Since July 2011, Vector Airport Systems' full-service Landing Fee Management product, PLANEPASS, has provided Santa Monica Airport (KSMO) located in Santa Monica, CA, with significantly enhanced airport activity tracking using VANTAGE and PLANEPASS fully outsourced landing fee management which has helped maximize revenues and increase airport security/awareness.
Using three overlapping, automated technologies, VANTAGE automatically identifies 99+% of all aircraft operating at the airport - 400%+ more aircraft identified than the radar-based tracking system also used by SMO*. Not only does this significant increase in aircraft identifications improve the landing fee billing process but it also helps the airport staff manage their noise/community issues more effectively.
"Out-sourcing our Landing Fee Management to Vector has allowed SMO to automate what was a labor intensive and time consuming process especially for the onsite police who were constantly interrupting their duties to manually gather tail numbers," said Stelios Makrides, SMO's Airport Operations Manager. "With Vector handling all aspects of airport landing fee process, SMO has been able to refocus airport personnel on our main mission, while the additional data provided by Vector's Aircraft ID system has added additional capabilities for our noise management and security programs."
"Vector is excited that our VANTAGE Aircraft ID system and PLANEPASS billing solution have proven so dramatically effective at Santa Monica and has helped the airport staff and police do their jobs more effectively." said Pete Coleton, Vector's President. "We have found repeatedly at many airports similar to Santa Monica that radar-based and transponder-based aircraft ID systems cannot match the results of our 3-technology aircraft ID system whether it's used for billing, noise management, or security. Vector's Aircraft ID systems and full-service landing fee billing/collection solution are a perfect fit for the hundreds of larger GA airports and Commercial Airports with significant GA traffic that are not well served by more costly, less effective radar-based systems currently offered in the market."