Albany, NY (Nov. 29, 2001) --- Rev. Michael A. Farano, chairman of the Albany County Airport Authority, today announced the introduction of E-ZPass Plus at parking lots at the Albany International Airport.

"E-ZPass Plus will enable our travelers to use their existing E-ZPass accounts to quickly pay for parking at the Airport," said Rev. Farano. "We anticipate the number of business and leisure travelers using E-ZPass Plus to grow and we expect that additional airports will follow Albany's lead to provide this improved parking service to their customers."

E-ZPass Plus is a form of E-ZPass now in use on the New York State Thruway. Nearly 5 million E-ZPass tags are currently in use in New York State and over 50 percent of all toll transactions on the Thruway are conducted using E-ZPass.

"Every month, we see growth in the number of E-ZPass customers because it makes traveling easier and saves time," said John Platt, executive director of the Thruway. "We are pleased to join with Albany International Airport in making it the first airport in New York State and one of the first in the nation to offer parking customers the option of using this very popular electronic mobile payment method."

Existing E-ZPass customers that replenish their pre-paid accounts with a credit card are automatically eligible to use E-ZPass Plus at the Airport. E-ZPass Plus parking is available in the Airport's Parking Garage, Short Term, Long Term lots A & B as well as the Economy E-Lot.

To utilize E-ZPass Plus at the Airport, customers must have a valid and properly mounted E-ZPass tag on their vehicle. When travelers arrive at the Airport, they should take a regular Airport parking ticket from the ticket dispenser at the entrance to the parking lot. When they depart, travelers should hand their parking ticket to the attendant and request to pay with E-ZPass Plus. Travelers will receive an Airport parking receipt for their E-ZPass Plus payments. E-ZPass accounts will be debited for the parking fee and the fee will appear on each individual's E-ZPass statement.

Travelers that currently do not have a credit card on file with the NYS Thruway Authority to replenish their E-ZPass accounts or wish to become eligible for E-ZPass Plus may do so by contacting an E-ZPass customer representative at 1-800-333-8655 or by visiting the E-ZPass website at www.e-zpassny.com.

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