- Gold Coast Airport (OOL) Master Plan (at the bottom of the linked webpage)
Friday, December 31, 2010
Links to Major Canadian Airport Master Plans and Development Plans
Click on the document names to go to the relevant webpage.
- Ottawa International Airport (YOW) Master Plan (powerpoint and open house)
Links to United States Airport Master Plans
The airports in the United States are typically owned by the government. From ACRP reports, this breaks down to approximately one third City Governments (e.g. City of Chicago, City of Atlanta, City of Houston), one third Airport Authorities (e.g. Nashville, Raleigh-Durham) and the rest are owned by other type of governments. (e.g.Honolulu-state government, Fort Lauderdale-Broward County)
Because of this, many of the airports make their Airport Master Plans available to the public on the internet. I have done a search for them and have placed links to them here for your convenience. Most of the Airports are the largest 50 airports by passenger numbers but I have included a few of the smaller airports as well. Most of them link to the full master plans, some to summaries. Click on the Airport Name to assess the relevant webpages.
- Detroit Airport Master Plan (DTW)
- Honolulu Airport (HNL)
- Lincoln Airport Master Plan (LNK)
- Memphis Airport Master Plan (MEM)
- Nashville Airport Master Plan (BNA)
- Oakland Airport Master Plan (OAK)
- South Suburban Airport Master Plan (Chicago)
- Cleveland Hopkins Airport Master Plan (CLE) (in progress)
- Philadelphia International Airport Master Plan (PHL) (in progress)
Let me know if any of the links are broken. Thanks.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
What do Airport Planners do? Profile of an Airport Planner at Atlanta Airport
This is in the context of the American Airport Industry. This video I found on Youtube profiles an Airport Planner working at Atlanta Airport, the busiest airport in the world. Click here.
Airport Planners that work for consultants and those that work for an airport do different things. Broadly, the Airport Planners working for Airports do the upfront work and scope out the work that enable a Request for Proposal (RFP) to be issued to the consultant community. The consultant airport planner is hired for a specific task or tasks. The Client Airport Planner represents the Airport and works with the consultant to achieve the goals outlined by the Airport.
The work done by Airport Planners at Airports vary depending on how the airport is organized, the stage the facility is in (old, new), what is the immediate pressing problem (noise, airfield capacity etc.). It also depends on whether the airport does the work in-house or not.
What does an Airport Planning Consultant look like?
This is not an endorsement for this airport planning consultant firm but I thought it would be interesting for people unfamiliar with the airport planning industry to watch a video about an airport planning consultant firm. Click here.
The other players in the industry include Leigh Fisher, AECOM, PBS&J, URS, RS&H, Ricondo, HNTB etc. Check out Airport Consultants Council for a full listing.
Each of them are strong in different regions and have varying specialties. Also, the staff move between companies and the companies merge so there is always constant change. Some of the companies only do airport planning while others run the whole gamut.
Tokyo Narita Airport's uncompleted second Runway
Ever wondered about why the Tokyo Narita Airport has a short and uncompleted second runway? There are 8 farmers that are still living on land where the rest of the second runway is supposed to be. Click here for the Youtube video that gives some background on this.
Airport Planning Presentation: Implications for South Florida in the Next 20 years
This presentation was posted on Nov 17, 2010 posted by Florida Atlantic University. Jamie and Dan are Airport Planners at Fort Lauderdale (FLL). Their presentation about airport planning comes in six parts on Youtube.
The audience appears to be urban planners involved in City Planning which are not familiar with airport planning so this is a good introduction to Airport Planning.
The sound quality is not very good but should be OK if you use headphones.
The first portion gives an introduction to Fort Lauderdale (FLL) Airport. Then it goes through general airport planning: Airport System, Purpose of Planning, Airspace, Airfield Planning, Noise, Bird strikes, Solar, Terminal Space Planning, Ground Transportation, Security.
The third portion is about Fort Lauderdale Airport and the Master Plan Process and upcoming Construction Projects.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Sustainable Aviation Resource Guide by SAGA
If you are looking for resources about Airport Sustainability in the US, this is a good place to start - Sustainable Aviation Guidance Alliance (SAGA) website. (click here)
Who are they?
