RDU Helps Travelers Locate Lost Cars

Officials atRaleigh-Durham International Airporthear a lot of complaints about parking problems. Now, they have come up with a solution for visitors with a unique problem of their own: memory loss.

In the middle of the night, every night, RDU employees walk through every airport parking lot and log every vehicle license plate and vehicle location on their hand-held computers. They cover more than 13,000 spaces.

The service is designed to help airport visitors find their cars if they cannot remember where they parked. The only catch is, they have to remember their license plate number.

Airport spokesman Mike Blanton says the inventory also helps police track down stolen cars and vehicles that get left at the airport after being used to commit a crime.

Parking attendants can also check the computer printout and verify how long a car has really been parked, with or without a valid ticket.