The second stage of San Diego International Airport’s (SAN) Terminal 1 Parking Plaza has now opened, adding approximately 2,400 airport parking spaces. The Terminal 1 Parking Plaza now offers more than 5,200 parking spaces steps away from the existing Terminal 1 and the New T1, which is scheduled to open in September 2025.
Vehicles can access the Terminal 1 Parking Plaza, located directly across from Terminal 1 at 3501 North Harbor Drive, by following directional signs along westbound and eastbound North Harbor Drive. The entry and exit lanes have ticket kiosks equipped with an intercom system that connects to the parking management office.
“We opened the first stage of the Terminal 1 Parking Plaza in August 2024, which more than doubled the number of parking spaces we offered at the previous Terminal 1 parking lot,” said Kimberly Becker, president and CEO, San Diego County Regional Airport Authority. “We have a significant demand for on-site parking at SAN and the opening of Stage 2 enables us to better provide that for our customers. We now have nearly 8,500 close-in parking spaces at Terminal 1 and 2 at SAN.”
Customer experience
The Terminal 1 Parking Plaza has been designed with three sections, or cores that each have a unique color and graphic scheme to help customers with wayfinding and includes glass-backed elevators and an open stairwell to help promote safety and security. The cores align with the facility’s open lightwells, which help provide natural light and ventilation.
A no-cost tire-inflation station is near the exit on Level 1, and luggage carts are available on all levels. Parking is available on Level 1 for vehicles up to 9’-6” tall and on Levels 2-5 for vehicles under 8’-4”.
Sustainable operations
There are 1,023 spots designated for ‘clean vehicles’ (carpool, electric/alternative fuel and fuel-efficient vehicles), 20 for close-in 1-hour spaces (ideal for anyone picking up or dropping off passengers such as older adults, people with disabilities and unaccompanied minors, who need help getting to or from their gate), and 185 spaces equipped with EV charging ports.
Among the Parking Plaza’s sustainability features are an advanced parking guidance system to help customers quickly find open stalls, thereby reducing vehicle emissions, and a stormwater capture and reuse system, to prevent runoff from entering San Diego Bay.
Facility users have several options to gain access and pay parking fees: drivers can take a ticket from an entry kiosk, which can be inserted at the exit lane kiosks to calculate and pay parking fees; from pay-on-foot stations located at every elevator and stair core on Level 1; or insert a credit card (or tap a NFC-enabled device) at the entry kiosk and insert the same credit card (or same NFC-enabled device) at the exit lane kiosks. Vehicles that enter and exit the Parking Plaza in under 10 minutes will not be charged for parking.
For more of the top insights into the future of San Diego Airport, read Passenger Terminal Today’s exclusive interview with Deanna Zachrisson, director of terminal business development at San Diego International Airport