Airport Operations

Airport Planning & Management

6th Edition
Alex T. Wells, Ed.D.
Seth B. Young, Ph.D.
2011
Chapter 7: Airport Terminals and
Ground Access
Chapter 7: Airport Terminals
and Ground Access - Outline

 History and concepts of terminals

 Components of the airport terminal
 The apron and gate system
 Aircraft gate management
 The passenger handling system
 Airport ground access
 Vehicle parking facilities
 Technologies to improve ground access
Historical development
 Terminal is not an end point, but an area of
transfer, access
 Passengers and cargo go to and from air
transportation
 Facilities, procedures, processes
 1920’s airmail needed to be loaded, A/C
fueled, maintained
 Late 1920’s passengers ticketed, cargo
weighed and processed
 Single room, much like railway station
Figure 7-1: Passengers weigh in prior to departure from
Chicago's Midway Airport in 1927
(photo courtesy Landrum & Brown)
Unit terminal concepts
 Simple unit terminals
 centralized all pax. processing facilities, A/P admin,
ATC
 Combined unit terminal
 2 or more airlines shared one building, with separate
pax. and baggage facilities
 Multiple unit terminal
 Separate facilities for each airline, but still considered
as a centralized facility
 Gate arrival concept
 Car and A/C parking close, small and GA A/Ps
Picture 7-2: Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Historical Unit Terminal Concep
Linear terminal concepts
 Growing public, wingspans, expanded single
unit terminal linearly, into rectangle
 Curvilinear - more ‘nose in’ A/C parking and
safe walking distance to car park
 But if too long, too much walking required (>100’)
 from A/P entrance to A/C,
 transferring between A/C at hubs after 1978
 2-levels
Figure 7-3: JFK International Airport in New York City provides an example of a
multi-unit terminal concept
 Figure 7-5: DFW Airport, whose terminal area employs a multi-unit curvilinear
terminal concept, now accommodates a large percentage of transfer passengers.
(Photo courtesy Federal Aviation Administration)
Pier finger terminals
 1950’s – added concourses/piers/ fingers
 Maximizes A/C parking, little infrastructure
 Decentralized facilities
 some processing in common-use areas, remainder in
individual concourses
 e.g. hold rooms at gates, loading bridges, vertical separation of
enplaning and deplaning pax.
 But too much concourse expansion can lead to
 long walking distances
 confusing directions
 crowded main units, connections
 reduced apron space for A/C parking
 reduced mobility for A/C movement
Pier satellite and remote
satellite terminals
 1960’s and ‘70’s – remote satellite concept
 concourses around round atrium or satellite area
 satellite gates with common passenger area
 Satellite facilities do not hamper A/C taxi operations
 Allow A/C with large wingspans
 Disadvantages – long walks, confusing
 Underground corridors with Automated
Passenger Movement Systems (APMs)
 People movers (APMs)
 Buses
Figure 7-4: Terminal Design Concepts
Mobile lounge or transporter
concept
 1960’s mobile lounge / transporter concept /
remote A/C parking concept
 Maximize A/C parking, maximize passenger
processing, minimal concourse infrastructure
 But –
 boarding areas easily congested
 inside lounge – crowded and uncomfortable
 Excessive and costly maintenance
Figure 7-6: The old Pier-Finger Terminal Complex at
Detroit's Metropolitan Airport
Hybrid terminal geometries
 1970’s - hybrid terminal geometries
 Due to increasing numbers of large A/C, greater
pax. volumes, route structure changes, hubs
 Led to ad hoc expansion of A/Ps
 Limited amenities, crowding, confusing
 Widely criticized
 A/P developers redeveloped terminal
designs, strategic planning, flexibility to
accommodate changing levels of growth and
system behavior
 Figure 7-7: Terminal Configuration at
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, one of the
first airports to employ APMs to reach remote satellite terminals
