Airport Passenger Terminals Research Articles

Quantitative analysis of passenger and baggage security screening at airports

AbstractThe terrorist attacks in the United States in 2001 opened a new era in air transportation. The realization that civil aircraft can be used as powerful weapons of mass destruction by a small group of people has drastically increased the need for security screening procedures to protect civil flights. Serving as the interface between the air and land transportation modes, airports have become the main focus in the implementation of those procedures. The need to more thoroughly screen passengers and baggage, and the consequent increase in processing time, has created the need for more space for security checkpoints and baggage screening inside passenger terminal buildings—space that is costly and very difficult to find in existing buildings. This paper evaluates the impact those measures have had on the planning and operation of airport passenger terminals. Quantification of those impacts is performed with the use of discrete‐event simulation and spreadsheet models.

A theory of sizing airport passenger terminals

Airport planning and design is a complex task from the perspective of the main participants, such as the airport management (stakeholders), airlines, investors, users — both passengers and freight/cargo shippers and local community members. The latter have expressed a number of environmental concerns. These concerns extend to passenger terminals as a part of the airport landside area. Faced with the inherent complexity and sensitivity of the task, airport planners, designers, academics and researchers have developed a relatively consistent approach to planning, sizing and design of these terminals, known as ‘terminal sizing theory’. This paper describes this theory, including a description of the terminal components and operations, the main sizing principles and parameters and the relevant analytical and simulation models as the ‘core’ of the theory. The theory is applied to the development of a computer-supported simulation model for sizing a new passenger terminal at a relatively small (regional) airport. The structure, application and outputs indicate generosity of both sizing theory and the model, making them convenient for sizing any kind of airport passenger terminals after specifying the appropriate inputs.

Development of level of service standards for airport facilities: Application to São Paulo International Airport

A methodology for developing level of service (LOS) standards at airport passenger terminals based on user perceptions is developed. The underlying concept is the derivation of quantitative values for passenger perceptions of service based on airport surveys. The check-in counter component is evaluated considering factors that have a bearing on the user perceptions of LOS: processing time, waiting time, and space available per person. The study uses data obtained from a passenger survey conducted at São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport, Brazil. The results indicate that we can derive quantitative perception scales from qualitative survey data. Finally, a multi-attribute analysis is done to obtain a composite evaluation of LOS at the check-in counter as a function of the waiting time, processing time, and space available.

Evaluating Level of Service at Airport Passenger Terminals: Review of Research Approaches

Establishing measures to evaluate the level of service (LOS) at airport passenger terminals is of interest to airlines and airport operators. Airport LOS has been evaluated at individual airports, but no standard method or reporting system exists. Airport passenger terminal LOS and capacity have been research topics over the past two decades. More recently, studies have been initiated to identify the passenger terminal problem in general and capacity and service measures in particular. In 1986, FAA responded to concerns about an inadequate understanding of passenger terminal capacity constraints by commissioning TRB to study ways to measure airport capacity. This study recognized that the capacity of any given airport facility cannot be evaluated without defining acceptable LOS values. Currently, however, little agreement exists on analysis methods. No universally accepted way exists to measure LOS for airport terminal buildings. In this regard, various approaches developed by different agencies and researchers are reviewed. This review is useful for professionals interested in applying one of the methods previously developed but not having access to all published information, especially the new approaches. The intent of this review is to motivate new research on the subject, which would facilitate the integration of various existing methods or the development of new approaches.

Optimal assignment for check-in counters based on passenger arrival behaviour at an airport

Establishing how to utilize check-in counters at airport passenger terminals efficiently is a major concern facing airport operators and airlines. Inadequate terminal capacity and the inefficient utilization of facilities such as check-in counters are major factors causing congestion and delays at airport passenger terminals. However, such delays and congestion can be reduced by increasing the efficiency of check-in counter operations, based on an understanding of passengers' airport access behaviour. This paper presents an assignment model for check-in counter operations, based on passengers' airport arrival patterns. In setting up the model, passenger surveys are used to determine when passengers arrive at the airport terminals relative to their flight departure times. The model then uses passenger arrival distribution patterns to calculate the most appropriate number of check-in counters and the duration of time that each counter should be operated. This assignment model has been applied at the Seoul Gimpo International Airport in Korea. The model provides not only a practical system for the efficient operations of time-to-time check-in counter assignments, but also a valuable means of developing effective longer-term solutions to the problem of passenger terminal congestion and delays. It also offers airlines a means of operating check-in counters with greater cost effectiveness, thus leading to enhanced customer service.

