A new automated parking guidance system designed to indicate open stalls debuts in the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) parking garage ahead of the busy Presidents Day holiday weekend. The first two floors of the eight-floor garage are now open with LED lighting and smart camera sensors to indicate available stalls and help customers locate accessible parking stalls. The guidance system will cut stall search time in half and lay the groundwork for future tech-focused customer service integrations.
After a slower than projected January travel period due to the Omicron variant, the Presidents Day holiday is expected to see larger numbers of travelers and traffic on the airport drives. SEA Airport suggests finding alternative ways to get to the airport to avoid the worst congestion and longest lines. Plus, travelers can find stress-free ways to avoid waiting throughout the holiday travel process.
Find that Parking Spot, and Your Car, Faster
If you do plan to drive, SEA Airport is opening the first phase of one of the largest-scale automated parking guidance system (APGS) installations in the country, over 12,000 stalls! The first and second floors now feature the Park Assist APGS. Smart sensors and red or green lights above the drive lanes help you quickly locate open stalls. Blue lights indicate available accessible stalls. The new system also provides improved wayfinding signage for parkers to navigate the rows more efficiently. In addition, each sensor has camera-based license plate recognition (LPR) technology to help locate your vehicle, improve parking policy enforcement, and improve vehicle monitoring and security in the garage with motion-activated video surveillance (can you say ‘we’re watching you, catalytic converter thieves?’).
The installation of the system will continue through this year and cover every floor by early 2023. With full installation, the system will provide additional benefits for customers who pre-book parking, providing guaranteed stall designation and options for variable pricing during times of low occupancy – all improvements to the customer experience.
The project will also nearly double the number of electric vehicle charging stations, with the capability to increase the charging capacity for further expansion.
Vehicles are encouraged to use the new reconfigured cellphone lot and avoid dangerous parking along the shoulder of the airport drives. Violators will be cited as the Port of Seattle Police are working with the Washington State Patrol for emphasis patrols during the holiday.
For the holiday travel period, the busiest days are ahead of the Presidents Day weekend. The Thursday and Friday before the holiday will see the largest volume with 129,000 and 124,000 travelers going through the airport each day. Wednesday, Feb. 16 will see 105,000 travelers while Saturday is projected to be busy as well with 109,000 travelers. This represents approximately 80% of the passenger volume pre-pandemic in 2019, when passenger volumes reached as high as 165,000 per day and nearly 70% higher than 2020 volumes reaching 87,000 per day. Of note, the busiest times at SEA are during the summer months June through August.
The SEA Airport parking garage is busy.
Fairbanks International Airport Baggage Transport Conveyor Enhanced With Mod Drive™ System
Airports face a host of unique industry challenges, such as meeting efficiency regulations and seeking out the best maintenance practices to reduce costs and keep operations flowing. In today’s current economic climate, any potential cost savings can go a long way.
In 2019, Alaska’s Fairbanks International Airport (FAI) sought to modernize its equipment and operations. They were dissatisfied with the performance of the gearmotors on their baggage transport conveyors and began searching for new suppliers. Regal approached FAI with a solution that could improve equipment performance and simplify maintenance, with the added benefit of energy cost savings: the Hub City® MOD Drive™ system.
This white paper discusses the hardware deployed, the test results and the annualized expectations for ROI.