Guidebook for Air Cargo Facility Planning and Development (2015)

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15 Air Cargo Planning Approach and Process The air cargo industry is a service industry that provides shippers transportation of their products, goods, and materials. Unlike passenger transport, whose customers typically travel round trip on aircraft, air cargo packages and parcels are one-way shipments. In addition to using aircraft for their operations, the industry also relies heavily on a wide range of truck types. The industry is labor intensive, fast paced, and operates on a 24/7 schedule. In general, it is profit focused and will only operate aircraft at an airport when it is deemed profitable. It is also impor- tant to point out that the air cargo industry, particularly on the aviation side of the business, is heavily regulated by the federal government. These factors are directly linked to sound airport planning practices and management. 3.1 Approaches to Air Cargo Planning Airport air cargo planning studies typically focus on development of new cargo facilities, expansion/renovation of existing facilities, or a combination of developing new facilities and improving existing ones. These guidelines are to assist the airport community in using a consis- tent and thorough study approach in air cargo facility solutions. This section describes the major steps in this process. It is important to note that air cargo facility planning may be included as an element of an airport master plan, which takes into consideration planning for a wide variety of airport facilities, such as passenger terminals, automobile parking, roadway access, runway and taxiway lengths and layout, and general aviation facilities. The airport sponsor may also choose to plan specifically for air cargo facilities in a separate airport master plan focusing solely on the air cargo areas and activities at the airport. This plan may fall under the categories of a stand-alone cargo master plan, an air cargo business development strategy, or an air cargo development plan. The planning and development of air cargo facilities follow the airport master planning pro- cess typically used to plan and design an entire airport or specific airport projects. A general outline of the cargo facility planning process is provided in Table 3-1. It is important to consider all of these steps, but the process should be tailored to the needs of the individual airport. 3.2 Facility Inventory and Data Collection When comparing the airport passenger terminal master planning process to that of the air cargo terminal or warehouse master planning process, the passenger terminal planning process has far more data available to the airport planner. Airports often have better data on passenger terminals since they have command and control of the terminal throughput information. Air- ports collect information on passenger movements through the curbside, ticketing, security, and gate hold rooms. Airports also collect data on passenger expenditures related to concessions as C H A P T E R 3

16 Guidebook for Air Cargo Facility Planning and Development Master Plan Step Master Plan Goal Identification of need: Identify the need for a new cargo facility(s), modification of an existing cargo facility, or other reconfiguration or repurposing of an air cargo facility area, which may be identified by one or more entities. Define, as clearly and specifically as possible, the air cargo planning and design objectives, as they can influence the project. Inventory: Upon identifying a potential need for air cargo facilities, existing air cargo and non–air cargo facilities should be inventoried to provide a basis for understanding the capacity and operation of existing facilities as well as the physical and operational characteristics and constraints of the airport and project vicinity. Have a thorough understanding of the physical, environmental, business, and operating environment to ensure appropriate consideration during the planning and design processes. Demand forecasts: Future air cargo demand can be obtained from the requesting stakeholder(s) or developed by a planner/designer or airport management through a forecasting process. Forecasted activity at the air cargo facility, including the fleet serving the airport and the peak demand on the apron throughout the day, is necessary to determine air cargo facility area requirements. Quantify, to the degree possible, what the planned air cargo facility must be able to accommodate. Air cargo facility requirements: The demand forecasts and the inventory information are used to derive air cargo facility requirements for the anticipated aircraft fleet and the ground support equipment expected to use the air cargo facility. Define the physical, operational, and dimensional parameters that must guide the air cargo facility planning and design process and be met during it. Alternatives development: Once the air cargo facility requirements have been determined, alternatives to meet these requirements are defined, considering the operation of the air cargo facility, impacts to proximate facilities, and other planning criteria or guidelines. Define air cargo facility alternatives that are anticipated to satisfy the project requirements, recognizing that these alternatives will be further evaluated in a later step. Evaluation of alternatives: If more than a single alternative is considered, all alternatives should be evaluated in this step to reduce the number of alternatives to a preferred one. This evaluation is usually completed by using a set of criteria agreed on by stakeholders. Review the candidate air cargo facility alternatives and determine which best meet the goals of the project sponsor and its stakeholders, balanced against the costs, impacts, potential environmental consequences, and other relevant criteria. Refinement of preferred alternative: In this step, the preferred project alternative is refined to resolve shortcomings identified in the evaluation process or from additional input from stakeholders. The refinement can include value engineering to maximize project cost- effectiveness. Define the preferred project alternative at an appropriate level of detail for implementation. Implementation planning: This step in the planning and design process enhances the understanding and definition of the conceptual project by providing a summary description and schedule of the recommended improvements, estimated associated costs, potential environmental impacts, and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documentation. Examine the project in light of the steps that would typically be necessary prior to project construction to minimize the potential for unexpected influences or constraints to affect eventual project implementation. Environmental processing: If a federal action is associated with the air cargo facility project [approval of an airport layout plan (ALP), acceptance of federal grant funding, etc.], NEPA documentation may be required to accurately disclose potential environmental impacts related to the proposed federal action and reasonable alternatives to the proposed project. Develop an understanding of and document the potential environmental impacts, particularly in those cases where such impacts could influence the project. Table 3-1. Cargo facility planning process.

Air Cargo Planning Approach and Process 17 well as baggage claim information. The challenge for the airport planner then is the lack of data on air cargo movement and throughput within air cargo buildings and support infrastructure. For decades, airport management has provided space for air cargo carriers and other cargo- related businesses without a thorough understanding of the methods and practices of cargo carriers. In the United States there is in fact a veil of obscurity between the air cargo industry and airport management. Airport planners understand the general movements of cargo through the landside and airside cargo infrastructure, but the carriers and third-party handler businesses have the best grasp of the cargo activities at airports. Even third-party facility providers lack detailed information on cargo building throughput since their air cargo–related tenants inter- nally perform facility strategies and plans. The carrier may choose to move cargo primarily via forklift and pallets, or it may choose a slide-sortation system since the carrier will move primarily small packages. Large cargo facilities at international gateways may rely heavily on roller floors for ease of ULD movement. These design and planning decisions are often made at the corporate level by the carrier’s industrial engineers. The airport planner who has been given the air cargo planning task may also find that air cargo master planning is at the low end of the priority list in an airport’s master planning process. As a result, the planner may have limited funds to perform a thorough cargo data collection effort since, for example, the passenger terminal planning was given higher priority. The planner then must make wise choices on the best methods of collecting information on cargo activity without depleting the planning budget. The purpose of this guidebook is to provide detail on a number of methods available for airport planners to assess what air cargo data is available and what is missing and to develop cost-effective strategies to fill information gaps to improve the air cargo facility planning process. 3.2.1 Inventory Strategies The first step in developing the air cargo master plan is to define the current situation at the airport. Airport planners should complete an inventory of current air cargo facilities, associated ramp space and truck circulation space, their capacity, and the percentage of that capacity the users of those facilities are currently using to process the current level of air cargo handled at the airport. Surveys should include online or paper surveys as well as face-to-face interviews with air cargo stakeholders. This will provide insight into whether the current air cargo facilities and Master Plan Step Master Plan Goal Air cargo facility design: Air cargo facility design may begin before or after environmental processing, depending on the level of environmental documentation required. Initiating design prior to NEPA approval could be risky in that the design may need to be changed to address environmental concerns. The design of an air cargo facility is usually coordinated with the airport operator and tenants through a design review process. Air cargo facility design also requires additional information not necessarily detailed in the description of the planning and design processes, such as topographical surveys. Final design usually includes the preparation of construction documents and bid specifications. Design an air cargo facility that meets current and future industry needs as well as FAA and NEPA standards. Air cargo facility construction: After selection of a contractor, construction of the air cargo facility is completed in accordance with the air cargo facility design information. Construct an air cargo facility that meets current and future industry needs as well as FAA and NEPA standards. Source: ACRP Report 96 (Quinn 2013), amended by CDM Smith. Table 3-1. (Continued).

18 Guidebook for Air Cargo Facility Planning and Development ramp space have ample capacity to accommodate increases or whether additional air cargo facil- ity capacity will be required in the near or long term. When conducting this inventory, airport planners should focus on the land and facilities required by airlines, integrated carriers, and air cargo handlers for both air cargo handling and ground support equipment (GSE) storage and maintenance. Larger airlines, integrated carriers, and ground handing companies with large fleets of GSE require sizable facilities to maintain their GSE fleets and equipment. If the inte- grated carriers choose to maintain their delivery trucks at airports, larger maintenance facilities may be required due to the magnitude of their truck fleets. When completing an inventory of air cargo facilities, airport planners should also consider the air cargo facilities located off airport and the economics of a user having an off-airport air cargo facility versus locating that facility on airport. In many cases, it is more economical for a user to purchase land off airport and construct an air cargo facility versus leasing land and constructing an air cargo facility on airport. By understanding the economics of developing or operating an off-airport versus on-airport air cargo facility, airport planners will gain insight into the com- petitiveness of the airport’s rates and charges and may have to adjust land and facility rents. This will be addressed in Chapter 8: Air Cargo Facility Planning—Funding Strategies. Once a comprehensive inventory of all air cargo and support facilities has been completed for a given level of air cargo volume, airport planners should focus on the development of an air cargo forecast. The research team arrived at similar conclusions to those in ACRP Report 96: Apron Planning and Design Guidebook in that the inventory effort should include: Interviews with stakeholders, including airport management, airlines serving the airport, airport tenants, and third-party providers. The goal of the inventory process is to ensure a thorough under- standing of the physical, environmental, business, and operating environment to ensure appropriate consideration during the planning and design processes (Quinn 2013). A paper or online survey may not collect some of the nuances of the air cargo industry’s on- airport operations. 3.2.2 Stakeholder Involvement There are a variety of users of airport-related facilities. These stakeholders will have different needs, wants, and demands. The following is a list of some of these users: • Passenger airlines • Integrated express carriers • All-cargo carriers (freighters) • Cargo and ground handling companies • General sales agents • Freight forwarders and third-party logistics providers • Air cargo–related trucking companies • Special handlers (cool chain, high value/security) • Security screeners • GSE maintenance providers • Customs, Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and related border protection agencies • Other government agencies that can benefit from being on airport • Service providers related to air cargo and airport operations • Airport management • Postal service providers • Delivery service providers

Air Cargo Planning Approach and Process 19 Many users, such as passenger airlines, freighter airlines, and integrated carriers, require their own buildings. Some airlines will share their buildings with their strategic partners and service providers. Other users will share multi-tenant cargo buildings and can easily adapt to most exist- ing spaces. But the utilization of airport-related space has shifted considerably in the past few years. Many years ago, most cargo facility leases were signed by airlines. Now, service providers such as ground handlers are as likely to be required to take on the facility’s leasing, then lump the real estate costs into the overall fees the service providers charge to the airlines. 3.3 Data Collection Challenges Air cargo master planning revolves around two key aspects of air cargo activity: spatial needs for the movement and storage of air cargo vehicles (trucks, aircraft, and GSE) and space for the storage of air cargo. (Storage of cargo may last from several days to mere minutes.) This section identifies sources of air cargo data that will assist the airport planner in developing an inventory of facilities and traffic volumes. While a survey of cargo businesses is often the best method of collecting data, it is important that the airport planner use in-house data whenever possible as well as develop a continuous data collection effort for a wide variety of cargo activities. Addi- tionally, the air cargo industry in many of the larger cargo markets has air cargo associations that include both carriers and air forwarders. These organizations may assist in data collection efforts, and airport management benefits by supporting these groups. 3.3.1 Cargo Volume Data on cargo volume or traffic at airports is typically collected by airport management in its operations division, planning division, air service development division, or business planning division. Types of cargo volume data collected usually include air cargo (freight and mail) weight in tons or pounds (monthly and annually). Usually one or two people in airport management are required to collect the data from the air carriers and enter the data into a database. This data is typically prepared to be presented in report or spreadsheet format. It is noteworthy that some airports gather cargo data as landed weight by carrier, which includes both the aircraft weight and the payload weight. While this type of data collection follows an FAA method of gathering data on cargo, it is an incomplete data source and is difficult to use in cargo facility analysis. Some airports will track and provide air cargo weight statistics by carrier market share. This data is beneficial to the airport planner since it provides information on how much cargo each carrier is moving through its assigned area on the airport. Annual air cargo tonnage by market share should be broken down by category of carrier. Carriers include integrated express carri- ers such as UPS, FedEx Express, and DHL; passenger airlines (belly cargo) such as American Airlines, Delta, and United; all-cargo carriers, which operate only freighter aircraft, including Cargolux and Centurion Air Cargo; and combi carriers. Combi carriers are passenger airlines with a separate fleet of cargo aircraft, such as Lufthansa. Air traffic control towers also have air cargo carrier operations data by type of aircraft (pas- senger or cargo, etc.), carrier name, and aircraft design type. Air traffic control tower data is also useful for determining peak hours of cargo operations. Air cargo traffic arrival and departure data may also be obtained relatively inexpensively through Official Airline Guide (OAG) sched- ules, FAA instrument flight rules (IFR) data, and Flightaware.com data. Data on air cargo volume arriving and departing airport cargo facilities on trucks is diffi- cult to obtain. This information would only be known by the truck operator or carrier, and airport management does not require this data. A survey of carriers may provide information on truck volumes, but it is again proprietary information and may not be easily obtained. Air

20 Guidebook for Air Cargo Facility Planning and Development forwarders that are located off airport often will not provide this information if requested by airport management. Import and export information based on international air freight data can be obtained from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), Research and Innovative Technology Administra- tion, and the U.S. DOT, Office of Airline Information. The Journal of Commerce’s Port Import Export Reporting Service (PIERS) is a private-sector data provider. 3.3.2 Cargo Operations Cargo operations take place in three primary areas on an airport. On the landside, truck opera- tions take place at building/warehouse loading docks and parking lots. Operations also take place at the cargo building where cargo is handled and stored as well as sorted in the case of integrated express carriers. Cargo operations also take place on the aircraft ramp or apron area and where aircraft and GSE vehicle operations intermingle as well as the taxiway and runway systems. The discussion here, however, is limited to the immediate areas of an airport operating environment designated for air cargo activity. 3.3.2.1 Cargo Security Operations Collecting data on warehouse space designated for security is challenging since air cargo oper- ators are reluctant to discuss or provide this information due to the sensitive nature of the topic. Also, the utilization rate for security equipment varies greatly. For example, a passenger car- rier may have a single workbench-sized platform for operating trace detector equipment, while another cargo warehouse for passenger carrier hub operations may have three scanner detection systems, two of which are used for scanning packages and the other used for scanning oversized cargo positioned on wooden pallets. 3.3.2.2 Air Forwarders Air forwarders are often located at off-airport locations, which makes gathering data for these facilities extremely difficult. Air forwarders are located on an airport when they need the direct advantage of access to aircraft. Since lease rates are almost always lower at off-airport warehouses in the vicinity of an airport, air forwarders often choose to locate at these facilities. Figure 3-1 identifies air forwarder locations in the vicinity of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Air- port (ATL). An airport planner’s work efforts may include collecting data from off-airport for- warders to gather information on the number of truck movements to the local airport. 3.3.2.3 Truck Parking/Movements Truck movements on the landside area of the airport include truck trips on airport access roads as well as truck parking in designated lots in the air cargo area. These lots may be adjacent to air cargo buildings or in separate designated truck parking lots. Data for truck parking can be collected by airport planners by conducting an air cargo truck parking survey. This would entail collecting truck parking data through observation as well as truck driver surveys. Survey questions would request information related to arrival time, departure time, parking duration (waiting time), truck type and size, commodities carried, and origin/destination data. Other data that could be collected includes frequency of trips to the airport cargo area on a weekly or monthly basis. Surveys would need to be conducted at various predetermined times throughout the week. Other tools used to collect truck operations and fleet mix data could include traffic counters as well as webcams or security cameras. In 2011, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration concluded a study using webcams to evaluate a technology capable of collecting data to determine whether a truck parking area is full, and if not full, to indicate the number of spaces available (Figure 3-2). The program used

Air Cargo Planning Approach and Process 21 the SmartPark video system, which has software that automatically counts vehicles entering and exiting a rest area truck parking facility by using video cameras that monitor the entrance and exit ramps to the truck parking area without the involvement of human operators. It used this information to determine a count of available truck parking spaces. Image processing software in the cameras was designed to detect when a vehicle appears in the image. The image process- ing software distinguished between trucks, tractors, and other vehicles based on overall vehicle Source: Atlanta Regional Freight Mobility Plan, 2008. Figure 3-1. Freight forwarder location map, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Source: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Figure 3-2. Example truck parking camera system.

22 Guidebook for Air Cargo Facility Planning and Development length. Vehicle detections were transmitted from the cameras to the on-site computer. The Autoscope Solo Terra video detection system is the key element of the SmartPark video system. 3.3.2.4 Truck Access/Movements Air cargo roadway access data is often needed at airports with significant cargo trucking oper- ations. Data collection tools include manual or handheld counters that are used for intersection and other visual count or classification studies performed by a field surveyor. For automated data collection, the most common short-term data collection method for traffic counting and classification is known as the “road tube” method. The main reason for this is that the data col- lected is accurate and economical compared with other detection methods. Road tubes are used to detect vehicle axles by sensing air pulses that are created by each axle (tire) strike of the tube in the roadway. This air pulse is sensed by the unit and is recorded or processed to create volume, speed, or axle classification data. While one road tube is used to collect volume, two road tubes can be used to collect speed and class data. When a pair of wheels (on one axle) hits the tube, air pressure in the compressed tube activates a recording device that notes the time of the event. Based on the pattern of these times (for instance, the length of the interval between the time that two axles of a typical vehicle activate the counter), the device will match each compression event to a particular vehicle according to a vehicle classification scheme. 3.3.2.5 Warehouse Bypass Truck Traffic Some airports permit trucks transporting air cargo to pass through security gates to deliver or pick up air cargo directly on the aircraft apron. This practice allows for expedited cargo handling of large project cargo, cargo contained in ULDs, and bulk-loaded or loose cargo. Data related to this activity may be collected, via survey or interview, from air cargo businesses using this practice or through observation of activity. Data collected would be similar to data collected for the truck parking area, with a focus on truck on ramp duration, size of truck, and average tonnage transferred directly from the truck to the aircraft or vice versa. The cost of collecting the data via observation can be expensive since a field surveyor will need to be in position to col- lect the data for a period of time. Other sources of data include collecting of information from airport security records on who (what company) has accessed the ramp via a cargo area security gate and the length of time these trucks were on the ramp. This data would not have the type and size of truck, however. Another data collection tool would be webcams or security cameras that record traffic through these gates. 3.3.2.6 Cargo Tug Traffic to Passenger Terminal Data collection regarding tug operations for transporting cargo to passenger airline aircraft is commonly overlooked in an airport master plan. Data needed for accurate analysis of these operations includes distance from the passenger airline’s warehouse to the passenger terminal as well as average tug time and frequency of these operations. Data collection should also include the user’s estimates of the sufficiency of the tug time and distance as well as ways to improve connectivity between the terminals and the warehouses. Surveys or interviews of tug-lane users provide the best means of collecting the data. Observation by data collection team members is also a viable, but more expensive, method. Observation data will also miss the volume of air cargo transported per vehicle during each movement. 3.3.2.7 Ground Support Equipment GSE needs space for: maneuvering equipment between the warehouse and aircraft, storing equipment when it is not in use, and storage of ULDs that may contain cargo. Data collection efforts regarding GSE needs should also take into consideration the type of entities using space for GSE. These primarily are integrated express carriers, third-party ground handlers, passenger airlines moving belly cargo, and cargo carriers with freight aircraft, all of which have varying needs related to GSE. Passenger airlines, for example, do not need aircraft ramp space adjacent

