National Academies Press: OpenBook

Guidebook for Conducting Airport User Surveys (2009)

Chapter: Front Matter

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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2009. Guidebook for Conducting Airport User Surveys. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14333.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2009. Guidebook for Conducting Airport User Surveys. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14333.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2009. Guidebook for Conducting Airport User Surveys. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14333.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2009. Guidebook for Conducting Airport User Surveys. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14333.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2009. Guidebook for Conducting Airport User Surveys. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14333.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2009. Guidebook for Conducting Airport User Surveys. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14333.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2009. Guidebook for Conducting Airport User Surveys. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14333.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2009. Guidebook for Conducting Airport User Surveys. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14333.
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Page ix
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2009. Guidebook for Conducting Airport User Surveys. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14333.
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TRANSPORTAT ION RESEARCH BOARD WASHINGTON, D.C. 2009 www.TRB.org A I R P O R T C O O P E R A T I V E R E S E A R C H P R O G R A M ACRP REPORT 26 Research sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration Subject Areas Planning and Administration • Aviation Guidebook for Conducting Airport User Surveys D. C. Biggs M. A. Bol J. Baker JACOBS CONSULTANCY Ottawa, ON G. D. Gosling AVIATION SYSTEM CONSULTING, LLC Berkeley, CA J. D. Franz JD FRANZ RESEARCH, INC. Sacramento, CA A N D J. P. Cripwell J. P. CRIPWELL ASSOCIATES Ottawa, ON

AIRPORT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM Airports are vital national resources. They serve a key role in trans- portation of people and goods and in regional, national, and inter- national commerce. They are where the nation’s aviation system connects with other modes of transportation and where federal respon- sibility for managing and regulating air traffic operations intersects with the role of state and local governments that own and operate most airports. Research is necessary to solve common operating problems, to adapt appropriate new technologies from other industries, and to introduce innovations into the airport industry. The Airport Coopera- tive Research Program (ACRP) serves as one of the principal means by which the airport industry can develop innovative near-term solutions to meet demands placed on it. The need for ACRP was identified in TRB Special Report 272: Airport Research Needs: Cooperative Solutions in 2003, based on a study spon- sored by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The ACRP carries out applied research on problems that are shared by airport operating agencies and are not being adequately addressed by existing federal research programs. It is modeled after the successful National Coopera- tive Highway Research Program and Transit Cooperative Research Pro- gram. The ACRP undertakes research and other technical activities in a variety of airport subject areas, including design, construction, mainte- nance, operations, safety, security, policy, planning, human resources, and administration. The ACRP provides a forum where airport opera- tors can cooperatively address common operational problems. The ACRP was authorized in December 2003 as part of the Vision 100-Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act. The primary partici- pants in the ACRP are (1) an independent governing board, the ACRP Oversight Committee (AOC), appointed by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation with representation from airport oper- ating agencies, other stakeholders, and relevant industry organizations such as the Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA), the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE), the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO), and the Air Transport Association (ATA) as vital links to the airport community; (2) the TRB as program manager and secretariat for the governing board; and (3) the FAA as program sponsor. In October 2005, the FAA executed a contract with the National Academies formally initiating the program. The ACRP benefits from the cooperation and participation of airport professionals, air carriers, shippers, state and local government officials, equipment and service suppliers, other airport users, and research orga- nizations. Each of these participants has different interests and respon- sibilities, and each is an integral part of this cooperative research effort. Research problem statements for the ACRP are solicited periodically but may be submitted to the TRB by anyone at any time. It is the responsibility of the AOC to formulate the research program by iden- tifying the highest priority projects and defining funding levels and expected products. Once selected, each ACRP project is assigned to an expert panel, appointed by the TRB. Panels include experienced practitioners and research specialists; heavy emphasis is placed on including airport pro- fessionals, the intended users of the research products. The panels pre- pare project statements (requests for proposals), select contractors, and provide technical guidance and counsel throughout the life of the project. The process for developing research problem statements and selecting research agencies has been used by TRB in managing cooper- ative research programs since 1962. As in other TRB activities, ACRP project panels serve voluntarily without compensation. Primary emphasis is placed on disseminating ACRP results to the intended end-users of the research: airport operating agencies, service providers, and suppliers. The ACRP produces a series of research reports for use by airport operators, local agencies, the FAA, and other interested parties, and industry associations may arrange for work- shops, training aids, field visits, and other activities to ensure that results are implemented by airport-industry practitioners. ACRP REPORT 26 Project 03-04 ISSN 1935-9802 ISBN 978-0-309-11812-5 Library of Congress Control Number 2009941124 © 2009 National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. COPYRIGHT INFORMATION Authors herein are responsible for the authenticity of their materials and for obtaining written permissions from publishers or persons who own the copyright to any previously published or copyrighted material used herein. Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) grants permission to reproduce material in this publication for classroom and not-for-profit purposes. Permission is given with the understanding that none of the material will be used to imply TRB or FAA endorsement of a particular product, method, or practice. It is expected that those reproducing the material in this document for educational and not-for-profit uses will give appropriate acknowledgment of the source of any reprinted or reproduced material. For other uses of the material, request permission from CRP. NOTICE The project that is the subject of this report was a part of the Airport Cooperative Research Program conducted by the Transportation Research Board with the approval of the Governing Board of the National Research Council. Such approval reflects the Governing Board’s judgment that the project concerned is appropriate with respect to both the purposes and resources of the National Research Council. The members of the technical advisory panel selected to monitor this project and to review this report were chosen for recognized scholarly competence and with due consideration for the balance of disciplines appropriate to the project. The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied are those of the research agency that performed the research, and while they have been accepted as appropriate by the technical panel, they are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board, the National Research Council, or the Federal Aviation Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation. Each report is reviewed and accepted for publication by the technical panel according to procedures established and monitored by the Transportation Research Board Executive Committee and the Governing Board of the National Research Council. The Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, the National Research Council, and the Federal Aviation Administration (sponsor of the Airport Cooperative Research Program) do not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers’ names appear herein solely because they are considered essential to the clarity and completeness of the project reporting. Published reports of the AIRPORT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM are available from: Transportation Research Board Business Office 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 and can be ordered through the Internet at http://www.national-academies.org/trb/bookstore Printed in the United States of America

CRP STAFF FOR ACRP REPORT 26 Christopher W. Jenks, Director, Cooperative Research Programs Crawford F. Jencks, Deputy Director, Cooperative Research Programs Michael R. Salamone, ACRP Manager Theresia H. Schatz, Senior Program Officer Eileen P. Delaney, Director of Publications Natalie Barnes, Editor ACRP PROJECT 03-04 PANEL Field of Policy and Planning Douglas Mansel, Port of Oakland, Oakland, CA (Chair) Senanu Ashiabor, Dowling Associates Inc., Oakland, CA Jennifer M. Kipp, Port of Seattle, Seattle, WA Joseph D. Navarrete, HNTB Corporation, Arlington, VA (formerly) David Rubin, Ridgewood, NJ Marc Turpin, Greater Toronto Airports Authority, Toronto, ON Lori Pagnanelli, FAA Liaison Patrick Sullivan, FAA Liaison Kimberly Fisher, TRB Liaison AUTHOR ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The research reported herein was performed under ACRP Project 03-04 by Jacobs Consultancy Canada Inc.; Aviation System Consulting, LLC; JD Franz Research, Inc.; and J. P. Cripwell Associates. Jacobs Consultancy was the contractor for this study. The project director was Matthew Bol of Jacobs Consultancy, replaced by David Biggs of Jacobs Consultancy when Mr. Bol retired toward the end of the project. The co-principal investigators were David Biggs and Geoff Gosling of Aviation System Consulting, LLC. Other authors of the report were Jennifer Franz of JD Franz Research, Inc.; Paul Cripwell of J. P. Cripwell Associates; and Jim Baker of Jacobs Consultancy. C O O P E R A T I V E R E S E A R C H P R O G R A M S