"The Sustainable Aviation Guidance Alliance (SAGA) is a broad volunteer coalition of aviation interests formed in 2008 to assist airport operators of all sizes in planning, implementing, and maintaining a sustainability program."
They have published a 57 page Sustainable Aviation Resource Guide. (click here)
Airports in Asia
I have started another blog with an emphasis on Southeast Asian Airports. Check it out.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Closing an airport - Edmonton City Centre Airport
I had written earlier about the closing of the municipal airports and what they had become. (Austin Mueller and Denver Stapleton). Closing an airport is never straightforward. There people who want the municipal airport closed when the bigger newer airport further from the city is opened and there are others who want the smaller airport near the city center to stay open.
Edmonton in Alberta Canada is a case in point. The larger airport was opened in 1960. In 1995, it was decided that all scheduled jet passenger service will be consolidated at the larger airport (Edmonton International Airport-EIA). EIA is located 16 miles (26km) from downtown Edmonton.
The Edmonton City Centre Airport plays an important role in air ambulance service for the province of Alberta and for general aviation. It also host aviation related activities. However, it hinders commercial development in the downtown area as the 2 runways causes significant height restrictions that prevents the growth of the downtown area. The Airport is in the top left corner of the picture and the downtown area is in the bottom right corner of the picture on the north bank of the river.
In 2009, the City Council decided on a phased closure of the airport and on Aug 3, 2010, the north-south runway (16/34) was closed.
From the Edmonton City Government website:
City Council voted in July 2009 to implement a phased closure of the City Centre Airport after 18 months of study, analysis and public input.
Status quo was not an option:
- one of the runways would have required up to $10M in capital upgrades to remain operational other upgrades were estimated at up to $35M over the next 5-10 years
- revisiting the cap on passenger traffic would have incurred significant legal liabilities
Current status:
- One runway has been closed, one runway remains open.
- The open runway can remain operational until Council determines the land is needed for redevelopment, based on market demand.
- Air ambulance services (mostly patient transfer) continue to operate at the City Centre Airport, and can do so for the foreseeable future.
Why close?
In making their decision, Council requested an analysis of five main perspectives: historical importance, economic impact, market feasibility, medevac, and public consultation.
Council also discussed the potential of the land for the citizens of Edmonton. Redeveloping the land into a family-focused, residential/commercial community that will be a world leader in environmental, cosmopolitan development would benefit Edmonton by:
- helping rein in urban sprawl and create family-focused neighbourhoods in the heart of our city
- modeling an environmentally sustainable community where people can walk to their work, amenities, parks, recreation and services.
- eliminating height restrictions on development elsewhere in the downtown core.
- increasing revenue to the City over the long term (between $91M and $486M), which helps reduce the burden on taxpayers. The City received $1.1M in taxes annually from businesses on the land.
Council voted for a phased closure of the airport, over time, with the following considerations:
Medevac:
- Changes to medevac will only occur when Alberta Health Services has sufficient plans and facilities in place to ensure patient safety and undisrupted service.
- Emergency helicopters can land at Edmonton hospital helipads. The majority of air ambulance flights that land at the City Centre airport are fixed-wing aircraft that carry patients for medical appointments.
Economic impact
- The City will be the land developer and gain the revenue from the development and from business and property tax.
- The Edmonton Economic Development Corporation supports the closure of the Edmonton City Centre Airport (ECCA) because the redevelopment of the ECCA land "is in the economic best interest of the city." Read more
Redevelopment:
- The City has announced five finalists in an international design competition for the lands. Each will receive a $50,000 honorarium for further developing their proposals, but the 33 submissions did not receive any payment.
- The public will have the chance to review the design proposals and public consultation will help shape the final neighbourhood development.
Environment:
- Remediation would have to occur regardless of future use of the land - as an airport or neighbourhood.
- From preliminary tests, which covered more than half the property, only three small areas may have limited environmental contamination.