Air Cargo Planning Approach and Process 23 to the cargo warehouse but still require space for maneuvering and storage of tugs and carts. Surveys or interviews of carriers with GSE needs provide the best means of collecting the data. Aerial photographs can be used by airport planners but would be fairly limited in determining the flow of GSE during peak periods of operation. 3.3.2.8 Hydrant Fueling Hydrant fueling is typically required at cargo areas on airports where high volumes of Jet-A fuel are required for large aircraft. Airports that serve as air cargo hubs or international gateways to the air cargo industry benefit from hydrant fueling beneath the cargo apron as it reduces fuel truck traffic as well as expense. Data collection to determine whether a need for it exists within the airport’s air cargo carrier community must take place with direct consultation with a cargo carrier’s facilities planning/engineering division. 3.4 Techniques to Backfill Missing Facility Space Data Airport planners may use various online sources such as Google Earth Pro, Bing Maps, and government records to obtain missing information on building size, occupant space in square feet, and space used by air cargo businesses for truck parking, truck docks and truck door counts, gate access, aircraft ramp space, and GSE storage. This section presents methods and tools for collecting data for air cargo facility space and uses where gaps exist. It is advised that airport planners with aerial photograph interpretation skills conduct an analysis of air cargo facilities. Airport planners with an understanding of airline and air cargo operations as well as skills in air photograph interpretation will be able to determine several pat- terns in activities on the ground related to air cargo operations by type of carrier and building occupant. Information and land use patterns can be ascertained through aerial images regard- ing aircraft ramp space, GSE space, warehouse space, truck parking, loading docks, and loading doors. Information may also be obtained for cargo roadway access, aircraft taxiway and taxi-lane access, and security gates. One of the primary tools for gathering information on space used for air cargo activity on an airport is the analysis of aerial and satellite images using Google Earth Pro or Bing Maps. Google Earth Pro allows the user to measure areas via a polygon measuring tool. This tool provides options for measuring area in square footage, square yards, acres, meters, and so forth, and can be applied to air cargo warehouses, GSE area, aircraft parking ramps, and truck parking. Google Earth Pro also has options for viewing buildings and structures from a street-view perspective as well as a three-dimensional (3-D) building option. (Not all buildings have the 3-D data input into Google Earth.) Bing Maps provides aerial views of airports and has an oblique or bird’s eye view that allows for views of the sides of buildings. Airport layout plans (ALPs) are also useful tools for airport planners to gather data on facilities, but the advantage of aerial photographs is that aircraft types and the types of ground handling equipment in the GSE area can be determined. 3.4.1 Ground Support Equipment Storage GSE storage locations are typically adjacent to air cargo warehouses and are often placed on pavement near the aircraft parking ramp. GSE storage also commonly follows security fence lines and consists of a mix of equipment. GSE typically includes ULDs, dolly trailers for tow- ing ULDs, portable air stairs, tugs, belt loaders, and K loaders for loading cargo onto aircraft main decks. Equipment may also include auxiliary power units (APUs), forklifts, slave pal- lets, and aircraft maintenance vehicles. Deicing equipment may be stored in GSE areas during the winter months. GSE areas may be divided by a tug lane that is marked on the pavement. Aircraft taxi lanes may also be adjacent to the GSE area and should not be included in the size

24 Guidebook for Air Cargo Facility Planning and Development analysis. Figure 3-3 shows an example of GSE space analysis in Google Earth Pro for the FedEx Express facility at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). The yellow polygon identifies the assumed boundary for the GSE space, with the total area being just over 200,000 ft2. It is noteworthy that the hardstand area for ATR-73 aircraft in the far right portion of the polygon (light-colored pavement) is used for GSE storage. GSE areas adjacent to passenger belly cargo warehouses typically do not include space for aircraft ramps since air cargo is tugged to the passenger ramp area near the terminal. 3.4.2 Aircraft Parking Ramp Aircraft parking areas can be ascertained by noting where aircraft are parked in an aerial photograph, but often cargo aircraft are not present when the image is taken. Airports typically mark aircraft hard stands by painting parking positions and other important demarcations on the pavement. Figure 3-4 illustrates the typical parking position markings for the FedEx Express hard stand (ramp) at SEA. The yellow taxi line is at the center of the parking position, with the equipment foul line marked in white, which forms the shape of an aircraft profile. Figure 3-5 is an example aircraft ramp space analysis in Google Earth Pro for the FedEx Express facility at SEA. The yellow polygon identifies the assumed boundary for the aircraft parking space. The total area is approximately 180,000 ft2 of space. 