 Figure 7-8: Washington Dulles International Airport Terminal
(photo courtesy: Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority)
 Figure 7-9: Mobile Lounge attached to aircraft at
Washington's Dulles International Airport circa 1970
(photo courtesy Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority)
Airside – Landside Concept
 1972 – Tampa International Airport
 Automated pedestrian movement systems to
shuttle passengers between land- and air – side
facilities
 Passenger and baggage processing, together with
comfort-inducing atriums, concessions
 Remote airside facilities for A/C fueling, loading,
unloading
 1980’s Off- Airport Terminals
 Passenger ticketing, baggage check-in, car parking
could be remote from A/P, hotels still like this concept
 9/11
 Figure 7-10: Chicago O'Hare International Airport,
ombining unit, linear, pier, and satellite terminal concepts
Figure 7-11: Example of Airside-Landside Concept,
Tampa International Airport
 Present – day airport terminals
 650 + million passengers annually
 A/P system – pleasant as possible
 Passenger and baggage processing, retail shopping,
food and beverage service, hotels, other amenities
 Different terminals for different A/Ps, anticipate 10
years per design, flexible, pasenger behavior
 Can be source of revenue, pride for communities
 TSA – security facilities expansion
 Technologies can reduce facility size e.g. staffed
ticket counters
Components of airport
terminal
 Passenger and baggage handling systems –
needs of passengers and baggage
 Apron and gate system – A/C
 Allows A/C to park, load and unload pax.,
cargo, A/C servicing, prefight preparation
A/C parking
 A/C parking determined by
 Wingspan, aircraft parking type
 Jetways, air stairs
 A/C tugs
 Types of parking
1. nose-in
2. angled nose-in
3. angled nose-out
4. parallel
5. remote parking
 Nose-in preferred by large jets
 in on own power, tug to leave, least space for A/C
 but only one boarding entrance
Figure 7-12: Aircraft Parking Positions
Figure 7-13: Nose In Parking
 Aircraft gate management
 Apron management – gates for aircraft
 Turnaround time or gate occupancy time
 <50 pax. 15 minutes, international widebody 3 hours
 Gate usage agreement types
 Exclusive use
 Signatory carriers, have most operations at that A/P
 Shared use
 Preferential use
 Number and type of A/C scheduled to use gates
Aircraft gate management
 Ganntt charts (1917)
 Scheduling and management, especially during
peaks – graphical representation
 Allocated times (rows)
 Projected use periods (columns)
 Actual push back times or early arrivals
 Software
Figure 7-14: Sample Gantt Gate Utilization Chart
Passenger handling system
 Links and processes to facilitate transfer of
passengers between A/C and ground transportation
system
 Flight interface
 Links gates and pax. processing facilities e.g. buses, lounges,
loading bridges, air stairs
 Passenger processing
 Arriving and departing e.g. ticketing, security, customs, car rental
 Access / processing interface
 Facilities linking ground transport and terminal building e.g.
loading at curb, conveyances to parking, taxi stands, rail stations
 Access / egress interface
 Passengers, ground vehicles in community and A/P
Figure 7-15: Loading Bridges are part of the flight interface
 Passengers and their required
processing facilities
 Desired and necessary or ‘essential processing
facilities’ for different types of passengers
 Segment of itinerary
 Departing, arriving, transferring
 Domestic or international
 where pax. travel, not citizenship
 Trip purpose
 usually business or leisure
 Group size
 Individually, small groups, large groups – 20 or more
 Type of baggage
 None, carry-on, checked, oversized/oddly shaped
Passengers and their required
processing facilities contd.
 Desired and necessary or ‘essential
processing facilities’ for different types of
passengers – contd.