Historical importance and preservation
- The City will incorporate our aviation heritage in the community development, such as with street and neighbourhood naming, and by using aviation facilities for museum space.
- The Aviation Museum is an integral part of our City’s heritage and the City aims to enhance the museum’s role and to advance the concept of a Mall of Museums on the site.
You can get a taste of the ongoing situation at the following links:
Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) aka Whole Body Imaging
There has been a lot of discussion recently about Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) machines at TSA checkpoints for passenger screening. These were formerly known as Whole Body Imaging (WBI) machines. There are basically two types of machines that have been deployed. The first is made by Rapiscan and the second by L-3.
Rapiscan Secure 1000 Single Pose deployed at airports requires 2 Rapiscan Secure 1000s.
This presentation gives a good summary about AIT and the AT machines and its impact on existing facilities. (click here)
The following is an extract from the presentation by Gresham, Smith and Partners at the ACI Operations/Technical Spring Conference 2010:
•AIT Portals can add from 1400 lbs to 2000 lbs of additional structural load per scanner
•AT X-ray can add from 1200 lbs to 2100 lbs of additional structural load per x-ray
•Existing checkpoint footprints may need to increased to accommodate advanced technologies
•AIT throughput can impact queuing lengths and wait times
Fitch Ratings - Criteria for Airports
Financing is a important part of airport development. Bond Ratings by companies (e.g.Fitch Ratings) determine the ability to sell the bonds and the interest rates among other things. I came across this in an Airport Business Article that talked about the Fitch Ratings' Criteria for Airports. (click here)
The following is an extract from the 24 page Fitch Ratings Article "Criteria for Airport". It requires a registration (that is free) to access. Please register with them to read the full article.
" This criteria report provides an overview of Fitch Ratings’ analytical approach to evaluate debt issued by airports across the globe and should be read in conjunction with the agency’s report, “Rating Criteria for Infrastructure and Project Finance”, published on 16 August 2010 at www.fitchresearch.com. The rating levels discussed in this report relate to Fitch’s international credit rating scale and reflect standalone creditworthiness without considering external credit enhancement or government support.
The criteria apply both to standalone airports and multi-airport systems in full operation with an active commercial service and an operational history. They also apply to multiple forms of ownership, governance, and legal status, whether in the form of a listed company, private corporation, special-purpose project company, or public law entity. The criteria also cover specific rating drivers for new airport construction or those airport-related facilities that have substantial construction and completion risks. In such cases, the rating rationale may be influenced more by completion-related factors.
For standalone project financings within an airport (i.e. non-recourse terminals, fuel facilities, rental car centers, and cargo facilities), the ownership framework, structural protections, and completion risk will be more relevant rating considerations than is the case for financings secured by a broad pledge of airport revenue. The corporate rating of key counterparties and corporate tenants, as well as the legal or economic ability to substitute defaulting or departing tenants, will also play a central role in analyzing such financings.
Two critical concepts are developed throughout the criteria: 1) the resilience of demand; and 2) airport flexibility to offset historical volatility associated with the airline industry. Each individual airport will have varying degrees of resilience and flexibility. The stronger credits tend to be the large gateway and hub airports as they demonstrate less volatile demand and more flexibility in recovering costs from airline counterparties and maintaining stable net revenues. Regional airports and secondary hubs are generally more volatile and have less financial flexibility. Fitch’s ratings reflect a combination of relative volatility and flexibility that is strengthened or weakened by degrees of financial risk, structural protections, and leverage."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There is also a cross reference to another 24 page report "Rating Criteria for Infrastructure and Project Finance" by Fitch Ratings. The following is an extract. Please register with them to read the full article.
" Fitch Ratings’ rating approach to infrastructure and project finance debt instruments is used where repayment is dependent upon cash flows from the construction, operation and in some cases handover of a standalone project (which may encompass several project assets in different locations). Additionally, for these criteria to apply, the assets and operation of the project would be within a project vehicle or achieve an equivalent segregation of project cash flows such as a separate enterprise fund within a governmental entity; in either case referred to as a single‐purpose project (SPP) in this report. Such projects typically arise in the power, transportation, telecommunications, oil and gas, industrial, mining and social infrastructure sectors.
