Queenstown Airport is New Zealand's fourth busiest airport, serving over 1.4 million people a year travelling to and from the resort town of Queenstown. These high numbers meant the Airport were encountering congestion and safety issues at their pick up and drop off area on a daily basis.
Smart Parking finished an install at Queenstown Airport after they decided to restructure their pick up and drop off area.
The parking challenges at Queenstown International Airport
Queenstown Airport is New Zealand's fourth busiest airport, serving over 1.4 million people a year travelling to and from the resort town of Queenstown. These high numbers meant the Airport were encountering congestion and safety issues at their pick up and drop off area on a daily basis.
This stemmed from influxes of vehicles causing chaos as drivers chose to park haphazardly while waiting for passengers, and cars dropping people off were stopping in unsuitable places.
The loading of luggage when cars were parked dangerously was recognised as a serious safety concern, and tourists unfamiliar with driving rules in New Zealand were also adding to the confusion.
The solution for Queenstown International Airport
To create a better customer experience, and to make sure people were kept safe, Queenstown Airport embarked on a complete refurbishment.
Not only did they decide to change the layout of the previous Ring Road zone, they also made plans to lay new tarmac, plant garden beds and install a free short-term parking lot.
Smart Parking were delighted to be chosen through a tender process to be the supplier of an intelligent parking system in the new car park.
It was clear from the outset that our SmartPark system was ideal for Queenstown Airport’s needs as it allows Airport officials to view real-time occupancy levels and overstays. This means if someone is taking advantage of the free parking a warden can instantly identify which car is the culprit and direct them to move to the longer-term parking lot.
As part of the install we also included our SmartSpot Omni gateways, which are designed to collect live data from the in-ground SmartSensors and relay that to the SmartCloud platform. The SmartSpots were of particular interest to the Airport, as they recognised the value of having open platform hardware that would allow them to connect future services such as public WiFi, surveillance, comms and more, all through a single unit.
"To assist daily operations and future decision making we required a system that provided visibility and data on car park utilisation. Smart Parking delivered that and more. Our operations staff use the SmartPark system daily to optimise car park utilisation and the technology of the open API and multi sensor enabled SmartSpots were a key differentiator when it came to choosing a provider. Smart Parking’s responsiveness before, during and after the installation was excellent, and I would happily recommend their system and service," said Wayne Stiven, Technology Manager, Queenstown International Airport.
The benefits of a SmartPark system
The deployment of our SmartPark system has resulted in travellers enjoying a much easier and calmer arrival or departure from Queenstown Airport.
Gone are the days of chaotic, dangerous parking, as people can now safely park in a free facility and take the time to say proper farewells or greetings.
The Airport is delighted that their mission to improve customer experience was met with energy and efficiency, and are now keen to work with Smart Parking on their new Park & Ride initiative.