Airport Terminal & Ground Access

                      Airport Terminal & Ground Access

• A/P terminal area  is comprised of passenger and cargo terminal buildings, A/C parking, loading, unloading, service areas (passenger service facilities), automobile parking, and public transit stations
•   Primary goal of an A/P is to provide passengers and cargo access to air transportation, & act as  vital link between the airside  & landside of  airport
•   Terminal area provides the facilities, procedures, and processes to efficiently move crew, passengers, and cargo onto, and off of  A/C
• Terminal is not an end point, but an area of transfer along the way

Historical Development of Airport Terminals

• First airport terminal areas facilities evolved in early 1920s
•   Earliest passenger processing strategies evolved from railway. Tickets and boarding passes were issued for passengers (Sometimes passengers were weighed so A/C did not exceed its max T/O weight)
•   Facilities required for performing basic ticketing, weighing, A/C boarding were incorporated into one-room facilities, similar to facilities that served railroads

UNIT TERMINAL CONCEPT

Unit Terminals

• First centralized facilities was simple, because they contained all passenger processing facilities in  single-unit building
• Additionally, airport’s admin offices and ATC facilities, were located within the unit terminal building 

 Combined Unit Terminal

• In smaller communities, two or more airlines would share a common building, slightly larger than a simple unit terminal, but have separate passenger and baggage processing facilities. This configuration became known as the combined unit terminal

 Multiple-unit Terminal Concept

•  In larger metropolitan areas, separate buildings were constructed for each airline, each building behaving as its own unit terminal. This terminal area configuration became known as the multiple-unit terminal concept

GATE ARRIVAL CONCEPT

• Gate arrival concept is centralized layout aimed at reducing the overall size of terminal areas by bringing automobile parking close to A/C parking.
•   Simple-unit terminal is fundamental type of gate arrival facility, consisting of a single common waiting and ticketing area with exits in A/C parking apron.

  Even today, the gate arrival concept is used at A/Ps with low airline activity

LINEAR TERMINAL CONCEPT

• As A/Ps expanded, simple-unit terminals expanded outward in linear manner, with the goal of maintaining short distances between the vehicle curb and A/C parking
•  Within linear terminals, ticket counters serving individual airlines were introduced and loading bridges were deployed at A/C gates to allow passengers to board A/C without going to apron.
• In some cases, A/Ps were extended in curvilinear fashion, allowing even more A/C to park “nose-in” to the terminal building while maintaining short walking distances from the A/P entrance to the A/C gate.

PIER FINGER TERMINAL

• Concept evolved in 50s when gate concourses were added to simple unit terminal buildings.
•   Concourses (known as piers or fingers), offered the opportunity to maximize the number of A/C parking spaces with fewer infrastructures
•   A/C parking was assigned to both sides of a pier extending from the original unit terminal structure.
•   Pier finger terminal is known as decentralized facilities, with some of the required processing performed in common-use main terminal areas, and other processes performed in and around individual concourses.

PIER FINGER TERMINAL

Disadvantages

• Distances between gates and other facilities became not only excessive
•   Passenger crowding in these areas
•   Reduction of apron space for A/C parking and movement
•   Tends to put constraints on the mobility of A/C, particularly A/C parked closer to the main terminal building

PIER SATELLITE TERMINALS

Pier satellite terminals are concourses extended from main-unit terminal buildings with aircraft parked at the end of the concourse around a round atrium or satellite area

REMOTE SATELLITE TERMINALS

• Concepts took advantage of the ability to create either underground corridors or Automated Passenger Movement Systems (APMs) to connect main terminal buildings with concourses.
•  Advantage of concept is that one or more satellite facilities may be constructed and expanded when necessary while providing sufficient space for A/C taxi ops between the main terminal building and satellites.
•  Relatively compact central terminal with common areas for processing passengers, because A/C with large wingspans are parked at remote satellites rather than at the central facility.

