Airport Passenger Terminals Research Articles

Analysis of layout flexibility on the efficiency of airport passenger terminals

The usage of concepts that add flexibility to built spaces by generating the capacity to adapt to new demands is an economically viable and operationally attractive alternative to deal with demand fluctuation. This study aims to analyze the influence of those concepts on the Airport Passenger Terminal's layout by evaluating the performance of the 13 busiest Brazilian airports' check-in areas. It carries out a comparative assessment to establish the main flexibility parameters within the Airport Passenger Terminals. Moreover, it identifies the most efficient characteristics used in the built spaces at the airports. For that, this examination applies the DEA-BCC model oriented to input, analyzing as input data the relation between the check-in area and the total area of the Airport Passenger Terminal building, the number of check-in counters and the waiting time at the queue, and output data the installed capacity of the airports. The results indicate that change in the percentage of check-in area used is the criteria that best reflects the efficiency of an Airport Passenger Terminal.

Research proposal on architectural copper-based antimicrobic solutions in high traffic spaces

This contribution investigates research opportunities in the field of architecture and design management focusing on user health in high traffic spaces. The field of application is Airport Passenger Terminals. Looking at the COVID-19 pandemic and anticipating the possibility of events of the same magnitude, it is necessary to approach the problem of the safety in public spaces. Based on the State of the Art about antimicrobial material studies, Science of Architecture could propose innovative solutions that are compliant with health safety and prevention for high-use surfaces. These solutions will combine antimicrobial materials with a digital solution that could manage data about surfaces, allowing the maintenance team to valuate and optimize operations. After few hours the hygiene level of copper-based surfaces is higher than any other material. Copper-based furniture could be paired with sensors that send data to management software. Combining the use of scientifically demonstrated antibacterial surfaces with high-performance management tools could be the best option to achieve health safety and contribute to social sustainability. Airport terminals are the ideal high-traffic buildings to use as test model because they have all the characteristics that could be analysed concerning the safety and the perception of safety of architectural spaces by users.

We learn more from our mistakes than from our successes: Lessons learned on ORAT and failed activation of airport passenger terminals

Building an airport is no easy task. Neither is delivering it in a state of operational readiness, which must encompass facility, system and people readiness. History is full of examples of (in)famous airport opening failures because of mistakes made during construction and activation. This paper will explore poor Operational Readiness Activation and Transition (ORAT) processes as a key reason for the failure of airport projects, with a thorough analysis of a recommended ORAT programme framework, comprising six core processes, three support processes and six project management processes. Each process is explained in a practical manner, in a recipe-like format and with the dos and do nots that increase the chances of successful delivery on opening day and daily operations thereafter. The paper highlights the real-life issues that come with tracking and improving every step of the construction and trials to ensure the operational readiness of the airport.

Gaps, Trends and Challenges in Assessing Quality of Service at Airport Terminals: A Systematic Review and Bibliometric Analysis

This study investigates the main aspects of the quality of service (QoS) assessment process at airport passenger terminals to find gaps, highlight trends, and discuss current day challenges. A systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted in Scopus and ISI Web of Science databases. Excluding redundancies, the searches resulted in an initial set of 565 articles. After preliminary steps, 61 of these studies were selected for in depth analysis. The research findings and discussions are organized into subsections focused on: (1) places of application (countries/regions); (2) airport areas; (3) evaluators profile; (4) methods; and (5) evaluation criteria. The main gaps revealed are the lack of: (a) applied studies in underdeveloped or developing countries; (b) specific studies for important airport areas, such as those related to access; (c) studies using assessments from arriving and transfer passengers, as well as from travel professionals and experts; and (d) full noncompensatory multicriteria sorting methods. In terms of trends, there is a clear advance in the use of data mining and sentiment analysis, evidencing the challenge for airport managers in dealing with the sources of online information as a management tool. Finally, the challenge of including in assessment process new criteria related to sustainability and COVID-19 era aspects is also noteworthy.

Methodology for defining the new optimum level of service in airport passenger terminals

ABSTRACT This paper proposes a methodology based on agent-based simulation to define the new optimum airport level-of-service (LOS) that guides cost-efficient terminal design while providing passengers with a reasonable LOS. It aims to allow at least 50% of passengers to experience the new optimum LOS range while cutting off LOS values during peak and off-peak periods. The simulation also helps to adopt the standard cut-off combination and test the applicability of the methodology. The test reveals that the proposed methodology is useful for establishing an alternative LOS standard that is more cost-efficient and flexible than the conventional IATA standard and could be applicable for other public transport terminals.

