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Bellingham International Airport
The Solution That Helped Bellingham International Airport Sleep at Night
13 Seconds
Average Wait Time
31%
Revenue Generating Calls
At a Glance
Parker Technology helps Parker Technology helps Bellingham International Airport (BLI) deliver a seamless parking experience, capturing critical revenue and maintaining a high level of customer services for its customers. Gage Dally, Airport Operations Manager at Bellingham International Airport, shares the challenges he and his team faced when automated parking operations were brought in-house, and how partnering with Parker Technology allowed him to sleep soundly at night.
Location
Bellingham, WA
Industry
Airport
The Challenge
Bellingham faced operational challenges when the airport’s parking operations were automated and brought in-house.
The Solution
Implementing Parker Technology’s exception handling management system to aid the automated parking operations.
Bellingham International Airport is owned and operated by the Port of Bellingham. Like many airports, Bellingham relies on parking as a critical part of both the customer’s experience and the airport’s financial performance. For passengers, parking is often the first and last touchpoint of their trip. For airport operations teams, it is a system that needs to work reliably at all hours, especially when airport travelers arrive home after a long day of travel.
When Bellingham began transitioning to a fully automated parking operation, the team was entering uncharted territory. Their staff had deep aviation and operations experience, but parking had historically been managed by an outside partner.
For Gage Dally, Airport Operations Manager at Bellingham International Airport, that transition quickly became a major operational priority. Dally and his team are responsible for keeping the airport running smoothly, but automated parking introduced a new challenge that spanned customer service, revenue collection, and after-hours support. As Bellingham brought more of the operation in-house, they needed a strategic partner that could handle customer exceptions and reduce the burden on the airport staff.
"I really cannot understate the amount of time that I would commit to being a cheerleader for Parker Technology."
Challenges of Automating Parking Operations
Challenge 1
Bringing Parking In-House Required New Expertise
Before implementing its fully automated parking system with Designa, Bellingham’s parking operations relied on a more manual, labor-intensive model. The airport had a parking contractor and a hybrid automated lot, but staff were still physically doing inventory of every vehicle at night.
According to Dally, the manual process cost approximately $650,000 per year.
Moving to automation meant taking on a new level of complexity. Airport operations staff at Bellingham were used to wearing many hats, from security to inspections and maintaining airport certification standards.
Parking, however, was not a hat they had traditionally worn.
Challenge 2
Customer Exceptions Were Creating Operational Strain
As the new system came online, Bellingham experienced challenges that come with a major parking technology transition. Customers encountered payment issues, lost tickets, reservation issues, and network interruptions.
As Dally explained, “We were seeing double charges and people locked and stuck in parking lots all the time without an effective means to address it.”
Those exceptions quickly became more than a customer service concern. They created operational strain for airport staff who already carried a wide range of responsibilities.
Challenge 3
Parking Revenue Had to Be Protected
For Bellingham, like most airports, parking is not a secondary operation. It is a major piece of the airport’s operation and a critical revenue stream. That made every lost payment, manual workaround, or missed transaction more than a customer service problem. It became a revenue protection issue.
That responsibility was especially important because Bellingham’s parking rates are commission approved. As Dally explained, the airport could not simply waive fees, offer discounts, or let customers out without payment when issues arose. Doing so would create compliance concerns tied to the regulations governing the approved rates.
Bellingham needed a support model that could balance two priorities at once: helping customers exit the lot successfully and protecting the airport’s ability to collect the revenue it was required to collect.
The Solution: A Support Partner Built For Parking Complexity
Bellingham International Airport partnered with Parker Technology to provide live parking support during a critical period of operational change. With Parker Technology in place, customers experiencing issues at the gate could be connected to trained customer service representatives who understood the airport’s unique business rules, priorities, and revenue requirements.
Parker Technology worked alongside Bellingham’s internal team, IT partners, and integration teams to help move the implementation team forward. Dally saw the value in how the implementation process did not require him to oversee every detail.
“I was seeing a slew of emails between our IT, Designa, and Parker Technology, and I didn’t have to respond to a single one of them,” Dally said. “I’m overseeing this project; they’re managing the implementation. I don’t need to jump in; I don’t need to touch anything because I’m not a parking guy.”
For Dally, the implementation experience stood out with clear rules, consistent communication, and the responsibility taken on by Parker Technology’s Client Success team. From day one, clients are paired with a dedicated Implementation Specialist who delivers tailored onboarding to each facility’s unique business rules.
