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3 In preparing this report, the researchers undertook (1) an Internet review of relevant literature dealing with air travel by aging passengers; and (2) a survey of key airport person- nel at a broad cross-section of airports, who are familiar with the issues facing elderly travelers and the measures being taken at their respective airports to accommodate them. LITERATURE REVIEW The literature review entailed an in-depth Internet search of the most relevant research and data on topics relating to aging travelers, specifically: ⢠The demographic context ⢠Common physical and behavioral characteristics ⢠Challenges typically faced by aging travelers ⢠Current airport practices for accommodating aging travelers. AIRPORT PERSONNEL INTERVIEWS The two-step survey of airport personnel began with an online questionnaire and was followed by telephone interviews. The questionnaire was distributed to knowledgeable airport staff at 29 large and medium hub airports across the United States, as well as some smaller airports with a high percentage of elderly passengers. The questionnaire included the following three questions: 1. Does your airport make any special provisions for elderly travelers? 2. If yes, briefly list some of those special provisions. 3. Would you be interested in participating in a 15- to 20-minute telephone interview regarding the impact of elderly travelers on airports? Some brief biographical information was also requested. A sample copy of the questionnaire is included in Appen- dix A. Twenty-two (22) questionnaires, which were designed to identify people whom it would be most beneficial to inter- view, were completed and returned; and based upon their responses to questions 2 and 3, 18 airports were selected to take part in a follow-up interview; one declined to partici- pate and two did not respond. The 15 resulting interviews were conducted by the principal investigator using a list of standard follow-up questions, a copy of which is included in Appendix B. Interviewees were also invited to address any additional topics they felt were relevant. REPORT ORGANIZATION The report contains seven main chapters. The first describes the report methodology. The second is devoted to the defini- tion and characteristics of the aging traveler. The remaining five chapters trace the progress of passengers from the start- ing point of their journey to the airport, on to the departure gate and back again, documenting the challenges they face and the assistance that may be available to them in each of the following steps: ⢠From home or office to the airport terminal ⢠From the terminal entrance through the security check- point ⢠From the security checkpoint to the gate and from gate to gate ⢠From the arrival gate to the terminal exit ⢠From the terminal exit to leaving the airport. There is a matrix at the end of chapters one through seven that summarizes the key issues facing the elderly addressed in that chapter; and the strategies currently being employed to address them as discussed in the preceding chapter text. In addition, there are symbols shown indicating the main obstacles standing in the way of implementing the various strategies as follows: Capital Cost to Implement Operational Costs/Staff Required Existing Buildings Constraints/Disruption No Obstacles to Implementation. The issues addressed in this summary apply to all airports, but are especially relevant to larger hub facilities. The find- ings from the literature review are integrated within the text of each chapter; however, many of the findings were derived from the first-hand experiences of airport staff described during the interviews. In talking to each individual, it was agreed that the observations made would not be attributed directly to him/her or the particular airport. Many statements were common to several airports, in which case it is so noted. A list of participating airports is included in Appendix C. chapter one REPORT METHODOLOGY
