Cell Phone Lots at Airports (2015)

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7 chapter two RESULTS OF INTERNET RESEARCH ABOUT CELL PHONE LOTS This chapter provides an overview of Internet-available information on cell phone lots at airports in the U.S. and Canada. The research was primarily drawn from airports’ own websites; Google Earth (for estimates of cell phone lot distance to main terminal and downtown); and social media, particu- larly Foursquare, a location-based site, and Yelp, for customer comments about cell phone lots. The search focused on: • The top 100 airports in the 2013 NPIAS, measured by enplaned passengers; • The ACI-NA 2012 Passenger Services Survey (list of airports with cell phone lots); • Articles about airport cell phone lots; and • A sample of Canadian airports. Appendix A lists the airports studied. INCIDENCE OF CELL PHONE LOTS AT U.S. AND CANADIAN AIRPORTS The data search included 110 airports representing the largest airports in the United States by enplanements and a sample of Canadian airports. Ninety-six (96) airports in the sample, or about 87%, operated cell phone lots; Table 3 shows the breakout by airport size. The sample of large- and medium-hub airports is almost 100%; the small-hub sample represents about 57% of small hubs; and the non-hub airports are under-represented. Many non-hub airports offer free parking for all users. Airports that elect not to offer a cell phone lot either have alternative free parking where greeters can wait to pick up arriving passengers, or have made an explicit decision not to include a cell phone lot as a parking option. SIZE OF CELL PHONE LOTS Figure 3 shows the reported number of parking spaces at cell phone lots. Sixty-five (65) airports have cell phone lots with fewer than 100 spaces, and of this group, 29 airports had 30 or fewer spaces. There is no apparent correlation between the size of a cell phone lot and other variables such the number of arriving passengers or percent of passengers picked up in private vehicles. AIRPORTS WITHOUT CELL PHONE LOTS Table 4 shows the 13 airports with no cell phone lot. There are a few large airports that stand out in the list, including Dallas/Fort Worth International (DFW), McCarran International (LAS), and LaGuardia (LGA). Newark Liberty International (EWR) may also give up its lot in the future; see profile in chapter four. Telephone interviews with several airports without cell phone lots indicated that most of these airport operators had considered a cell phone lot, but decided against it for a number of reasons: • The airport provided alternate and specific pickup areas for arriving passengers; • The airport had recently closed the cell phone lot and reused it for staging a construction project; • There was low community demand for a cell phone lot; or • The airport sponsor follows a parking model that requires users to pay for parking privileges at the airport.

8 Large 30 27 3 Medium 38 34 4 Small 40 34 6 Non-Hub 2 2 0 Total 110 97 13 Source: Compiled by KRAMER aerotek inc. (2014). Hub Size Sample Size Airports with Cell Phone Lots No Cell Phone Lot TABLE 3 AIRPORTS WITH OR WITHOUT CELL PHONE LOTS 1 11 5 3 3 3 9 14 2 3 2 18 10 2 1 1 1 1 30 31 100 101 150 151 200 201 300 >300 N U M BE R O F AI RP O RT S PE R CA TE GO RY NUMBER OF PARKING SPACES PER CELL PHONE LOT Non Hub Small Medium Large FIGURE 3 Number of parking spaces at cell phone lots. Source: Compiled by KRAMER aerotek inc. (2014). City Airports with No Cell Phone Lot Burbank Bob Hope Dallas/Fort Worth Dallas/Fort Worth International Greensboro Piedmont Triad International Guam A.B. Won Pat International Las Vegas McCarran International Little Rock Bill and Hillary Clinton National/Adams Field Mesa Phoenix-Mesa Gateway New York LaGuardia Norfolk Norfolk International Omaha Eppley Airfield Santa Ana John Wayne Airport-Orange County Syracuse Syracuse Hancock International Windsor Locks Bradley International Source: Compiled by KRAMER aerotek inc. (2014). TABLE 4 AIRPORTS WITH NO CELL PHONE LOTS

9 CELL PHONE LOTS AND FREE HOURLY PARKING Some airport operators offer a short grace period (10 minutes is the International Parking Institute Standard) should a visitor park in the wrong area or if no spaces are available. At many airports, this is not enough time to complete a pick-up of passengers. However, some airport operators offer both cell phone lots and free hourly parking ranging from 30 minutes to two hours. The provision of free parking is common, and these parking policies are difficult to terminate. Table 5 lists examples of airports that offer some amount of free hourly parking in addition to free parking in a cell phone lot. AIRPORTS WITH MORE THAN ONE CELL PHONE LOT Some airports operate cell phone lots in more than one location. Oklahoma City has two lots; Phoenix Sky Harbor International operates three—one lot near Terminals 2 and 4 and one lot located further out adjacent to its Sky Train Station. The airport operator sees a need to publicize the lot near the Sky Train Station because cell phone lot users tend to congregate in the East Lot near Terminal 4, which handles about 80% of arriving passengers. AIRPORTS THAT COMBINE CELL PHONE LOTS WITH OTHER PARKING PRODUCTS A few airports have carved out space for a cell phone lot within existing parking facilities. The advan- tage of this approach is that free parking is available in a specific lot and for a limited time. Because entry to the lot usually requires a parking ticket, conversion to paid parking after the free period expires is easy, and the airport already has installed card readers and pay systems at exits for paid parking. Airport operators who have adopted this approach include General Mitchell International in Milwaukee, Vancouver International Airport, Kansas City (Missouri) International, Pittsburgh Inter- national, and Edmonton International Airport. The combined approach requires available capacity in some existing parking but has the advan- tage of allowing the airport to offer a cell phone lot with no additional facility requirements as well as the opportunity to collect revenue for parking after the first hour. AIRPORTS THAT INTEGRATE A CELL PHONE LOT WITH A TRAVEL PLAZA CONCESSION The original concept of a cell phone lot involved free parking and no revenue-generating activity. Some airports, including Denver International Airport (DEN) and Indianapolis International Airport (IND), are reconsidering this approach, and integrating cell phone lots with travel plazas. (These examples are discussed in more detail in chapter four.) Anchorage Ted Stevens Anchorage International 30 30 minutes Buffalo Buffalo Niagara International 70 2 hours Calgary Calgary International Airport 65 30 minutes Dallas Dallas Love Field 45 30 minutes Lexington Blue Grass 30 30 minutes Memphis Memphis International 26 30 minutes Oklahoma City Will Rogers World (2 cell lots) 74 1 hour Richmond Richmond International 40 59 minutes Tallahassee Tallahassee Regional 30 30 minutes Tampa Tampa International 350 59 minutes Wichita Wichita Mid-Continent 16 30 minutes City Airports Number of Cell Phone Lot Parking Spaces Free Hourly Parking TABLE 5 EXAMPLES OF AIRPORTS WITH CELL PHONE LOTS AND FREE HOURLY PARKING