ACRP Report 26: Guidebook for Conducting Airport User Surveys provides methods and useful information for conducting effective user surveys at airports. The guidebook intro- duces the basic concepts of survey sampling and the steps involved in planning and imple- menting a survey; describes the different types of airport user surveys; and provides guid- ance on how to design a survey and analyze its results. This guidebook will be of value to airport operators, planners, designers, and other stakeholders that need to survey airport users to obtain useful information to plan and operate their facilities appropriately and efficiently. Airport facilities can include all aspects of airport terminal buildings, parking lot operations, surface transportation, food and retail services, and employee accommo- dations, among others. ACRP Report 26 complements several ACRP airport terminal design–related reports. Specifically, ACRP Report 23: Airport Passenger-Related Processing Rates Guidebook and ACRP Report 25: Airport Passenger Terminal Planning and Design, among others in progress, provide a set of guidance tools to assist airport operators and their planning teams. In addi- tion, the contractor’s final report for ACRP Project 03-04 documents the research process that was used to develop ACRP Report 26 and is available on the TRB website (www.trb.org) by searching for “ACRP 03-04”. Airport user surveys are the primary source of information for airport operators and other agencies on airport user characteristics and airport ground access mode use, and they play a critical role in airport planning and air travel forecasting. The planning, development, conduct and analysis of airport user surveys can be complex, expensive, and subject to a number of pitfalls. For example, surveys are often conducted at infrequent intervals and by different contractors, and often a lack of continuity exists between successive surveys for the same airport. The lack of comparability between surveys at airports in multi-airport regions can be a particular problem for analyzing airport selection decisions or performing studies of traffic leakage to airports in adjacent regions. Also, a number of technical issues arise with airport surveys that are often not well under- stood. These issues include selection of sample size and appropriate sample design; how to handle responses from large parties, such as tour groups or sports teams that have been encountered in the survey; and how to appropriately weight individual survey responses in presenting the survey results. While there is a considerable body of knowledge on sound survey methodology in general, the airport environment presents many unique situations and challenges. The specific guidance on airport user surveys provided by this guidebook should be particularly helpful to organizations undertaking such surveys. The objective of ACRP Project 03-04 was to provide guidance for planning, designing, conducting, and analyzing airport user surveys. The research was conducted by Jacobs F O R E W O R D By Theresia H. Schatz Staff Officer Transportation Research Board

Consultancy of Ottawa, Ontario, with Aviation System Consulting, LLC; JD Franz Research, Inc.; and J. P. Cripwell Associates. To meet the project objective, a survey of 216 airports, metropolitan planning organizations, state aviation organizations, and consulting and survey firms was conducted by the research team to obtain information on their experience with airport user surveys. As expected, the main reason for conducting surveys was found to be in order to obtain information on air passenger/airport user characteristics. Follow- up interviews were then conducted with 13 organizations to obtain more information about the survey practices and experiences. Guidance was prepared based on these interviews, the experience of the project team, and other information collected during the research.

1 Summary 7 Chapter 1 Introduction 7 1.1 Purpose of This Guidebook 7 1.2 Role of Surveys in Airport Planning, Development, and Management 8 1.3 Survey Concepts 10 1.4 Main Survey Types and Methods 11 1.5 How to Use This Guidebook 12 Chapter 2 Planning a Survey 12 2.1 Defining the Purpose 13 2.2 Selecting the Survey Method 16 2.3 Survey Frequency and Timing 18 2.4 External Agencies 19 2.5 Preparing the Survey Budget 20 2.6 Survey Planning Team 22 2.7 Preliminary Schedule and Target Dates 23 2.8 Survey Location and Security Clearance 24 2.9 Contracting External Resources 26 2.10 Summary 27 Chapter 3 Statistical Concepts 28 3.1 Concepts of Census and Sample Surveys 28 3.2 Statistical Accuracy and Confidence Intervals 31 3.3 Sampling Methods 36 3.4 Sample Size 43 3.5 Weighting 44 3.6 Summary 45 Chapter 4 Survey Design 45 4.1 Survey Population 48 4.2 Sampling Strategy and Plan 49 4.3 Questionnaire Design and Structure 52 4.4 Expected Data Collection Rate 53 4.5 Survey Logistics 55 4.6 Selection and Training of Field Staff 58 4.7 Pre-Tests and Pilot Tests 60 4.8 Maximizing Response Rates 63 4.9 Use of Electronic Data Collection Devices 68 4.10 Data Entry and Quality Control 69 4.11 Analysis and Reporting of Survey Results 71 4.12 Post-Survey Analysis: Lessons Learned 71 4.13 Documenting the Survey 72 4.14 Summary C O N T E N T S