 Type of ticket
 Paper or electronic
 Meeters / greeters
 Friends, families, employees, concessions,
government
 Essential processing facilities
 Ticketing, passenger security screening, baggage
explosive detection screening squad
Ticketing
 Ticketing counters – exclusive or shared use
 Common Use Terminal Equipment (CUTE)
 Automated kiosks
 Common-use self-service (CUSS) kiosks
 Ticket counter
 Still first stop in unusual circumstances because
airline representative is usually present
 Positive passenger bag match – Lockerbie 1988
Figure 7-16: CUTE - Common Use Terminal Systems,
with variable LED and CRT signage
Figure 7-17: Common Use Self Service (CUSS) kiosk
Security
 Security
 2003 TSA
 At-gate processing
 Categories for boarding, pax. must show ID and
boarding pass, can get seat changes, standby
 Federal Inspection Services (FIS)
 Baggage, passports, duties
 Ancillary passenger terminal facilities
 Non-essential commercial service e.g. food, shops,
information kiosks, local economy, Disadvantaged
Business Enterprise
 Figure 7-19: The Atrium at Orlando International Airport is surrounded
by concessions including a food court, sit down restaurant, retail products, and a
hotel and conference center
(Photo courtesy Greater Orlando Airport Authority)
Passengers and their required
processing facilities contd.
 Vertical distribution of flow
 Larger A/Ps distribute pax. flow over different
levels for
 Arrivals and departures
 Domestic, international, transfer
Figure 7-19: Passenger and Baggage Flow Through Airport Terminal
Figure 7-20: Vertical Distribution of Passenger Flow
Baggage handling
 Collection, sorting, distribution requires efficient flow
 Responsibility of air carrier, consolidated service,
contractor
 Curbside check-in
 Time-critical, labor intensive operations
 Security screening of checked baggage
 2003 – all checked bags – explosives, prohibited items
 Baggage claim
 Near ground transport
 Carousels - shared, but carriers with own administrative
areas for lost, unclaimed, damaged bags
Figure 7-21: Baggage Loading
Figure 7-22: Baggage Claim Facilities at
Las Vegas McCarran International Airport
Airport ground access / egress
 Ground transport, modal transfer facilities
 Access from Central Business District (CBD) and
suburbs via highway, rapid transit to A/P boundary
 Metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs)
 Local and State authorities
 DOT and Dept. of Housing and Urban Development
 Access from A/P boundary to parking, unloading curbs
 Access modes
 Private vehicles, rental cars, courtesy, airline crew, taxis, on-
demand limousines/town cars, prearranged limousines,
chartered buses, shared ride, scheduled buses, express
transport, multi-stop, rail
 Larger airports’ ‘mode share’ of public transport is 2-20%, GA –
almost 0%
 Figure 7-23: Public Transit Mode Share from Selected U.S. Airports
(Figure Courtesy National Academy of Sciences, Transportation Research Board)
 Figure 7-11: Public Transportation Mode Share of
Selected Airports outside the United States
(Source: Transportation Research Board, National Academy of Sciences)
Airport ground access / egress
contd.
 Factors influencing demand for ground
access
 Volume of passengers using A/Ps
 Meeters / greeters
 Workforce at A/P – often 24/7
 Coordination and planning of ground access
infrastructure
 ‘Capture area’ - many factors
 Coordinate with ground access systems also
important to success of A/P
 Figure 7-25: New Multi-Level Parking Garage at
Washington Dulles International Airport
(Figure Courtesy Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority)
Airport ground access / egress
contd.
 Access from A/P boundary to parking areas and
passenger unloading curbs at terminal
 Responsibility of A/P management
 Parking (9/11 – 300’ of terminals)
 Short term (75% less than 3 hours), Long term, Off-airport,
Employee, Car rental
 Terminal curbs
 Waiting time, private vehicles, flight schedules, business vs.
leisure patterns, frontage demand from buses, improved lanes,
separate vehicles and pedestrians, walkways, levels
 Technologies to improve ground access to airports
 Advanced traveler information systems (ATIS), automated
people movers, latest-generation public transportation systems
Figure 7-26: Location of Parking Facilities at Washington Dulles
International Airport
(Figure Courtesy Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority)