Below is the uncorrected machine-read text of this chapter, intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text of each book. Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.
20 Most of the problems faced by aging travelers when they leave the terminal building are similar to those they face when arriving at the terminal, including possible long walks to parking or ground transportation and wayfinding issues. One key difference is that passengers may have to wait for some time for transportation. Since a majority of airports do not have arrivals lounges, such as those described in the pre- vious chapter, the waiting environment usually consists of a curbside or island that is covered but otherwise exposed to heat, cold, and likely low lighting levels. This situation can be aggravated by stress regarding the unknown arrival time for ground transport and possible concerns about personal safety. Several airports reported that they provided seating and enhanced lighting at the arrivals curb to address these issues. ONGOING TRANSIT Problems with shuttle buses for departing passengers, referred to in chapter three, can be even more critical for arriving passengers since they invariably have their checked baggage with them, making the boarding of shuttles even more diffi- cult. It was also noted that the proliferation of shuttle services often made it difficult for travelers to find the correct curb or island and the appropriate shuttle stop. A trend that could cer- tainly benefit elderly travelers is the delivery of a passengerâs bag from the bag claim hall to their destination by a third party. One company will transport a bag up to 40 miles from the airport within four hours for less than $50. The service can be ordered on-line as late as the time of departure of the passengerâs flight. PARKING CHALLENGES The last hurdle for many arriving passengers is the parking garage. Adding to the potential difficulty of locating their car is the concern for personal safety felt by many older people in large parking structures, especially at night. This has been mitigated at many airports by increased lighting levels and the installation of alarm stations in garages. One airport reported that one of its remote parking lots offers a shuttle service that takes passengers directly to their car, which not only reduces walk distances, but also eliminates passenger fears. With the ever-increasing size of airport parking garages, the issue of locating a car has become a major problem, espe- cially for the elderly. At Heathrow Airportâs Terminal 5, the parking garage has a built-in car finding system. The ticket produced on entering includes the car license number. Upon leaving, the ticket is inserted into a machine and a map is displayed showing the level and zone, within a range of approximately 200 parking spaces, where the car is parked. (A similar system has been installed in a Santa Monica mall garage.) There are several smart phone GPS-based apps avail- able, specifically designed for car-finding (see Table 5). chapter seven FROM THE TERMINAL EXIT TO LEAVING THE AIRPORT Issues: Obstacles: Strategies: Waiting at Curbside - Provision of seating and adequate lighting Parking Concerns - Alarm systems and high lighting levels in parking garages - Parking shuttles that deliver passengers to their cars - Smart garage car-finding systems - Smart phone apps for car-finding ICON KEY Capital Cost to Implement. Operational Costs/Staff Required. Existing Buildings Constraints/Disruption. No Obstacles to Implementation. TABLE 5 CHAPTER SEVEN SUMMARY