73 Chapter 5 Air Passenger Surveys 73 5.1 Purpose of the Survey 74 5.2 Survey Methodology 90 5.3 Sample Size, Survey Coverage, and Timing 98 5.4 Questionnaire Wording and Length 101 5.5 Weighting Survey Responses 106 5.6 Measures to Obtain Adequate Response 106 5.7 Location-Specific Guidelines 107 5.8 Information on Greeters and Well-Wishers 108 5.9 Groundside Surveys 114 5.10 Checklists 115 5.11 Survey Budget 117 5.12 Summary 119 Chapter 6 Employee Surveys 119 6.1 Purpose of the Survey and the Data to Be Collected 120 6.2 Survey Methodology 121 6.3 Sampling Methodology 122 6.4 Questionnaire Wording and Length 123 6.5 Measures to Obtain Adequate Response 123 6.6 Survey Budget 124 6.7 Summary 125 Chapter 7 Tenant Surveys 125 7.1 Purpose of the Survey and the Data to Be Collected 125 7.2 Survey Methodology 127 7.3 Sampling Methodology 128 7.4 Questionnaire Wording and Length 128 7.5 Measures to Obtain Adequate Response 129 7.6 Survey Budget 129 7.7 Mystery Shopper 131 7.8 Summary 132 Chapter 8 Surveys of Area Residents 132 8.1 Purpose of the Survey and the Data to Be Collected 132 8.2 Survey Methodology 132 8.3 Sampling, Coverage, and Timing 135 8.4 Questionnaire Wording and Length 135 8.5 Measures to Obtain Adequate Response 136 8.6 Survey Budget 136 8.7 Summary 137 Chapter 9 Surveys of Area Businesses 137 9.1 Purpose of the Survey and the Data to Be Collected 137 9.2 Survey Methodology 139 9.3 Sampling Methodology 139 9.4 Questionnaire Wording and Length 140 9.5 Measures to Obtain Adequate Response 140 9.6 Survey Budget 141 9.7 Summary

142 Chapter 10 Cargo Surveys 142 10.1 Need for Air Cargo Data 142 10.2 Collection of Air Cargo Data 143 10.3 Survey Methods 144 10.4 Summary 145 References 146 Glossary and Acronym List 153 Bibliography A-1 Appendix A Airport User Surveys: Summary of Research B-1 Appendix B Sample Sizes, Sample Estimates, and Confidence Intervals C-1 Appendix C Material and Equipment Checklists for Air Passenger Intercept Surveys D-1 Appendix D Sample Training Agenda E-1 Appendix E High-Speed Scanning Technology F-1 Appendix F Sample Questionnaires for Passenger Surveys G-1 Appendix G Sample Questionnaires for Groundside Surveys H-1 Appendix H Sample Questionnaires for Employee Surveys I-1 Appendix I Sample Questionnaire for Tenant Surveys J-1 Appendix J Sample Questionnaire for Area Residents Surveys K-1 Appendix K Sample Questionnaire for Roadside Driver Cargo Surveys

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TRB’s Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Report 26: Guidebook for Conducting Airport User Surveys explores the basic concepts of survey sampling and the steps involved in planning and implementing a survey. The guidebook also examines the different types of airport user surveys, and includes guidance on how to design a survey and analyze its results.

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