Family members make their way through the Redmond Airport parking lot on their way to the main terminal. (Ryan Brennecke/Bulletin file photo)

Holiday air travelers are expected in record numbers at Redmond Airport this year, along with an accompanying parking squeeze.

“Over spring break this year was the first time we overflowed the parking lot,” said Zach Bass, Redmond Airport manager. “It’s not overflowed since then but the numbers show it’s inching its way up. We’re looking at it being full several times during the holidays.”

To give travelers more information about available parking, the airport website, www.flyrdm.com, will update the number of available parking spaces every 30 minutes.

The parking lot has 11,050 spaces and during ordinary periods may be 60 to 70 percent full, Bass said. But with increased passenger numbers, more flights and more seating aboard the commercial aircraft flying in and out of Redmond, the need to expand parking options is clear, he said.

“When the lot was originally built in 2009-2010, they built it for growth, and at the time they thought they built it too big. Now we’re starting to see it’s too small,” Bass said.

The number of passengers going in and out of Redmond Airport has nearly quadrupled in 20 years, from 17,000 passengers in 1997, when the population of Deschutes County was a third of what it is today, to 65,000 so far this year, Bass said Wednesday.

The typical aircraft flying in and out of Redmond Airport has increased in seating capacity from 50 to 75 seats. Even with the same number of flights, more seating increases passenger numbers by 25 to 30 percent, Bass said.

He said the number of empty parking spaces fluctuates according to the schedule of morning and midday flights.

Eventually, the airport may expand parking to an adjacent property or to a spot farther away that will require a shuttle to and from the airport terminal. For the time being, the airport urged travelers to plan ahead or use alternative forms of transportation, whether taxis or ride-share services.

Every month, taxis and other services pick up between 3,500 and 4,000 passengers at the airport. Of those, just under 1,000 passengers use ride-share services such as Uber or Lyft, Bass said.

In the event the airport lot is full, no parking is allowed on SE Airport Way, the main thoroughfare to the airport. No overnight parking is allowed on the streets off Airport Way and closest to the airport, SE Salmon Drive and SE Timber Avenue, said Redmond Police Lt. Curtis Chambers. Those streets are the cellphone and ride-share waiting areas for the airport.

“The closest a person could potentially park and not be in violation of a city ordinance is South First Street,” Chambers said.

However, city law prohibits leaving a vehicle parked there for more than seven days. Chambers said a handful of cars will park there, but “there have been instances where those vehicles have been hit by another car and damaged or had items stolen from them.”

Air travel starts to pick up Friday and travelers may expect crowded terminals and jetways until four or five days past Thanksgiving, and again in late December. Redmond Airport on Wednesday reminded travelers to arrive no later than two hours prior to boarding time.

The Transportation Security Administration requires electronics larger that cell phones be placed alone in bins for inspection at screening stations. Also, the “3-1-1” rule for food and liquids is still in effect, meaning the liquids must be in individual 3-ounce containers or smaller, all in one quart-size clear plastic bag and one bag per passenger.

The airport also reminded travelers that carrying marijuana to a destination outside of Oregon is against the law.

— Reporter: 541-617-7815, 
jditzler@bendbulletin.com