MOBILE LOUNGE OR TRANSPORTER CONCEPT

Concept was introduced in 1962

• To travel between A/C & terminal building, passengers would board transporters, known as mobile lounges, that would roam the A/F
•   Also known as the remote aircraft parking concept,  was attempted to maximize the number of A/C that may be parked and maximize the number of passengers that may be processed, with minimal concourse infrastructure

HYBRID TERMINAL GEOMATRIES

• A/P management expanded and modified terminal areas to accommodate more passengers & A/C.
•   As a result, A/P terminal geometries expanded in an adhoc manner, leading to hybrid terminal geometries incorporating features of two or more of the basic configurations.

AIRSIDE-LANDSIDE CONCEPT

• Most significant terminal area concept emerged involved more physical separation between facilities that handle passengers and ground vehicles and those that deal primarily with A/C handling
•   Airside-landside concept relies heavily on automated pedestrian movement systems to quickly and efficiently shuttle passengers to and from two separate facilities

AIRSIDE-LANDSIDE CONCEPT

• In landside facility, all passenger and baggage processing can be performed without being physically close to an A/C. Additionally, sufficient additional facilities, such as concessions, atriums etc could be  placed
•   Airside facilities, built in various shapes and sizes, from X shapes to long concourses, focus on the efficient servicing of A/C, including fueling, loading, and unloading
•   Separating each of the two processes allows greater flexibility in adapting to changes in either environment, whether it be new A/C or changes in passenger processing policies

AIRSIDE-LANDSIDE CONCEPT

• In 1980s, the airside-landside concept formed the concept known as off-airport terminals
•   As certain passenger processes (ticketing & baggage check-in), and automobile parking, weren’t required to be performed on A/P, so facilities located miles away from A/P were introduced where passengers could park their vehicles, check themselves and baggage in, and then take a shuttle bus to the A/P
•   Resultantly, passengers would avoid  crowded passenger processing facilities at main terminal

PRESENT DAY AIRPORT TERMINALS

PRESENT DAY AIRPORT TERMINALS

No single airport terminal configuration is best for all airports

• A/P terminal planner are to anticipate conditions up to 10 years in the future in an environment that seems to change everyday
• Several A/P terminals today appear more of a shopping malls than passenger processing facilities, and few A/Ps terminals are equipped with hotels and conference centers
• These facilities have actually encouraged visitors to use the facilities at the A/P without ever intending to board an A/P

PRESENT DAY AIRPORT TERMINALS

The size and shape of airport terminal configurations has both an uncertain yet exciting future

• New security regulations imposed by the Transportation Security Administration have established the need to expand airport security facilities
• The basic function of the airport terminal area, that of efficiently linking passengers and cargo to the airside and landside components of the civil aviation system, should always be understood by airport managers and planners alike

COMPONENT OF AIRPORT TERMINAL

COMPONENTS

1. Apron and Gate System

Planned and managed according to the characteristics of A/C 

 

     2-Passenger and Baggage Handling Systems 

 

Planned and managed to accommodate the needs of passengers and their baggage in their transition to or from the A/C

APRON & GATE SYSTEM

• Apron and gates are the locations  where A/C park for loading & unloading, A/C servicing and preflight preparation
•   Size of A/C, (lengths & wingspans) is single determinant of area required for individual gates and apron parking spaces
•   Grand size of A/P terminals is a direct result of large no of gates designed to accommodate A/C having wingspans of 200 ft
•   Size of A/C parking area is also determined by orientation in which A/C will park, known as the aircraft parking type

• A/C may be positioned at various angles with respect to the terminal building for passenger boarding and deplaning
•   Some A/C parking types require A/C to be maneuvered either in or out of their parking spaces by the use of A/C  tugs, whereas other parking types allow the movement of A/C in and out under their own power
•   Five major aircraft parking types are nose-in parking, angled nose-in, angled nose-out, parallel parking, and remote parking