Fitch’s analysis firstly addresses the potential of the project to generate a stable cash flow based on its legal framework and fundamental economics together with any political or macroeconomic risks. The agency then considers the financial structure to form an opinion on the capacity of those cash flows to service the rated debt instruments in accordance with their terms. Some risk factors in this report may not always be applicable depending upon the nature of the project or debt instrument.
Fitch’s global infrastructure and project finance ratings under these criteria are assigned to individual debt instruments and are therefore issue ratings. They take account of timeliness of payment, reflecting the instrument’s terms, and do not incorporate recovery prospects given a default.
When analysing the project, a Fitch analyst will consider factors such as project rationale, the sponsor and legal structure, completion risk, technology risk, operating and maintenance risk plus risks to project gross revenue from volume, price or availability. Sovereign, political and industry risks are also considered here together with future capital expenditure and information quality. Risk allocation is a key feature of project finance and Fitch will assess its impact on the SPP, as appropriate for each risk factor, which in most cases will include a minimum level of creditworthiness consistent with the significance of the allocated risk."
Friday, September 10, 2010
Opening / Activating a new airport terminal (ACRP Synthesis Report 20)
ACRP Synthesis Report 20 (click here) addresses the activation of a new Airport Terminal.
"TRB’s Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Synthesis 20: Airport Terminal Facility Activation Techniques explores lessons learned during terminal activations at 13 domestic and international airport facilities. The report is designed to help identify effective airport terminal facility activation practices."
The most recent case study that can be looked at is the opening of Delhi Airport Terminal 3 in India. It opened with the shifting of International flights there in late July 2010. The Domestic flights were to shift there shortly after. This has since been delayed till after the Commonwealth Games in Oct 2010.
Having traveled through Delhi Terminal 2 before, I must say that the opening of Terminal 3 is a good thing. As always, there are teething problems which I am sure will be worked out in due course.
Problems at the newly opened Delhi Airport Terminal 3.
1. Power Supply
2. Water Supply
3. Road Congestion
4. Baggage issues
5. Shops which have not opened
6. Directions/wayfinding to the new terminal
Personally, I think it is still a great achievement that the terminal (48 contact gates, 502,000sqm or 5.4million sqft) has been opened before the Commonwealth Games. The Terminal opened in July 2010, just barely 4 years after the signing of the agreement (in Apr 2006) for a private operator GMR to operate New Delhi Airport.
Useful Resources / Applied Research Reports for Airport Planners - ACRP Reports
These are the Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) reports which, in my view, are of greater interest to airport planners. The ACRP is part of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) and is funded to the tune of US$10-15million a year by the United States Federal Government.
Each report answers a specific problem which the US Airport industry is facing (Applied Research) and takes about 2-3 years of research. Each report costs between $300,000 to $400,000. However, because it is federally funded and their aim is the widest dissemination possible, the pdf files are available for free at their website.
The synthesis reports cost less and take a shorter time to publish because it not new research but a collection of what's out there on a particular airport topic in one report.
Click here to go to the ACRP report library. I have also added hyperlinks for each of the reports listed below. (updated Dec 7, 2010)
Each report answers a specific problem which the US Airport industry is facing (Applied Research) and takes about 2-3 years of research. Each report costs between $300,000 to $400,000. However, because it is federally funded and their aim is the widest dissemination possible, the pdf files are available for free at their website.
The synthesis reports cost less and take a shorter time to publish because it not new research but a collection of what's out there on a particular airport topic in one report.
