Manhattan Regional Airport (MHK)

The Manhattan Regional Airport (Manhattan, KS) and Walker Consultants were honored by the Southwest Parking and Transportation Association with a 2021 Award of Excellence for Innovative Use of Parking Technology.

Watch the video to learn how Walker Consultants and the airport used parking access and revenue control technology, coupled with research-backed parking pricing policy, to fund a much-needed $3.2 million investment in the airport’s parking infrastructure.

Parking Access and Revenue Control System (PARCS)

As part of a landside improvement project, Manhattan Regional Airport (MHK) selected to implement paid parking as a result of Walker Consultants paid parking financial feasibility analysis. The evaluation of technology strategies, development, and design of technology as assistance with the implementation of the paid parking strategy were completed as part of this project.

Challenges met included the need for identifying the appropriate technology strategy for moving from free to paid parking and explaining the benefits of a new technology system to the varying stakeholders. Walker’s solutions included new gated parking access and revenue control system as well as audio and video monitoring of lanes. Walker was able to identify that paid parking can not only support funding of the landside improvements but also the ongoing maintenance of its operations.

Parking Pricing Evaluation

As part of a landside improvement project, Manhattan Regional Airport (MHK) wanted to identify opportunities to fund the improvements. One consideration was paid parking. Walker Consultants evaluated the strategies to move from unpaid to paid parking. This included the operational and technology strategies to support paid parking as well as the paid parking financial analysis.

The financial analysis included considerations for competing airports, the catchment area of these customers, business travelers vs. leisure travelers, elastic of demand of going from free to paid parking, impacts of TNC’s. The results of the financial analysis indicated a positive revenue stream to pay for the bonding of the landside improvements. Following completion of the debt service, the airport will have an ongoing revenue stream to support ongoing landside maintenance.

The key challenges included the need for identifying strategies to fund landside, as well as concerns regarding the loss of passenger enplanement as a result of paid parking. Walker’s solutions provided were a financial analysis to understand the impacts of customers as a result of paid parking and the introduction of potential revenue streams using varying parking.

Walker was able to identify that paid parking can be utilized to support the landside improvements while minimally impacting concerts of customer loss to the airport. Walker also identified that paid parking can not only support funding of the landside improvements but also the ongoing maintenance of its operations.