MOTORISTS are upset by a rise in car park fees at Cairns airport.

It now costs $3.50 to park for 20 minutes, compared to $3 for nearly two hours under the old system.

The new system targets drop-off and pick-up users, costing almost 20c a minute if they leave in less than 20 minutes, a jump of more than 200 per cent.

Motorists who stay for 40 minutes will face a $4 charge. A stay of an hour costs $5.

Tell us what you think. Is the rise in parking fees fair? Post a comment or vote in our online poll. 

The new charges are the first changes to charges of domestic and international parking since October 2005.

The increase, effective from August 1, came as taxis started charging a $2.50 airport levy on top of normal fares.

Cairns airport’s chief executive officer Stephen Gregg said the rise was a way to recoup money spent on the airport’s makeover.

"As part of the domestic terminal redevelopment, there is considerable investment being made in car park infrastructure," he said.

Ravenshoe groundskeeper Barry Burvill, who was in the car park for less than 15 minutes yesterday, said the new prices were exorbitant.

"I’m not happy at all," he said.

Tim McNamara, who arrived in Cairns yesterday to visit his mum Toni, said the charges should not be applicable until the upgrades are finished.

"Given the inconvenience for travellers with the construction, I think the fee should apply when the work is done," he said.

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