Nose-in Parking

• Most large jet A/C park nose-in to gates at the terminal and connect to terminal building by loading bridges
•   A/C  enter nose-in parking spaces under their own power, and tend to be pushed out by an A/C tug
•   Primary advantage is that it requires less space for A/C
•   With nose-in parking, only the front-entry door on the A/C is used for boarding, as  rear doors are far from loading bridge

Angled Nose-in Parking

• Angled nose-in parking brings A/C close to terminal building while maintaining enough maneuvering room so A/C exit parking space under its own power
•   Typically used by smaller A/C  (turboprops/small jets)         
•   Air stairs are used to board and deplane passengers, removing the necessity for loading bridges
•   Requires slightly more parking area over nose-in parking for  A/C of similar size

Angled Nose-out Parking

• Angled nose-out parking brings A/C slightly farther from the terminal building than nose-in and angled nose-in parking, because the blast from jets or large propellers has the potential of causing damage to terminal buildings if too close to the facility
•   Angled nose-out parking is used by larger general aviation A/C and at facilities with relatively low levels of activity

Parallel Parking

• Parallel parking is easiest to achieve from A/C, although larger space is required
•   In this configuration, both front and rear doors of the A/C could be used for passenger boarding
•   Parallel parking is employed only by smaller gen av A/C having large parking space near the terminal building
•   Cargo A/C may parallel park to facilitate the loading and unloading of their loads

Remote Parking

• Employed when there is limited parking area available at the terminal building or when A/C parked may be stationed there overnight or for longer durations
•   Remote parking areas are comprised of a series of rows of parking spaces, sized to accommodate varying sizes of A/C
•   Smaller commercial and general aviation A/C may be boarded and deplaned from the remote parking areas with the use of shuttle buses or vans

AIRCRAFT GATE MANAGEMENT

• Most challenging aspects of managing the apron concerns the number of A/C parking areas, or gates, that are required for efficient ops
•   Number of A/C gates required at A/P, for example,  is dependent on a series of factors, including: the number and type of A/C scheduled to use a gate, each A/C’s scheduled turnaround time (gate occupancy time), and type of gate usage agreement that each air carrier has with the A/P

Number & Type of  A/C Scheduled to Use a Gate

• For each A/C that uses A/P , there should be at least one A/C parking area
•   For smaller A/P that are visited by larger A/C on a irregular basis, a remote parking facility with sufficient space may be appropriate, whereas A/C that operate more often should be considered for their size when constructing permanent gate facilities
•   At many airports, gates for larger A/C are planned for the ends of linear terminals or satellite configurations, where A/C wingspans are accommodated with minimal sacrifice of space for additional A/C, and gates for smaller A/C tend to be located nearer the center of the terminal

TURNAROUND TIME/GATE  OCCUPAMCY TIME

• TA time of each A/C directly affects the number of A/C that can use a gate over the course of a day

  Turnaround times of A/C differ widely and based on:-

•            Size of A/C
•               Itinerary of A/C
•                  Number of passengers
•                      Volume of cargo to be loaded and unloaded
•                        Schedules of the air carrier
•   TA times of smaller A/C flying short routes, carrying less than 50 passengers, may be as low as 15 mins, whereas wide-body A/C flying international routes may require 3 or more hours turnaround time
• Gate serving small A/C may serve 30 or more A/C in day, and gates serving international flights may accommodate only two or three A/C per day

Gate Usage Agreement

Gate usage agreement that each air carrier has with A/P management also plays a significant role in the total number of required gates at the A/P terminal. Three most common types of gate usage agreements are exclusive-use, shared-use, and preferential-use agreements.