Click here to go to the ACRP report library. I have also added hyperlinks for each of the reports listed below. (updated Dec 7, 2010)
Report 10 Innovations Terminal Facilities
Report 13 Integrating Airport Information Systems
Report 16 Managing Small Airports (useful for overview of airports in general)
Report 20 Strategic Planning
Report 21 Project Delivery Methods
Report 23 Passenger Processing Rate
Report 24 Parking Strategies
Report 25 Terminal Planning
Report 27 Enhancing Land Use Compatibility
Report 30 Common Use at Airports
Report 34 Constrained Parking
Report 35 Offsite Airport Terminals
Synthesis Report 1 Innovative Finance
Synthesis Report 2 Forecasting
Synthesis Report 5 Ground Access choice
Synthesis Report 8 Common Use Facilities and Equipment
Synthesis Report 10 Airport Sustainability Practices
Synthesis Report 14 Airport Systems Planning
Synthesis Report 17 Airport Development and Federal Environmental Review
Synthesis Report 19 Revenue Diversification
Synthesis Report 20 Airport Terminal Activation
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Airport Passenger Terminal Planning and Design Guidebook
The Transportation Research Board (TRB)'s Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) has released the long awaited Terminal Planning and Design Guidebook. The other 2 industry standards with regards to Terminal planning that I am aware of are:
1. FAA Advisory Circular 150/5360-13 (4) - Planning and Design Guidelines for Airport Terminal Facilities published in 1988 (click here)
2. IATA Airport Development Reference Manual (ADRM) published in 2004 (click here)
Pdfs of the new guidebook are available for download (for free) at the following links:
Volume 1: Guidebook (click here)
"explores the passenger terminal planning process and provides in a single reference document, the important criteria and requirements needed to help address emerging trends and develop potential solutions for airport passenger terminals. It addresses the airside, terminal building, and landside components of the terminal complex."
Volume 2: Spreadsheet Models and User's Guide (click here)
"consists of a CD-ROM containing 11 spreadsheet models, which include practical learning exercises and several airport-specific sample data sets to assist users in determining appropriate amodel inputs for their situations, and a user's guide to assist the user in the correct use of each model. The models on the CD-ROM includes such aspects of terminal planning as design hour determination, gate demand, check-in and passenger and baggage screening, which require complex analyses to support planning decisions.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
The importance of zoning around airports - Delhi Airport Runway
The new 4,430m (14,600ft) Delhi airport runway of which only 2820m (9,200ft) can be used when air traffic is in west flow (RW29) because of a 50ft tall religious statue. When traffic is in east flow (RW11), almost the whole length can be used. You can see the displaced thresholds on Google Earth.
Newsclip covering the story and showing the statue in question. (click here)
This case illustrates the importance of zoning and height control around an airport and ensuring compatible land use.
That said, New Delhi Airport has made great strides after privatization. The runway was completed in about 2 years after the GMR-led consortium took over as the private operator in Aug 2006. In 2010, new Delhi Airport won most improved airport in the ACI Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Awards.
Portland Airport (PDX) parking garage and HQ building
Portland International Airport (in Oregon, USA) is operated by the Port of Portland which also operates a seaport. They recently completed a building that consists of a parking garage and a new Headquarters for the Port of Portland. The parking garage has opened and the Port will be moving into the new HQ in May. The information below is taken from an article by 'Oregonlive'. (click here for full article)
Parking garage
-----------------
$156 million
7 storey parking garage
3,500 parking spaces
500 rental car spaces
HQ Building
-------------
$85 million
200,000 sqft office space
10,000 sqft ecoroof
I was very impressed by the pictures and visualization videos by the architects ZGF. The pictures on this post are from their website. There is a lot of information there about the 'green' features of the building.
There are visualization videos under the “On the boards” link
Then choose Port of Portland Headquarters, then click on the bar next to watch.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Munich-Riem Airport Redevelopment
This is another example of airport redevelopment to a non-aviation use. Munich-Riem Airport closed in 1992 and operations were transferred to Munich "Franz Josef Strauss" Airport.The former airport was transformed into Messestadt Riem (Convention City Riem). It consists of a convention center, apartments and parks. The first picture is of Munich-Riem Airport and the second is of the same site after redevelopment.