10 The original cell phone lot at DIA opened in the summer of 2001 because airport users wanted a free place to wait for arriving parties. It was located in the “simplest and easiest” place it would fit, according to a manager, approximately three miles from the terminal. Although the lot was small, it served its purpose very well at first, but soon became very congested during peak times. Airport staff came up with a plan to relocate the lot: installing a food court in a vacant building near an already existing airport gas station, adding some amenities, and expanding the parking around the building. The project developer and the air- port shared the cost of increasing the parking capacity, and the new cell phone lot was completed in 2013. Indianapolis International also transitioned to a concession-based cell phone lot. IND did not have a cell phone lot prior to the opening of its new Midfield Terminal in 2008. When the new terminal was designed, the program included a small cell phone lot (later expanded) on the in-bound approach to the terminal. In 2013, a travel plaza with amenities including food, restrooms, and Wi-Fi opened nearby. The cell phone lot run by the airport has seen use decline since the travel plaza opened. AMENITIES Customers tend to view cell phone lots as destinations because users are required to stay with their vehi- cles while waiting. Table 6 shows the amenities listed on airport websites for cell phone lots. With the exception of some airports that have elected to incorporate cell phone lots into travel plazas, most of the existing cell phone lots offer very few amenities. Judging from the 96 airport sample, only a few airports offer amenities, primarily FIDS, portable toilets, and Wi-Fi, and even these amenities are not prevalent. RULES AND HOURS OF OPERATION Tables 7 and 8 provide a snapshot of rules and hours of operation. Most airports require cell phone lot users to stay with their vehicles; however, beyond this, there are few regulations posted, suggesting that airports do not want to post rules that will require continuous enforcement. CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AT CELL PHONE LOTS AS REPORTED IN SOCIAL MEDIA Among information gathered about cell phone lots were many comments in social media. Most of these were on Foursquare, the social network where people “check in” to venues with their smart- phones and post photos and comments about their experiences. Yelp, the popular business review site, yielded a few comments about cell phone lots as well. Large 26 2 8 9 1 1 3 1 4 Medium 34 1 3 7 1 1 3 Small 34 1 3 1 3 Non-Hub 2 All Airports 96 3 12 19 1 3 4 1 10 Source: Compiled by KRAMER aerotek inc. (2014). Hub Size Sample Size Restrooms Portable Toilets FIDS Restaurant Food Trucks Vending Machines Gas Wi-Fi TABLE 6 AMENITIES AT CELL PHONE LOTS—INTERNET SURVEY Hub Size Sample Size Posted Hours User Time Limits Posted User Rules Large 26 4 12 20 Medium 34 4 14 8 Small 34 3 7 30 Non-Hub 2 1 1 2 No. of Airports 96 12 34 60 Source: Compiled by KRAMER aerotek inc. (2014). TABLE 7 OVERVIEW OF RULES AND HOURS OF OPERATION

11 Because users are required to provide a location when “checking in” or reviewing these lots, Google Earth made it possible to determine the distance of the cell phone lot to the terminal, number of parking spaces, and visible amenities. The comments left by Foursquare and Yelp users mostly related to amenities customers like to see in cell phone lots, problems they have noticed, and the ways in which they keep themselves occupied while waiting for arriving passengers. There are some inherent biases that will crop up when gathering data this way. Of 110 airports, 51 had been the subject of multiple entries about the cell phone lot. Even acknowledging the limita- tions of voluntary customer feedback, the comments provide an interesting perspective on customer experience. Generally, cell phone lot users who post comments tend to have low expectations for these parking lots. Clean bathrooms, trash cans, good lighting, and a sense of security are elements with positive feedback. Users also want excellent directions to the cell phone lot and directions from the lot to the terminal for passenger pickup. Some users noted that when multiple aircraft arrive at approximately the same time, many vehicles try to return to the terminal simultaneously, causing congestion at the exits. Rule No. of Cell Phone Lots Where Rule Is Posted Vehicles must be attended at all times 45 Cars left unattended will be towed 21 No commercial vehicles/trucks 16 Must stay in car at all times 11 No idling (or maximum idling time five minutes) 6 No for-hire vehicles 3 No overnight parking (or no camping) 3 No littering 2 No alcohol 1 No feeding birds 1 No gambling 1 No parking on grass 1 No soliciting 1 Turn off headlights when waiting 1 TABLE 8 DETAIL ON CELL PHONE LOT RULES