National Academies Press: OpenBook

Innovations for Airport Terminal Facilities (2008)

Chapter: Chapter 7 - Conclusions

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Page 62
Suggested Citation:"Chapter 7 - Conclusions." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2008. Innovations for Airport Terminal Facilities. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14219.
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Page 62
Page 63
Suggested Citation:"Chapter 7 - Conclusions." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2008. Innovations for Airport Terminal Facilities. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14219.
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Page 63

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62 Potential Benefits of Research Results The innovations and concepts identified and developed through this research project have the potential to provide a number of benefits not only to passengers, but also to airport operators. From the passenger perspective, each of the inno- vations addresses one or more issues passengers commonly face while transitioning between the different components of the airport terminal landside facilities. More common issues— wayfinding, terminal roadway congestion, waiting/queuing, and safety/security—would be mitigated by rearranging many of the functions that passengers currently experience using best practices from airports in Europe and Asia, as well as by taking full advantage of technologies currently available and operational changes that are likely to take place within the next several years. The innovations also address the key issues that affect elderly and disabled passengers. Activities such as baggage handling and vertical transitions, identified as being arduous for the elderly and disabled, are addressed by several of the innovations including passenger-processing facilities, bag-check plaza, passenger assistance parking areas, low-profile passenger baggage devices, high-capacity flow-through elevators, and consolidated meeters-and-greeters areas. Addressing issues that affect elderly passengers will become more important as the aging baby boomers become a larger portion of the U.S. elderly population. The innovations also offer a variety of benefits to airport operators. Landside innovations such as passenger-processing facilities, bag-check plazas, and supplemental curbsides, are intended not only to improve the operational efficiency of the terminal roadways, but also to provide cost-effective oppor- tunities for capacity expansion. Terminal innovations such as the process-based departures hall and self-service baggage check would help to better distribute demand both inside the terminal and along the terminal curbside, as well as increase passenger throughput, which could defer or possibly eliminate the need for a major terminal expansion. Other innovations such as passenger assistance parking areas and consolidated meeters-and-greeters areas may provide opportunities to enhance nonairline revenues by concentrating passengers in certain areas and making concessions opportunities more viable. These innovations may also reduce operating costs by reducing the number of exits from the secure area that have to be staffed or by reducing the need for parking enforcement. Applicability of Results to Airport Practice The innovations identified through this research project target some of the most common issues at airports today. While many of the innovations could be immediately applied to airport terminal landside planning and design, some entail crucial factors that require acceptance by airport stakeholders or possibly even a change in aviation practices. In addition, several potential impediments could affect implementation of the innovations. Critical Factors for Acceptance by Airport Stakeholders Passenger self-tagging baggage is one critical factor that requires both a change in policy and subsequent acceptance by airport stakeholders, particularly airlines. Through the re- search process, discussions held with both airport and airline management representatives indicated that, while there are some operating concerns regarding passenger self-tagging, the concept has the potential to greatly enhance operational efficiency for both entities. Widespread implementation of common-use technology is a more controversial factor. Implementation of common- use technology to create a process-based departures hall has the potential to yield significant operational benefits for both C H A P T E R 7 Conclusions

airports and airlines. However, the loss of brand identity and technical interface concerns are major issues for the airlines that will require acceptance by airline management. Another critical factor for acceptance by airport stake- holders is the relocation of curbside functions, particularly POV activities, to areas not directly adjacent to the terminal building. However, moving curbside operations to other locations such as a close-in parking garage (creating an APPF) or an OPPF could significantly reduce curbside congestion without the need for major capital expenditures and the operational disruptions typically associated with terminal roadway modifications. Potential Impediments to Implementation There are several potential impediments to implementation of the innovations. First, an airport operator’s decision regard- ing how to accommodate the 300-ft rule, as well as the potential for prolonged heightened threat advisory levels, could greatly affect the viability of several innovations, in- cluding the APPF and passenger assistance parking area. Another potential impediment is funding. Several innova- tions such as passenger-processing facilities or arrivals lounges may require the use of PFC revenues, which have to be approved by the airlines and the FAA. Airline approval may be difficult to obtain if the innovations do not provide addi- tional revenue that could be used to lower the airline rates and charges at the airport. Improvements to passenger levels of service alone are difficult to justify, particularly if the proj- ect does not enhance capacity or operational efficiency. The loss of brand identity is another major obstacle to implementing certain innovations, particularly the process- based departures hall, passenger-processing facilities, and bag-check plaza. To be viable, these innovations require common-use technology to aggregate the demand of several airlines. The result would be a loss of brand identity for individual airlines, as well as the loss of service control. Each airline will have its own opinion on this issue and may choose to maintain its brand identity despite the opportunities for operational improvements and potential cost savings. Suggestions for Further Research Two key topics associated with the findings of this research project warrant further investigation. First, passenger self- tagging of baggage requires additional investigation as it has the potential to provide great benefits to airport operators and airlines alike. Topics for inclusion in further research of pas- senger self-tagging of baggage might include the following: • Regulations regarding positive passenger identification and baggage screening in countries where passenger self-tagging of baggage is allowed, • Technologies or methods used to facilitate passenger self- tagging, • Baggage-handling implications of passenger self-tagging, and • Passenger-processing rates associated with the different methods for implementing passenger self-tagging. Another topic for further investigation would be the optimal configuration for the bag-check plaza innovation, as well as the financial feasibility of providing this feature. Key research topics might include the following: • Determination of the balance between parking spaces and queuing based on the acceptable time in queue; • Investigation of the most effective layouts; • Baggage-handling options for various locations (i.e., close-in versus remote); and • Potential opportunities to generate additional revenue by combining a bag-check plaza with various parking options. 63

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TRB’s Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Report 10: Innovations for Airport Terminal Facilities explores worldwide developments in airport landside facilities design, and examines future trends and innovative passenger service/processing concepts.

View information about the TRB webinar on ACRP Report 10:Innovations for Airport Terminal Facilities, which was held on Monday, April 26, 2010.

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