Click here for plans and pictures (Note: the website is in German)
Denver Stapleton and Austin Mueller Airport Redevelopment
As cities grow, the airports also need to expand to cater to the increased air traffic. In some cases, the airports are expanded at the current site. In others, a new location is picked to built a larger airport. For some cities, the original airport is retained for aviation use while others redevelop the land for other purposes.Two recent examples of airports being redeveloped are:
1995 - Denver Stapleton Airport closed and operations transferred to Denver International Airport.
1999 - Austin Mueller Airport closed and operations transferred to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
Denver Stapleton------------------
- 4700 acre site
- Developer: Forest City Enterprises
- work started in 2001, 15 year plan
- The Stapleton Development Plan calls for the development of 17 million square feet of new commercial space and up to 10,000 units of housing. At the same time, more than one third of the property would be preserved as 1,700 acres of parks and open space.
- In 2008, the Denver Business reported that there are "3,200 single-family houses, rowhomes, condominiums and other for-sale housing as well as 400 apartments. Residential amenities range from schools — including the innovative Denver School of Science & Technology charter school, which is adding space for grades six through eight — day care, swimming pools, parks, green space and a wildlife habitat. A fourth swimming pool is planned, and the developer hopes to build a public library and golf course. Commercial real estate already built includes the 740,000-square-foot Quebec Square and 1.2 million-square-foot Northfield Stapleton outdoor shopping centers; the multiple-block East 29th Street Town Center with shops, offices and restaurants; and roughly 200,000 square feet of office space." (Denver Business Journal, 2008)
To read more, check out these links:
http://www.stapletoncorp.com/
http://discover.stapletondenver.com/
Austin Mueller
----------------
- 711 acre site
- Developer - Catellus Development Group (Agreement with the City of Austin, click here)
- The Robert Mueller Municipal Airport Redevelopment Plan calls for over 4,000 new dwellings including small lot single-family homes, townhouses, live-work lofts, apartments and condominiums, 300,000 square feet of retail, dining and entertainment uses distributed throughout the community with a particular concentration in the Town Center area, Up to five million square feet of commercial office space in the Town Center and in a mixed-use employment center at IH-35 and East 51st Street.
- agreement concluded in 2004, 20 year plan
- From the Mueller Austin website, the master plan calls for "4,600 single-family, condo or apartment homes (at least 25 percent reserved for families who qualify for affordable housing), More than 140 acres of parks and perimeter greenways, A town center with cafes, shops, plazas and live/work spaces planned to include at least 30 percent locally-owned businesses, 5 miles of new hike and bike paths."
- In 2009, the Austin Business Journal reported the following developments completed. "Anchoring the 711-acre complex — which used to be Austin’s airport — is a medical center. The regional retail area is currently open for business with 30-40 stores, with such staples as Bed Bath & Beyond and The Home Depot. Right now, 400 single-family homes are occupied. In March, the first apartment residents will move in. By May, 3,000 people will work at the complex. The University of Texas has just completed a 150,000-square-foot building that will become part of an 800,000-square-foot complex."
To read more, check out these links:
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/mueller/
http://www.muelleraustin.com/
Community Impact Article Jul 10, 2009
Mueller Realtor blog
You can also see the work in progress on Google Earth. The remnants of the runways for both Austin Mueller and Denver Stapleton can still be seen.
- 711 acre site
- Developer - Catellus Development Group (Agreement with the City of Austin, click here)
- The Robert Mueller Municipal Airport Redevelopment Plan calls for over 4,000 new dwellings including small lot single-family homes, townhouses, live-work lofts, apartments and condominiums, 300,000 square feet of retail, dining and entertainment uses distributed throughout the community with a particular concentration in the Town Center area, Up to five million square feet of commercial office space in the Town Center and in a mixed-use employment center at IH-35 and East 51st Street.
- agreement concluded in 2004, 20 year plan
- From the Mueller Austin website, the master plan calls for "4,600 single-family, condo or apartment homes (at least 25 percent reserved for families who qualify for affordable housing), More than 140 acres of parks and perimeter greenways, A town center with cafes, shops, plazas and live/work spaces planned to include at least 30 percent locally-owned businesses, 5 miles of new hike and bike paths."
