June 22, 2009
Monday

I arrived at Ketchikan airport on the afternoon flight with my twenty month old grandson. Dropped my carry on bag with a friend who was also waiting for the luggage to arrive, and went to get my car which was parked in long term parking.

I parked in the loading and unloading area in front of the revolving doors. Grabbed up the kid and started loading my bags and the car seat which by this time are going around on the baggage belt.

To make a long story short I got a parking ticket in the amount of $50.00 for leaving my vehicle unattended. I was never out of sight of my car, in the loading of my bags and car seat. I was told that by leaving the car at the curb it was not being attended.

What is wrong with this picture?

While the officer was writing my ticket and waiting for me to show my I.D. another unsuspecting parent pulled up in front of my car and started helping his spouse load bags while his 2 kids watched from the back seat. He also got ticketed.

I sat at the curb in my car for over twenty minutes while the airport manager was called down, by then it is starting to rain, baby is getting cranky and I have already missed two ferries across I was finally able to get my ticket in hand so I could leave.

I was told by the curb guard that I could have taken each bag to my car while it was parked in long term parking. All the time it is raining and I have a baby on my hip. I guess my other choice was to get my bags and leave them on the curb to be confiscated because that is also illegal. I also wonder if I left the kid in the car in long term parking alone while I trying to get the bags to the car how fast I would have been ticketed for that.

Leaving a vehicle unattended to me means out of sight of the driver

Laurie Price
Ketchikan, AK

Received June 21, 2008 - Published June 22, 2009

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