Exclusive-Use Agreement

• Under exclusive-use agreement, air carrier retains sole authority to use a particular gate or set of gates at an A/P terminal
•   Agreement gives air carrier flexibility in adjusting flight schedules, as gates will always be available when needed
•   Operationally,  this type of agreement leads to inefficiencies in overall gate use, because when the air carrier is not using its gates, the gate sits idle, despite the fact that another air carrier may desire a gate parking space at that time.
•   Exclusive-use agreements, are done for a premium, and for long contract period, and are identified as signatory carriers
•   Signatory carriers tend to have the majority of operations at the airport, thus warranting exclusive-use agreements

Shared-Use Agreements

• Under shared-use agreements, air carriers and other A/C  use gates in coordination with A/P management
•   Shared-use agreements are usually arranged by air carriers that have relatively few ops scheduled at the A/P
•   For example, international air carriers tend to arrange shared-use agreements with US A/Ps, because they have few ops per day at any given A/P
•   From an A/P management perspective,  shared-use agreements are operationally efficient, maximizing the number of A/C that may use gates over the course of a schedule day

Preferential-Use Agreements

• Preferential-use agreements are mixture of exclusive-use and shared-use agreements
•   Under a preferential-use agreement, one air carrier has preferential use of the gate. However, if air carrier not using gate, other air carriers subscribing to the agreement may use the gate, as long as its use does not interfere with upcoming ops from the preferential carrier
•   Preferential-use agreements are signed by one carrier or more carriers or charter A/C that have relatively few ops
•   Greater number of ops and greater turnaround time of the preferential carrier tends to lead to fewer numbers of A/C using the gates over the course of an operating day

Gantt Charts

Tool used to assist the scheduling and management of gate ops is a variation of a graphical scheduling management tool  developed by Henry Gantt in 1917.Gantt chart (or ramp chart) is a graphical representation of the utilization of A/C gates over a given period of time.

PASSANGERS HANDLING SYSTEM

Passenger handling system is a series of links and processes that facilitate the transfer of passengers between  A/C and one of the modes of the local ground transportation system.

1. Flight interface
2. Passenger processing
3. Access/processing interface

Flight Interface

• Flight interface provides the link between the A/C gates and passenger processing facilities
•   Flight interface includes
•   Gate lounges and service counters
•   Moving sidewalks
•   Buses, and mobile lounges
•   Loading facilities such as loading bridges and air stairs
•   Facilities for transferring between flights such as, corridors, waiting areas, and mobile conveyance facilities

Passenger Processing

Passenger processing facilities accomplish the major processing activities required to prepare departing passengers for use of air transportation and arriving passengers to leave A/P for ground transportation to their destinations.

 

Primary activities include

•   Ticketing
•   Baggage check
•   Security
•   Passport check
•   Baggage claim
•   Customs
•   Immigration
•   Facilities include
•   Ticketing and baggage check-in counters
•   Baggage and passenger security stations
•   Information kiosks
•   Baggage claim carousels
•  customs facilities
•   Rental car and other ground transportation desks

Access/Processing Interface

Makes up the facilities that coordinate the transfer of passengers between ground transportation and the terminal building, where passenger processing facilities are typically located.

   

Activities include

 Loading and unloading of passengers and baggage from vehicles at the curb and transit stations.

•   Pedestrian circulation from vehicle parking facilities
•   Access/processing interface includes
•   Vehicular drive and terminal curb
•   Sidewalks
•   Shuttle buses

  Automated conveyance systems to and from parking facilities

•  Bus stops
•  Taxi stands
•   Rail stations

                         PASSENGERS CATEGORIZES

Passengers may be categorized in following manners:-

1.   Passengers’ segment of itinerary
2.   Trip purpose
3.   Group size
4.   Type of baggage carried
5.   Type of ticket

  Whether the passenger is an international or domestic traveler. Each passenger, by nature of the various categories, requires certain facilities, known as essential processing facilities within the A/P terminal area.

