Guidebook for Preparing and Using Airport Design Day Flight Schedules (2016)

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1 S U M M A R Y Airports are called upon to serve an ever-changing passenger market and airline industry against a backdrop of increasing security, logistical, environmental and fiscal challenges. The planning and operational issues airports face frequently defy simple solutions or even simple descriptions. Detailed modeling is often required to diagnose and address the more complex airport issues and these models require equally detailed inputs, including design day flight schedules (DDFSs). A DDFS is essentially a detailed snapshot of existing or fore- cast activity at an airport during a defined busy day (design day) or critical daily demand period. The DDFS shows individual aircraft arrivals and departures by time of day and, if needed, can also show airline, origin/destination, and the number of passengers associated with each flight. DDFS users, mainly airport leaders and decision makers, need to have a basic under- standing of a DDFS and should be able to determine when a DDFS is needed, how it should be scoped, and how the results should be communicated. DDFSs are needed in the following instances: • Assessment of complex airside development and improvements including capacity/delay analyses, gate allocation, Remain Overnight (RON) parking, and incursion and safety mitigation; • Evaluation of major terminal development and improvements including ticket counter and queue, passenger and baggage security screening, baggage handling systems and bag- gage claim areas, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) processing, and passenger conveyance systems; • Application of the FAA’s Aviation Environmental Design Tool (AEDT) for airspace noise and airside air emission analysis; and • Gate allocation and gate management models. DDFSs are essential for any airside or terminal simulation modeling, and are useful, but not essential, for less-detailed airfield and terminal planning, landside planning, landside noise and dispersion analysis, and staffing. Chapter 3 in this guidebook provides more detailed direction on when DDFSs should be used and identifies alternatives to DDFSs when appropriate. DDFS users also are encouraged to review Chapters 1 and 2 for additional background on DDFSs, Chapters 4 and 5 for guidance on what to include and how to scope a DDFS, and Chapter 8 for guidance on how to manage the uncertainty inherent in any forecast, includ- ing a DDFS. The communication of DDFS results (Chapter 9) is especially important, in particular engaging key stakeholders throughout the process and relaying the point-in-time nature of a DDFS within the context of the risks and uncertainties associated with a dynamic aviation industry. Guidebook for Preparing and Using Airport Design Day Flight Schedules

2 Guidebook for Preparing and Using Airport Design Day Flight Schedules DDFS preparers, mainly airport staff and consultants, need to have a detailed under- standing of a DDFS and should also know when a DDFS is needed, how it should be scoped, and how the results should be communicated. Since a preparer’s main focus is constructing a DDFS and applying the results, he or she needs to be familiar with the many intricacies and nuances involved in preparing a DDFS and how they may affect the projects or issues that the DDFS will be used to evaluate. Chapter 6 in this guidebook provides detailed step-by-step guidance on preparing a DDFS, including defining key parameters, estimating future nonstop markets, fleet mix, flight times, gate assignments, passengers by flight, and nonscheduled operations. Chapter 7 provides direction on how to modify DDFS output, if necessary, for application in airfield, terminal, landside, and environmental planning and operations and management. DDFSs are inherently very detailed and their preparation involves substantial individual judgment in the selection of new markets, flight times, and other elements. Consequently, there is a risk for error or bias and measures are needed, as detailed in Chapter 6 and Appendix E, to maintain quality assurance. The nine chapters in this guidebook are supported by appendices that include a DDFS case study, additional discussion of methods for dealing with uncertainty, formalized quality control checks, a list of data sources, and a glossary.