown parking and waiting when we showed up. She was one of the first to use the lot.
“I drove past it at first because I did not think it was possible to park here,” she said. “I’ve done this multiple times, and I was prepared to do the loops.”
When you get to Norfolk International, you cannot miss the signs directing you to park-and-wait.
“So then I saw a park-and-wait sign, so I went back around, and I pulled in and it is real,” she said. “I saw the sign and I said, ‘It must real,’ so I just waited here because they always shoo you away from the front door when people are coming.”
Norfolk International created this lot to make pick up more convenient.
“I know also these flights get delayed all the time, and it’s happening more and more with weather systems as there are more flights,” she said, “Ten minutes makes a difference to drive around and around the airport.”
The move is intended to help keep things moving along in the curbside loading area and to cut down on the traffic congestion.
“From A-F, I give this an A,” Brown said. “I think it has been needed because I do not want to have to pay to pick the person up who is arriving.”
Brown just got a call from the person she’s picking up. He’s arrived, she’s picking him up and we’re following him.
Norfolk claims this is the closest park and wait to an airport terminal in the country. It’s three-tenths of a mile and is right around the corner from the terminal. There are 80 parking spaces, and it takes about a minute to get to the terminal.
We also found the Adams’ in the park-and-wait lot waiting for their son.
“We are waiting for him to text us,” they said. “Usually, we would be driving around and around, but here you just park and wait. We’re here driving around waiting. It saves time — and gas.”
Stacy Quail is waiting with her barking dogs.
“”It’s great, and it’s better than being told to go around and around,” Quail said.
The park-and-wait lot is free, but don’t even think about parking here instead of the parking garages.
The sign says, “Park & wait lot only. No overnight parking. No unattended vehicles.”
Back at the terminal Sara and Andrew Brown are heading out, with Sara Brown having used the park-and-wait lot, designed for people like herself.
Ten minutes may not be a long time, but it can seem that way for people doing laps around the airport waiting for their loved one to arrive.