Passengers’ Segment of Itinerary

•   Passenger processing requirements and other needs differ  on the basis of the segment of itinerary the passenger is on while at the airport
•   Three primary itinerary segments are departing, arriving, and transferring
•   Departing passengers are those passengers who are entering the terminal from the ground access system through the access/processing interface
•   Arriving passengers are those passengers who have just deplaned an A/C and entered the terminal from the flight interface with the intentions of leaving the A/P terminal for their final destinations through the access/egress interface
•   Transfer passengers are entering the terminal from the flight interface with the intention of boarding other flights for their ultimate destinations within a relatively short period of time, again through the flight interface

Trip Purpose

• Trip purpose of a passenger has traditionally been an indicator of the passenger’s individual needs
•   Most common trip purposes identified in the industry are traveling on business, or traveling for leisure, though many  itineraries combine both business and leisure activities

Group size

• Group size of passengers plays a significant role in determining the passenger processing, particularly through the access/processing interfaces and processing system
•   Group sizes of passengers tend to be categorized as either traveling individually (small groups), or traveling in large groups (20 or more passengers - same group)

Type of Baggage Carried

•  Type of baggage carried by passengers may determine not only the processing required by such passengers but also the design and planning of baggage handling facilities
•   Passengers are said to be carrying either no baggage, carry-on baggage, baggage to be checked in, and/or oversized or oddly shaped baggage (such as golf clubs or skis)

Type Of Ticket

•   Most recently, the type of ticket that a passenger purchases from the air carrier has contributed to determining the type of processing required
•   Since the early 1990s, passengers have been able to purchase either traditional paper tickets or electronic tickets
•   Electronic ticketing facilitates the processing of departing passengers by removing the necessity of carrying a paper ticket for initial processing

                                   

                                       TICKETING

Types Of Ticket Counters

Exclusive-Use Ticket Counters                       

• . Configured with info system, computers, and other equipment specific to one air carrier
• .  Number of positions at ticket counter is determined by airline on basis of estimated no of departing passengers per day, particularly at peak times
• . Most air carriers with big volumes of scheduled ops, tend to have exclusive-use ticketing facilities

Common-Use Ticket Counters

• . Configured for use by multiple air carriers and are equipped with common use terminal equipment (CUTE), computer-based system that can accommodate the operating sys of any air carrier that shares the ticketing facility
• . Growing no of A/P terminals serving air carriers that have infrequent service to A/P, charter carriers, and international carriers have implemented common-use ticketing facilities, which provide the ability to serve more air carriers and passengers with less physical ticket counter space than their exclusive-use counterparts

Common-Use Self Service (CUSS)

•   In addition, some A/P have employed common-use self-service (CUSS) kiosks, which offer check-in for multiple air carriers
• . Despite the vast changes in tech and policies, the traditional ticket counter may never become obsolete
• . During periods of irregularity, such as when flights are delayed or canceled, or when passengers need special assistance with their itineraries, the ticket counter often becomes the first location that passengers go to in order to find an airline representative for assistance

SECURITY SCREENING

•   Processing of passengers and baggage for the purpose of ensuring the security of the civil aviation system has undergone a virtual overhaul following the terrorist attacks on the US on 9/11
•   Passenger and baggage security screening is managed and operated by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
•   Though, TSA has ultimate authority over the facilities and procedures that comprise the security screening processes, A/P managers should be aware of the security screening process, because the process has presented the most significant impacts on A/P terminal planning and ops in recent years

AT GATE PROCESSING

•   Remaining processing for passenger prior to boarding an A/C occurs at gate area
•   Each air carrier has its own method of boarding passengers such as:-
•  in order of fare class, first class first, coach class next
•  in order by of assigned A/C seats (rear to front)
•  in order on a first-come, first-served basis
•   For all air carriers, regulations state that each passenger must show boarding pass to gate agent prior to boarding
•  In addition to boarding, passenger processing within the gate area also includes administrative issues regarding a passenger’s ticket, seat changes, requests to standby for a flight

FEDRAL INSPECTION SERVICE (FIS)

•   Passengers arriving on international flights must undergo customs and immigration formalities at the A/P of their initial landing in US
•   FIS conducts these formalities, which include passport inspection, inspection of baggage, and collection of duties on certain imported items, and sometimes inspection for agricultural materials, illegal drugs, or other restricted items
•  On arrival at one of the several inspection booths, foreign passengers present their passports and other documents and parallel lines form. In some busy airports, roving immigration officers examine documents of passengers in queues, helping to ensure that all documents are in order and thereby reducing the average time required for each passenger to clear immigration.