Airport Passenger Terminal in Buleleng, Bali Circulation Pattern in The Design Of Airport Passenger Terminals in Buleleng

The transportation system is experiencing rapid development. One of the transportation systems that has developed qiote rapidly and is in great demand now is the air transportation system. The air transportation system is the main choice because air transportation can save the travel time when the distance is far enough. Development of time and technology, the increasing demand for air transportation has caused a lack of capacity at Bali’s airport. It is necessary to design a facility that can provide a place for air accommodation to accommodate the needs of air transportation users. Circulation is one thing that must be considered when designing an airport passenger terminal. Circulation are usually formed from a pattern of spatial structure so the circulation in the building will determine the smooth activity in the build- ing.
 Index Terms— transportation, circulation, terminal.

Computationally Efficient Simulation of Queues: The R Package queuecomputer

Large networks of queueing systems model important real-world systems such as MapReduce clusters, web-servers, hospitals, call centers and airport passenger terminals. To model such systems accurately, we must infer queueing parameters from data. Unfortunately, for many queueing networks there is no clear way to proceed with parameter inference from data. Approximate Bayesian computation could offer a straightforward way to infer parameters for such networks if we could simulate data quickly enough. We present a computationally efficient method for simulating from a very general set of queueing networks with the R package queuecomputer. Remarkable speedups of more than 2 orders of magnitude are observed relative to the popular DES packages simmer and simpy. We replicate output from these packages to validate the package. The package is modular and integrates well with the popular R package dplyr. Complex queueing networks with tandem, parallel and fork/join topologies can easily be built with these two packages together. We show how to use this package with two examples: a call center and an airport terminal.

A passenger-centred model in assessing airport service performance

Purpose Assessing airport service performance requires understanding of all passenger processing and discretionary activities at airport passenger terminals – a need that has not yet been addressed in the research to date. This paper aims to address this shortcoming in evaluating overall airport service based on passenger experience from departure to arrival. Design/methodology/approach Comparative analysis over 40 airport models, including their indicators and configuration of service measures, was undertaken in a previous work to identify key-design requirements in assessing airport service performance based on passenger experience (Wiredja et al., 2015). Based on these requirements, this paper constitutes the development of a passenger-centred model covering all service areas from departure to arrival terminals. The newly developed model is then examined using factor and regression analyses by involving 215 airline passengers from 22 world’s international airports. Findings Overall service performance is understood as a function of combined sub-performances of two groups of airport domains: processing domains and non-processing domains. The overall result demonstrated that the two sets of service factors and their relevant attributes had significant impact on overall service performance at processing and non-processing domains. Research limitations/implications The proposed model applies a set of dynamic performance measures that provide flexibility. These measures are adjustable depending on the needs. Adding or replacing measures defines the specificity of the domains and performances assessed. The model components can be modified in respective service attributes when passenger needs or priorities change. The only constant component is user-centred indicators (in this research, Passenger-centred indicators). Originality/value This research has generated new insights and knowledge that directly contribute to the assessment of airport service performance. The novelty of this research is the development of a passenger-centred approach in evaluating overall airport service based on passenger experience. This passenger-driven model provides a more integrated and robust approach in this field than previously available.

A new methodological framework for evaluating flexible options at airport passenger terminals

Flexibility has been proposed as a suitable alternative or a complement to the traditional airport development approach based on Master Plans. Flexibility increases airports’ resilience to unexpected or unforeseen events such as economic recessions, regulatory restrictions or technological developments, to name a few. Although the benefits of flexibility have been discussed, the debate has thus far been conducted at the conceptual level. Furthermore, research which refers to ways of measuring the benefits of flexibility is almost inexistent.This manuscript proposes a novel framework to support the incorporation of elements of flexibility in the airport development plan. The framework was primarily developed for cases of extension – i.e., when expansion is not an option. It is organised in three phases: 1) definition of the decision inputs, scenarios and flexible options, 2) ex-ante operational evaluation and, 3) ex-ante economic evaluation. The framework is meant to guide airport managers assessing the plausibility of alternatives in keeping or improving the efficiency of airport’s processes.An application of the framework is presented. The case study is the Terminal 2 of the Lisbon International Airport. The objective of the use of this case study is twofold: 1) to exemplify the applicability of the framework, and; 2) validate the framework together with the interviews that we conducted with airport practitioners. The results evidence that flexibility can increase the efficiency by reducing the waiting times, which will increase the passengers’ dwelling time. The costs are compensated by the increase in the non-aeronautical revenues.