The satisfaction of human needs in airport passenger terminals

This paper reviews the physical and psychological needs of all users of airport terminals. It starts with the conventional ergonomic setting of the workplace, as experienced by the airport, airline and other employees. It then moves on to consider the functional needs of the passengers and their escorts, reviewing the extent to which the needs are met by following ‘handbook’ design procedures. Particular attention is given to efficient navigation through a terminal, since this provides one of the strongest tests of a building's ability to satisfy a passenger's primary needs to minimize unproductive time and to eliminate unknowns. The paper then focuses on the wayfinding needs of the significant minority of passengers with some impaired mobility, since these present the major challenge to terminal designers and operators and new legislation will require improved provision for their needs. The spectrum of impaired people is identified, together with some of the ‘best practice’ initiatives that are being taken to meet them. Finally, a case study identifies the specific problems encountered by visually impaired people in a sample of European airport terminals. Conclusions are drawn as to the best practices that might be adopted.

The satisfaction of human needs in airport passenger terminals

This paper reviews the physical and psychological needs of all users of airport terminals. It starts with the conventional ergonomic setting of the workplace, as experienced by the airport, airline and other employees. It then moves on to consider the functional needs of the passengers and their escorts, reviewing the extent to which the needs are met by following ‘handbook’ design procedures. Particular attention is given to efficient navigation through a terminal, since this provides one of the strongest tests of a building's ability to satisfy a passenger's primary needs to minimize unproductive time and to eliminate unknowns. The paper then focuses on the wayfinding needs of the significant minority of passengers with some impaired mobility, since these present the major challenge to terminal designers and operators and new legislation will require improved provision for their needs. The spectrum of impaired people is identified, together with some of the ‘best practice’ initiatives that are being taken to meet them. Finally, a case study identifies the specific problems encountered by visually impaired people in a sample of European airport terminals. Conclusions are drawn as to the best practices that might be adopted.

Measuring the Level of Services at Airport Passenger Terminals: Comparison of Perceived and Observed Time

A mathematical model to measure the level of service at airport passenger terminals is presented. The model relates passengers’ ratings of services at terminals and the time spent waiting for those services. The fuzzy concept is used to deal with the vagueness of service ratings such as “satisfied” and “unsatisfied.” Furthermore, two instruments are used to obtain the amount of time spent in service processes: perceived time reported by passengers and objective quantities measured by researchers. Empirical data reveal that the mean of perceived waiting/service time is significantly greater than the objective time in both check-in and baggageclaim processes, indicating that passengers tend to overestimate their time spent in each process. Furthermore, the amount of overestimation varies among service processes, with passengers having greater overestimations in both check-in service and baggage-claim waiting than in check-in waiting. These results imply that the two former processes are less tolerable than the latter one. The differences between those two measurements are further accentuated by the estimated level-of-service thresholds, with most thresholds based on subjective perceptions being greater than those based on objective measures. Estimation results also suggest that airport operators and airlines need more efforts to upgrade a service currently at higher service levels than at lower service levels.

An operations research model for the evaluation of an airport terminal: SLAM (simple landside aggregate model)

The Simple Landside Aggregate Model (SLAM) is a model for estimating capacity and delays in airport passenger terminals. SLAM is designed to answer “what if” questions about alternative configurations of the various processing and holding facilities in a terminal. It consists of a network of modules, one for each facility of the terminal. These modules are based on a set of quite simple mathematical formulas to be used for the estimation of the capacity of each facility (in terms of passengers per hour) and the level of service (LOS) associated with it. LOS is quantified both in terms of “space available per facility occupant” and waiting time for being processed.

A methodology for establishing operational standards of airport passenger terminals

This paper discusses a methodology for establishing the operational standards of service performance of airport passenger terminals using a perception–response model. The proposed approach is defined by the graphical representation of passengers’ collective attitudes towards the range of operational service at an airport passenger terminal. It adopts new concepts to establish service standards through a special survey to better interpret terminal operations and service level at each facility. It is expressed in terms of passengers’ perception of various service levels and their response to the respective service conditions. The methodology may provide practical service standards of airport terminals and prove to be a practical and convenient technique to airport planners, designers, consultants, operators, and airport managers.