ANCILLARY PASSANGER TERMINAL FACILITIES

•   Ancillary, or nonessential facilities, are often provided in A/Ps to improve the overall travel experience
•   Nonessential facilities include food and beverage services, retail shops, common waiting areas, information kiosks, post offices, places of worship, hotels, conference centers, bars, and smoking lounges
•   These facilities, known as concessions, when properly managed, not only offer benefits to passengers, but also may generate significant levels of revenue to support the operations of the airport
•   Many A/Ps include concessions that promote and support the local economy. These programs may include the presence of shops that offer locally made products, or products associated with the area

PASSANGER FLOW DIAGRAM

• By locating passenger processing facilities, both essential and nonessential, in convenient locations and in a logical order, terminal planners aim to keep passengers moving through A/Ps with a minimal amount of confusion and congestion
•  To fully understand the behavior of passengers within a terminal, terminal passenger flow diagrams are constructed
•  Passenger flow diagrams illustrate the direction and volume of passengers traveling from one processing facility in a terminal to another
•   On the basis of this information, airport terminal facilities may be appropriately sized and managed to maintain efficient operations

VERTICAL DISTRIBUTION OF FLOW

• Many of the larger airports distribute the passenger flow over several levels within the A/P terminal
•   Primary purpose of distributing passenger processing activities over several levels is to separate the flow of arriving and departing passengers
•   Question of how many levels a terminal building should have depends primarily on the volume of passengers
•   It is also influenced by the type of passengers: domestic, international, and transfer
•   Figure shows a cross section of the major functional areas in a multilevel passenger terminal

BAGGAGE HANDLING

•   Baggage handling services include a number of activities involving the collection, sorting, and distribution of baggage
•   An efficient flow of baggage through the terminal is an important element in the passenger handling system
•   Departing passengers normally check their baggage at one of a number of sites including curbside check-in and at the ticket counter in the terminal building
•   Bags are then sent to a central sorting area, where they are sorted according to flights and sent to the appropriate gate to be loaded aboard the departing A/C
•   Arriving baggage is unloaded from A/C and sent to the central sorting area. Sorted bags are sent to a transferring flight, to the baggage claim areas, or to storage for later pickup.

BAGGAGE CLAIM

•   For passengers who checked baggage at the A/P prior to departure, facilities for claiming their baggage must exist at the A/P
•   Baggage claim facilities are located in an area conveniently positioned near facilities that accommodate ground transportation from the A/P, including parking lots, shuttle vans, taxi cabs, and rental car counters
•   Baggage is presented to arriving passengers in the baggage claim area by use of a baggage claim carousel, configured in such a way as to provide sufficient carousel frontage to accommodate all passengers desiring access to their baggage, while minimizing the total amount of space required for the claim area

AIRPORT GROUND ACCESS

• Access to the A/P from the surrounding community is an integral part of the overall passenger and baggage processing system
•   Access/egress link of an A/P’s passenger handling system includes all of the ground transportation facilities, vehicles, and other modal transfer facilities required to move the passenger to and from the airport
•   Included in the access/egress link are highways, intercity and metropolitan rail service, autos, taxicabs, buses, shuttles, limousines, and transfer stations, including off- and on-airport parking sites and rail stations

TECH TO IMPROVE AIRPORT GROUND ACCESS

• Variety of technologies are in development and implementation to improve both segments of airport ground access, including advanced traveler information systems (ATIS); emerging bus, rail, and automated people mover technologies; as well as alternative strategies for off-site airport check-in
•   Advanced traveler information systems allow travelers to better estimate the travel time to the airport and in some cases offer the passenger alternative routes or modes that may offer reduced travel time or monetary cost of travel
•   Much of this information is gathered from real-time monitoring of traffic volumes on major access roads, and operational status of public transit systems