"I was seeing a slew of emails between our IT, Designa, and Parker Technology, and I didn't have to respond to a single one of them. I'm overseeing this project; they're managing the implementation. I don't need to jump in; I don't need to touch anything because I'm not a parking guy."
The support doesn’t stop after onboarding is completed. Clients receive full access to the Parker Platform, where they can view reports, review the call data, and even listen to calls, ensuring transparency and confidence in the process.
The partnership also expanded through Parker Technology’s integration with Designa. This API integration allows CSRs to keep traffic moving and deliver a smooth experience to every motorist and allows them to:
- Identify motorists via LPR data
- Vend gates and push tickets
- View monthly and permit visibility
- Lookup transient information
The Results
Since integrating Parker Technology, Bellingham has reaped both operational and experiential benefits:
*Data collected from October 2025 to April 2026
A Transformation of Revenue
31% Revenue Generating Calls
For calls handled by Parker Technology in from October 2025 to April 2026, 31% of calls were revenue generating.
A Transformation of Call Process
Calls Answered in 13 Seconds
The average wait time for a call to be handled at Bellingham locations was 13 seconds, with the most common wait time for calls at 3 seconds.
10 CSR Touchpoints
Bellingham featured 10 touchpoints for Parker CSRs, including 9 parking devices and a dedicated helpline.
Reduced Burden on Airport Staff
One of the most immediate benefits for Bellingham was the reduction in internal staff involvement. Before Parker Technology, unresolved exceptions often escalated to airport staff or directly to Dally.
With Parker Technology in place, Bellingham gained a dedicated support model that handled exception calls and removed the strain on internal staff, giving Dally and his team more confidence in the automated system.
"When we got Parker Technology under contract, I was able to sleep through the night."
A Smoother Customer Experience
For airport travelers, parking issues are especially stressful. A customer may be arriving late at night after dealing with a long day of travel. When gates don’t open, reservations fail, or payment systems create confusion, frustration can set in quickly.
Bellingham had seen this firsthand. During early system challenges, network interruptions caused customers to become stuck, creating lines, damaged gates, and tense interactions with operations staff. Parker Technology helped provide customers with a more reliable support path for those moments.
Instead of relying on airport staff to troubleshoot each issue manually, customers now receive live assistance from a CSR trained to handle parking exceptions in real-time.
Improved Revenue Capture and Compliance
Bellingham’s parking operation required more than customer support. It required support that could help ensure payments were completed correctly, protect one of the airport’s largest sources of revenue, and reduce the manual workarounds that had previously created stress for staff.
The impact is clear in the data. Of the 1,700 calls Parker Technology handled, an estimated $10,500 in revenue was protected. That’s about $20 per revenue-related call.
Before Parker Technology, airport staff were sometimes placed in uncomfortable situations, including helping customers complete text-to-pay transactions or handling sensitive payment-related information. Dally shared a story about assisting an elderly man in completing a text-to-pay transaction. Dally had to use the man’s cell phone, after which, the man humorously declared that Dally now knew all his secrets.
With Parker Technology supporting 9 devices and a dedicated helpline, Bellingham now has 10 customer touchpoints connected to trained CSRs. As a result, Dally and his team have seen a measurable operational impact, including a 60% reduction in text-to-pay exits. That decrease means fewer manual workarounds for airport staff and a smoother process for customers.
A More Confident Path Forward
As Bellingham continues to refine its automated parking operation, Parker Technology has become a key partner in helping the airport manage and understand the system. Dally has established ongoing monthly check-ins with Parker Technology’s team to review performance and track trends.
That ongoing partnership is especially important because Bellingham’s parking system is still evolving. As more data becomes available, Dally and his team will be able to better understand customer behavior, operational pressure points, and opportunities to improve the customer experience.
Conclusion
For Bellingham International Airport, Parker Technology’s value goes beyond answering calls. It comes from having a responsive, knowledgeable team that understands the complexity and importance of parking.
By partnering with Parker Technology, Bellingham has gained a strategic partner that helps customers navigate parking exceptions, reduces the burden on operations staff, and supports the airport’s need to protect revenue.
Dally recognizes the value of the partnership and its future, stating “I really cannot understate the amount of time that I would commit to being a cheerleader for Parker Technology.”
What was once a source of disruption and operational uncertainty has become a reliable, scalable model built to grow alongside Bellingham’s automated parking operation.
Learn more about how Parker Technology can give you peace of mind in your facility’s operation
Check out our other case studies about how we’ve assisted similar parking operations, or reach out to our team to get the conversation started.