‘What happened to the ticket?’ Dayton airport debuts new streamlined parking system

DAYTON — A new artificial intelligence program at the Dayton International Airport was unveiled Thursday designed to make parking easier for travelers.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Airport officials showcased the Metropolis parking system Thursday, as reported by News Center 7’s Nick Foley on News Center 7 at 5:00.

AI-assisted cameras scan parkers’ license plates as they pull into the designated lot. When they return from their travels, the parkers’ plates are scanned again to calculate the amount of time their cars spent in the lot.

TRENDING STORIES:

Travelers will no longer have a printed ticket to hold onto. Instead, they will download an app that keeps track of their car in the lot and bills them when they are ready to leave. Travelers can either pay by attendant or online.

Dayton International Airport’s Deputy Director of Aviation Daniel Zenk said the airport is always looking for ways to enhance the customer experience. He believes this new parking system does just that.

“We know that traveling day is often an anxious day. You want to get to your flight on time, you want to get through security, and so, whatever we can do to help improve that passenger journey is what we’re doing,” Zenk said.

Gavin and Dana Ward, from Tipp City, spoke with Foley saying they frequently use the Dayton airport. Although they appreciate anything that makes their trips smoother, the couple had questions the first time they used the new system.

“At first it was a little mystifying, because ‘What happened to the ticket?’ was the first reaction,” Gavin said.

Gavin also told News Center 7 his concerns of AI replacing airport workers.

“The first thought after that was, ‘Are they going to close down then where you normally pay?’ and I hate to see people lose their jobs. So, it’s kind of waiting to see,” Gavin said.

[SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]