(TNS) \u2014 A company says it has fixed a software glitch that caused headaches at Miami International Airport\u2019s busy parking garages, with travelers unable to pay at self-service kiosks and attendants letting vehicles exit for free when the payment system malfunctioned.<\/p>\n
The problems surfaced in February, prompting a stern letter from the airport to the software provider, which has been paid about $5 million since 2019<\/a> to upgrade and operate the payment system and equipment for MIA\u2019s parking garages.<\/p>\n The provider, Designa Access Corp.<\/a>, said the software fix that was needed to permanently solve the temporary glitches went live this week. That should mean no more need for garage attendants to use hand-held payment devices as backups for when the main system went dark.<\/p>\n \u201cFully fixed today,\u201d Designa CEO Brett Winslow said Wednesday in an email to the Miami Herald. Customers trying to pay at kiosks or at the exit gates \u201cwould not see or experience any issues.\u201d<\/p>\n An MIA administrator said in a letter to Designa that the problems started on Feb. 9 when the company\u2019s computer system suffered \u201ca complete failure.\u201d<\/p>\n Winslow said the initial fix took a week, restoring the bulk of the technology needed to keep garage payments running smoothly. The system \u201cwas fully brought back online\u201d on Wednesday, he said.<\/p>\n Gregory Chin, a spokesperson for MIA, said the garages\u2019 self-payment system was only out for six days, between Feb. 9 and Feb. 14. Some travelers were allowed to exit the garage without paying during that window, Chin said in an email Friday morning. He did not provide a dollar figure for the lost revenue. While county owned, MIA operates on airline fees and concession rental revenue and does not receive tax dollars.<\/p>\n Chin said the software fix that went live this week restored technology needed to read license plates, which only impacts parking areas for MIA employees. Before the fix, employees had to show their IDs to enter those parking areas.<\/p>\n