Meeting room design—An architect’s perspective

C. W. Fentress J. H. Bradburn and Associates was the lead designer for the Colorado Convention Center, Jefferson County Court Building, and for two new airport passenger terminals in Denver and Seoul. From the architect’s perspective, there are many considerations in the design of meeting spaces. The author, Principal in Charge of Design, will share his insight into what clients want in design, and what clients think is important to their customers. Acoustics and noise issues are discussed in the context of the overall design project.

Spatial orientation and wayfinding in airport passenger terminals: implications for environmental design : Andre, A D and Koonce, J MVisions. Proc Human Factors Society 35th Annual Meeting. San Francisco, California, 2–6 September 1991. The Human Factors Society, Santa Monica, California, Vol 1 (1991) pp 561–565 (11 refs)

Spatial orientation and wayfinding in airport passenger terminals: implications for environmental design : Andre, A D and Koonce, J MVisions. Proc Human Factors Society 35th Annual Meeting. San Francisco, California, 2–6 September 1991. The Human Factors Society, Santa Monica, California, Vol 1 (1991) pp 561–565 (11 refs)

Measuring performance of airport passenger terminals

Performance of an airport passenger terminal generally has something to do with moving travelers and their bags between aircraft and ground transportation, but airport operators, travelers, airlines, and other users of the terminal have a range of concerns about comfort, convenience, costs, and ambiance that should accompany this movement and will assess performance in terms of such factors. Statistics are available for a few airports and limited periods of time, but there is no comprehensive base of information on how airport terminal buildings operate or the conditions their users experience. Neither is there a generally accepted definition of what is adequate performance. The principal factors comprising a framework for describing performance are presented, focusing primarily on passengers, airlines, and the airport operator. Specific measures that may be used to assess performance within this framework are considered, along with computational tools that might be developed to support more systematic assessment of airport terminal investments and operating strategies.

Spatial Orientation and Wayfinding in Airport Passenger Terminals: Implications for Environmental Design

Passengers and visitors of our nation's major airports often encounter problems of spatial orientation and wayfinding. The present study used a multiple method strategy to determine the sources of guidance information that passengers deem most important, how successful those sources are, and what design qualities facilitate or inhibit their effectiveness. The results are consistent with established theories of human navigation and spatial cognition, and are used to generate specific guidelines for effective redesign.

An operational analysis of regional airport passenger terminals

Based on a survey of passenger, baggage and vehicle flows at ten regional airports in the southeastern region of Brazil, where regular air transport is provided by aircraft of 15 to 54 seats, the utilization process and interrelation of the operational components of the passenger terminal are characterized. This characterization is used to model the observed phenomena, identify relevant commonalities in the process and establish design parameters for this kind of terminal. It is concluded that it is possible to derive a general method to estimate operational area requirements with reasonable precision, using relatively simple tools, even considering the differences that exist in the user profiles at this airports.

Level of service design concept for airport passenger terminals—a European view

Drawing from the experiences of highway and pedestrian planning, the author suggests a method of improving the method of designing airport terminals. The improved technique would use the concept of level of service to indicate the interaction of time with space provision.

An economic framework for the planning of airport passenger terminals : Geoffrey David Gosling, Department of Civil Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 (Available from the Institute of Transportation Studies as No. 79-1 in their Dissertation Series)

An economic framework for the planning of airport passenger terminals : Geoffrey David Gosling, Department of Civil Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 (Available from the Institute of Transportation Studies as No. 79-1 in their Dissertation Series)

Evolution and Future of Airport Passenger Terminals

The increase in air transportation has led to a substantial change in the function and design of airport terminals. From simple ticket counters and snack bars, terminals have grown to enormous complexes. The need to limit passenger-walking distances has led to the development of the satellite concept in combination with mobile lounges and moving sidewalks. Airport passenger terminal design in the United States has evolved with the growth of commercial air transportation. Simple aircraft and passenger procedures have given way to complex ones. The number and size of aircraft on the ramp have increased more than one hundred-fold since the 1920's. Even the passengers have changed from a few to hundreds of thousands with increasingly greater demands for comfort and convenience.