An update: RDU Online Parking Reservations

This past Spring, it was our great hope to roll out a new customer-friendly online parking reservation system to RDU travelers. Unfortunately, several significant software communication issues between our revenue control system (the system that controls our parking entry and exit gates) and the software that would enable online reservations, prevented us from launching the system.

Since then, we have been working around-the-clock with the company that provides access control to our parking facilities, to correct the issues and determine an acceptable path forward.

Several more months have since passed and while the access control vendor is still working toward a solution, we have made a management decision to take RDU in a different direction with a new revenue control system partner.

To be sure we get it right, we hired a consultant to conduct an in-depth analysis of our parking systems to help us develop technical specifications for replacement of our parking access control system that can, without fail, accommodate and communicate with an online reservation system. This time, we will prototype and exhaustively test the interface before implementing a paperless reservation system throughout all of our parking lots.

This process will take time because we must get it right. While we are still working with our current access control vendor to maintain our current parking revenue infrastructure, we are moving forward with our concurrent planning and are in the process of developing a formal request for proposals to replace the parking access control system and identify a new partner that can meet our rigorous customer experience standards.

We remain determined to provide RDU customers with a ticketless, comprehensive online parking system. In a perfect world, this would have been available now, as we enter the busy holiday season but we remain resolved. You, our customer, deserve an online option and we are committed to making that a reality.

Now, you may wonder how we use the revenue we generate in our parking lots. First, we will spend $20 million during the next five years to repair and upgrade our current parking facilities. Additionally, and this is really important to understand, parking revenue funds so much more than simply parking infrastructure. It also supports our people, our security systems, our technology and our overall operations. RDU would not be able to offer the efficient and attractive facilities you have come to expect from your airport, without parking revenue.

At the end of the day, RDU is committed to offering an exceptional experience from the time you arrive at the airport until the time you board your airplane. You deserve a world-class airport experience and we are committed to doing all we can to provide you just that.  Please share your thoughts, experiences and stories with us and thanks for flying RDU.