Hartsfield-Jackson International is preparing to allow travelers to use Peach Pass to pay at a new parking deck.
A Peach Pass transponder is attached to a windshield and typically used by drivers to automatically pay highway tolls. Using Peach Pass at the airport will allow touchless payment and alleviate lines for airport parking payments upon exit.
The Atlanta airport plans to first add the Peach Pass capability to its new ATL West parking deck, a remote facility under construction that will be connected to the domestic terminal via Sky Train.
The $224 million ATL West deck is expected to open in late fall, depending on the recovery of travel demand amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Since Hartsfield-Jackson general manager John Selden joined the airport in 2018, he has been looking to add Peach Pass payment capability for airport parking so travelers don't have to wait in long lines to pay during busy periods.
Once successful, Peach Pass payment will be added to a new park-and-ride lot then implemented throughout the airport, Selden told the Atlanta City Council transportation committee Wednesday.
It’s similar to systems that have long been used at some other airports around the country.
The airport is seeking city council approval to strike a two-year agreement with the State Road and Tollway Authority (SRTA) for Peach Pass customers to pay for airport parking using their Peach Pass transponder.
Cars’ license plates will read upon entering a parking deck.
Parking fees will be charged to the customer’s credit card on file with SRTA, separate from tolls, according to the agreement.
It also stipulates that Peach Pass users will not be charged rates higher than those paid by other customers.
It’s yet to be seen how much parking will cost at the new ATL West deck. Hartsfield-Jackson slashed many parking rates in half when demand plummeted due to COVID-19. The airport said it is “reviewing and adjusting the rates” during the recovery period.
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