Abstract P441: Walking Patterns on Weekdays, Weekends, and Holidays in a Large, Metropolitan U.S. Airport: The Walk to Fly Study

Abstract

Objective: Many airports provide environments conducive for walking but little is known about walking patterns. The objective of this study is to characterize airport walking volume and mode choice by day of the week and around holidays. Methods: Individuals entering the transportation mall of a large, metropolitan U.S. airport may ride the train, walk, or use a moving walkway to get to their gate. Six ceiling-mounted, infrared sensors count individuals who enter the transportation mall, and those who walk or use the moving walkway. Train riders are the difference between the entry, and the walk and walkway counts. Holiday travel days occurred before and after the 2013 July 4 (July 3 and 7) and Labor Day (Aug 30 and Sept 3) holidays. Descriptive and logistic regression analyses were performed using R version 2.14.1. Results: Data collection occurred from June 15 -- Oct 2, 2013. On average, more than 46,000 individuals entered the transportation mall daily where 89.9% rode the train, 4.6% walked, and 5.5% used the moving walkway. The mean volume of individuals ranged from 34,430 on Saturdays to 48,411 on Mondays (Figure). The mean percentage of individuals walking or using the moving walkway was 10.5% on weekdays and 9.3% on weekends. The odds of walking or using the moving walkway were lower on weekends (versus weekdays) [OR 0.873 (95% CI: 0.867-0.879)] and around holidays (versus non-holidays) [OR 0.912 (0.898-0.925)]. Conclusion: In a large, metropolitan U.S. airport, walking or using the moving walkway is less common on weekends and on days surrounding holidays. Airport walking interventions may need to consider differences in walking patterns on weekdays, weekends, and holidays.