Level of service at airport passenger terminals

Airport terminals are designed by level of service standards which are regulated by International Air Transport Association (IATA). Level of service offered to passengers, regarding to the primary processes, is not necessarily equivalent to the level of service perceived by them. The fact that passengers spending longer times in terminals makes the secondary processes more important in passenger experience. Aiming to improving airport attractiveness, and business success, passenger perception is approached by paying close attention. This paper discusses the two aspects of level of service. Concept of level of service used in air traffic industry with purpose of designing and planning of passenger terminal is derived from the Highway Capacity Manual. Subject of the paper regards last changes which have been introduced during 2014. Second part of the paper explains the needs of examining and analyzing passenger perception from the management point of view, and gives overview of methods which are conducted during researches. Similarities and differences are shown among measurements of level of service and perceived level of service, including the importance of these aspects mutual complementing.

Control strategies for departure process delays at airport passenger terminals

This paper explores the characteristics of process delays at airport passenger terminals and establishes a queuing model for both passengers and baggage served by different connecting type facilities. The impact of delay propagation on other processes and flights is investigated using an analytical approach. In addition, the extra costs incurred on passengers, process operators, and airlines are examined using the delay cost functions. To reduce the impact of process delays, various delay-controlled strategies are proposed, such as setting scheduled times for completion of a process, increasing the number of service counters, and priority service for emergent flights. Taoyuan International Airport in Taiwan is used as a case study when facing special events. Results showed that the model can effectively and efficiently estimate delay propagation and its costs. In addition, processes that are not consecutive allow more buffer time between different operations, which helps ease propagation of delays caused by previous services.

Analysis of waiting times in the baggage claim area of an airport passenger terminal

The development of level-of-service measures has been a major issue for airport operators worldwide. Research on the quality of airport passenger terminal services is being performed to reduce costs, redirect investment and increase the level of customer satisfaction. The main objective of this research is to develop standard waiting-time measures for luggage in airport baggage claim areas according to user perceptions. The present study applied psychometrical scaling theory using the method of successive categories to provide causal relationships between passenger perceptions and waiting times in baggage claim areas. Finally, the level-of-service standards proposed for Brazilian airports were compared with a similar airport in Canada. The results indicated that Brazilian passengers are slightly more demanding than Canadian passengers and those passengers in Fortaleza are the most demanding of the studied Brazilian airports.

Stochastic Planning Approach in Airport Passenger Terminals

Motivated by the challenges encountered in airport passenger terminal planning, we study a multistage stochastic programming model based on a multi commodity flow network representation of the whole airport terminal. As delays in passageways and processing stations of airport terminal different uncertain natures, they are modeled separately and then integrated. In this study, we consider the airport terminal capacity planning problem as a whole. In this regard, we first derive time functions to approximate maximum delays in passageways and processing stations of an airport terminal. Demand uncertainty is considered as a dynamic stochastic data process during the planning horizon which is modeled as a scenario tree. Based on available data for the Imam Khomeini International Airport like passenger demands, a multi-stage stochastic programming model is proposed which is full recourse for demand scenarios. Numerical results indicate that the solution to the multi-stage model is far superior to the optimal solution to the mean-value deterministic and the three-stage stochastic models. 

Transport Infrastructure for Med11 Countries

Lack of adequate infrastructure is a significant inhibitor to increased trade of the countries of the Mediterranean region. Bringing their transport infrastructure to standards comparable with countries of a similar per capita GDP will be costly but worthwhile.We compare the current quantities of six types of transport infrastructure with international, and estimate the additional quantities needed to reach the benchmarks. We also estimate the cost of that infrastructure and express it as a percentage of GDP. Finally we make tentative estimates of how much trade might be generated and how this might impact on GDP. All the estimates are made for each MED11 country and for each of four scenarios.The highest need for additional infrastructure will be for airport passenger terminals (between 52% and 56%), whereas the lowest need was for more unpaved roads (between 7% and 13%). The investment (including maintenance) cost would be between 0.9% of GDP and 2.4% of GDP, although the investments in some countries would be between 1.4% and 4.5% of GDP.The impact on non-oil international trade would be substantial, but with differences between imports and exports. The overall trade balance of the MED11 region would be an improvement of between 5.4% and 17.2%, although some countries would continue to have a negative balance.A final assessment was of the benefit ratio between the increase in GDP and the cost of transport investment. This varied between about 3 and 8, an indication of the high return to be expected from increased investment in transport infrastructure.