3.4.3 Air Cargo Warehouse A number of tools are available to the airport planner for determining the space associated with air cargo warehouse areas when this information is not available from lease/sublease docu- ments and tenants are unresponsive to requests. A cargo building with a single tenant occupying 100% of the space is fairly easy to assess. Using Google Earth Pro, the cargo building perimeter can be outlined. Care should be taken to not include office space as warehouse space. Office space may be located in a wing of the building or it may be carved out of warehouse space. Source: Google Earth Pro, CDM Smith Analysis. Figure 3-3. GSE area estimate for FedEx Express at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Air Cargo Planning Approach and Process 25 Carved-out office space information can usually be obtained through the building landlord or by requesting it from the tenant. Typically, office space in a warehouse that has adjacent aircraft parking is kept to a minimum to optimize the use of the warehouse floor. Office space may also be located on a mezzanine level within the building. One of the more challenging aspects of remotely assessing the space of a warehouse is deter- mining the amount of space assigned to each occupant. In the case of Building B at SEA, square Source: Google Earth Pro, CDM Smith Analysis. Figure 3-4. Example cargo aircraft parking position—FedEx Express at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Source: Google Earth Pro, CDM Smith Analysis. Figure 3-5. Aircraft parking area estimate for FedEx Express at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

26 Guidebook for Air Cargo Facility Planning and Development footage was ascertained through a combination of air photographs (Bing Maps) and tenant sur- veys. In Figure 3-6, Hanjin provided the square footage for its office and warehouse space for this study. The square footage of the remainder of the building was unknown because it was not avail- able from lease/sublease documents, and tenants were unresponsive to requests. Air photograph analysis in Google Earth and Bing Maps and assessment of the remaining facility from the exterior during the fieldwork portion of the study assisted in estimating the remaining warehouse space. Warehouse occupant space information may also be obtained, as a last resort, through local building permits and county auditor/assessor websites. For example, for the UPS cargo building at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, the St. Louis County Revenue Division has information on the building size, lot acreage, year built, lists of improvements, and heating systems, among other criteria. Nearly every county in the United States has similar property databases, with some being more robust than others. An additional source for cargo building occupancy and space breakouts are third-party developers, which lease these buildings to the air cargo industry. The air cargo building profile for the Aeroterm Building located at Southwest Florida International Air- port provides an example of this (http://www.aeroterm.com/documents/RSW_LeaseSheet.pdf). Google Earth Pro also has 3-D modeling capabilities, and some airports are using this func- tion. 3-D models help airport planners visualize the relationship new buildings will have with existing facilities. Figure 3-7 illustrates the 3-D capabilities for an airport by plotting the location of the Korean Air facility at Los Angeles International Airport. Source: Google Earth Pro, CDM Smith Analysis. For illustration purposes, the top of the photograph is oriented to the south. Interior wall Hanjin Vacant Connent Office Figure 3-6. Example estimating technique for Building B at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Source: Google Earth Pro, CDM Smith Analysis. Figure 3-7. Google Earth Pro 3-D—Korean Air 3-D rendering at Los Angeles International Airport.

Air Cargo Planning Approach and Process 27 Source: Google Earth Pro, CDM Smith Analysis. 3.4.4 Air Cargo Warehouse Truck Docks and Doors Air cargo warehouse throughput is often related to the number of available truck docks and truck doors to service the trucking side of the industry. Airport planners can obtain the number of warehouse truck docks and doors by using Bing Maps’ Bird’s Eye view function. By rotating and viewing all sides of the facility, the number of doors and docks can be ascertained. Google Earth Pro Street View is also a useful tool since it provides a direct side view of the facility (see Figure 3-8). 3.4.5 Air Cargo Warehouse Truck Parking Truck parking capacity needs to be accounted for in the air cargo master planning process. Truck parking includes stalls adjacent to the cargo building at either truck docks or doors as well as stalls in the building’s parking lot. Both Google Earth Pro and Bing Maps are useful tools for ascertaining the number of truck parking positions as well as total area. Figure 3-8. Google Earth Pro Street View—Cargo Building B at Baltimore-Washington International Airport.