2.10.26 – APFA PHX Base Brief – Phoenix Employee Parking Program

Phoenix Employee Parking Program

Tuesday, February 10, 2026

On January 28, 2026, a coalition of Crew Union leaders from American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Frontier Airlines, and Envoy Airlines sent a letter to the City of Phoenix in response to the proposed increase in employee parking rates. The City of Phoenix granted us a meeting with the Aviation Director to discuss these changes and explore alternatives to the announced modifications to the Employee Discount Program set to begin on March 1, 2026.

Our main requests were as follows:

1. A halt to the proposed changes while we gather more information.
2. Transparency regarding the statistics driving these changes.
3. A collaborative effort to find a solution that meets the needs of the City of Phoenix, while honoring our years of loyalty and dedication to PHX Airport.
4. Improvements to the current employee parking lots.
5. Ongoing collaboration between labor unions and the Aviation Department concerning parking safety, security, and economics.

The City of Phoenix’s Aviation Director and the Phoenix City Council expressed their motivation to work together to find a solution that aligns with our mutual goals. Our first meeting took place on February 9, 2026, and it was productive.

We have all experienced parking capacity issues and recognize that change is inevitable. Air travel has reached record levels, resulting in increased demand for parking in the City of Phoenix’s lots. Approximately 1,400 employees utilize the discount parking per day, with stays lasting 2-3 days. This has stressed capacity in premium lots while leaving our employee lots underutilized. Additionally, there have been no adjustments to the Employee Discount Rates since 2015, despite public parking rates increasing during that time.

Consequently, the City of Phoenix announced their intention to revise the program as follows:

The Aviation Director is not obligated to offer any employee discount on parking, but a City of Phoenix ordinance limits the allowable discount. Our current rates violate that ordinance.

Fortunately, we believe that the City of Phoenix shares our perspective that a discount employee parking program can continue without exacerbating capacity concerns, provided participation remains at a reasonable level.

We are prepared to propose a new program that honors the City of Phoenix’s blackout dates while maintaining a meaningful discount outside of those periods. Specifically, we intend to request a 40% discount (instead of the proposed 10% discount). This change would result in the following discount rates for use outside of the blackout dates:

Please send your feedback on this proposal to PHX Base Representative Alana Billingsley as soon as possible. We aim to finalize this proposal to present to the Aviation Director by early next week. Your feedback regarding improvements to the employee lots is also welcome.

We will promptly communicate any updates or changes to you.

In Solidarity,

Alana Billingsley
APFA PHX Base Council Representative
[email protected]

Robin Agee
APFA PHX Base President
480-238-2303
[email protected]

Secorra Flowers
APFA PHX Base Vice President
602-551-8116
[email protected]