Theory of Allocating and Scheduling Resources at Airport Passenger Terminals: A Review

This paper reviews theory of allocating and scheduling resources at airport passenger terminals, from three aspects, that are method of integrating airport operational data, method of predicting passenger flow at airport terminals and optimization method of allocating and scheduling resources at airport terminals. Directions and challenges of future research are identified.

Airport check-in counter assignment: a proposed solution

The recent global economic recession and adverse environmental impact have seriously shocked the airline industry. An important task for many airlines is to increase competitiveness. An extremely time-consuming check-in process, especially during peak hours, can significantly degrade passenger perceptions of service quality. Thus, improving the efficiency of check-in counters at airport passenger terminals is a major concern of airport operators and airlines. For example, improving the efficiency of counter assignments by airline reservation systems would reduce manpower needs and enhance operational efficiency. The objective of this study was to establish the operating pattern for airport check-in counter assignments by minimising the operational cost from incurred by the airline and maximising passenger service level with considering the use of kiosk machine and full/part-time duty counter staff. According to the experimental results and sensitivity analyses of actual airline operations data, employing part-time counter staff and using kiosk machines would significantly reduce counter operation cost and improve passenger service quality.

Measuring Quality of Service in Airport Passenger Terminals

Assessment of airport passenger terminal performance provides valuable feedback to airport managers. Researchers and practitioners alike have recognized that measuring terminal performance through purely operational approaches (i.e., on the basis of airport ability to process passengers and baggage) is not sufficient. Innovative techniques used to study passenger needs and their perception of service quality have been developed during the past few decades. A new generation of terminal assessment models incorporating issues such as comfort, convenience, and ambience in the evaluation models has emerged. Existing models vary according to the type of decisions supported, evaluation perspective, type of measurements, and evaluation approach used. The state of the art and the state of the practice regarding methods and techniques for assessing the performance of airport passenger terminals are reviewed, their capabilities and limitations are identified, and issues that should be further researched are proposed.

Analysis of Level of Service at Airport Departure Lounges: User Perception Approach

This technical note proposes and applies a methodology to analyze the level of service at departure lounges of airport passenger terminals, according to user perceptions. One hundred and twenty passengers were observed and interviewed at Sao Paulo International Airport in Brazil during May 2004. Two techniques were employed to assist in the data analysis: the successive categories method and regression analysis. The first technique was used to transform qualitative passenger responses into quantitative level of service (LOS) ratings. Regression analysis provided a relationship between these ratings and the characteristics of the facility (space available per passenger and number of seats per passenger). LOS standards that are useful for Brazilian airports for planning, design, and management were obtained. The proposed methodology can be used at any airport or any group of airports, if local data are collected in order to recalibrate the models.

Overall level of service measures for airport passenger terminals

Overall level of service (LOS) measures for airport passenger terminals are presented in this paper. These measures are useful to evaluate the overall LOS in a single scale, according to user perceptions. The procedure consists of observing passengers and collecting several socio-economic and physical variables that might influence the user evaluation of the airport as a whole. A psychometric scaling technique is used to obtain quantitative LOS ratings from survey data. Regression analysis is used to obtain mathematical relationships between the quantitative LOS ratings and global indices (total service time, total walking distance and two orientation indices). The methodology is illustrated with its application at São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport in Brazil.

A global index for level of service evaluation at airport passenger terminals

This paper presents a global index for the evaluation of the level of service (LOS) of the operational components at an airport. This index is useful in evaluating the overall LOS on a single scale and according to user perceptions. It is assumed that the overall LOS is a function of the LOS of individual components, such as check-in, departure lounges, etc., as well as socio-economic variables. Regression analysis is used to obtain a mathematical relationship between the global LOS ratings and the LOS of individual operational components. The methodology is illustrated with its application at São Paulo/Guarulhos international airport in Brazil, where 119 enplaning passengers were interviewed.