- In 2009, the Austin Business Journal reported the following developments completed. "Anchoring the 711-acre complex — which used to be Austin’s airport — is a medical center. The regional retail area is currently open for business with 30-40 stores, with such staples as Bed Bath & Beyond and The Home Depot. Right now, 400 single-family homes are occupied. In March, the first apartment residents will move in. By May, 3,000 people will work at the complex. The University of Texas has just completed a 150,000-square-foot building that will become part of an 800,000-square-foot complex."
To read more, check out these links:
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/mueller/
http://www.muelleraustin.com/
Community Impact Article Jul 10, 2009
Mueller Realtor blog
You can also see the work in progress on Google Earth. The remnants of the runways for both Austin Mueller and Denver Stapleton can still be seen.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Where do Airport Planners come from?
Another way to ask this question would be "How do I become an Airport Planner?".
Based on my experience, Airport Planners broadly come from 3 kinds of academic/professional backgrounds:
1. Engineering and Construction - Civil Engineering, Construction etc.
2. Urban Planning - Geography
3. Aviation/Operations - people who aspired to become pilots or were previously from Airport operations
Based on my experience, Airport Planners broadly come from 3 kinds of academic/professional backgrounds:
1. Engineering and Construction - Civil Engineering, Construction etc.
2. Urban Planning - Geography
3. Aviation/Operations - people who aspired to become pilots or were previously from Airport operations
What is the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Survey?
How do you know that an airport operator is doing a good job in terms of customer satisfaction? How does your airport compare with another airport? Has your airport improved from last year? These are just some of the questions that airport managers ask. Performance benchmarking is helpful to answer these questions. In my view, the ASQ Survey program is currently the best program available to airport managers.
5 facts about the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Survey
1. The ASQ Survey Program is an intiative of the Airport Councils International (ACI)to help airports deliver better customer service. There are over 130 airports around the world that are participating in this program. A precursor to this was the AETRA survey. In my view, this is the most comprehensive and extensively used survey in the airport industry currently. The ASQ Survey is the four core programs of the ASQ Initiative which also includes ASQ Performance, ASQ Assured and ASQ Management.
2. At each participating airport, a statistically significant number of passengers are surveyed each quarter. The survey method is by questionnaire where departing passengers in the gate areas are asked to fill in the survey. The surveys are administered quarterly by an independent external party not connected to the airport.
3. The survey consists of about 30 questions which are the same world wide. The survey is grouped into categories and the questions are on a 5 point scale with 5 being the best. Examples of the questions include ambience of the airport, friendliness of airport staff, cleanliness of restrooms.
4. The results are complied and issued quarterly to all the airports on the program. These results provide year on year comparisons and also compares each airport with the other airports in the program. The reports identifies areas that each airport is strong and weak in compared to the average score. This allows each airport to make operational and capital decisions in order to drive service quality improvement at the airport.
5. Top 5 airports in the world in 2009 - Seoul Incheon International Airport, Singapore Changi Airport, Hong Kong International Airport, Beijing Capital International Airport, and Hyderabad Rajiv Ghandi International Airport
Top Airport (By region)
George, South Africa (Africa); Seoul Incheon, South Korea (Asia-Pacific); Keflavik, Iceland (Europe); Cancun, Mexico (Latin America-Caribbean); Tel Aviv, Israel (Middle East) and Austin, USA (North America).
Top Airport (By traffic size categories)
Halifax, Canada (under 5 million), Hyderabad, India (5-15 million), Baltimore/Washington, USA (15-25 million), Seoul Incheon, South Korea (25-40 million) and Hong Kong, China (over 40 million).
If you would like to read more about ASQ, please explore these links.
- Airport Service Quality website (click here)
- ASQ results news release for best airports in 2009 (click here)
5 facts about the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Survey
1. The ASQ Survey Program is an intiative of the Airport Councils International (ACI)to help airports deliver better customer service. There are over 130 airports around the world that are participating in this program. A precursor to this was the AETRA survey. In my view, this is the most comprehensive and extensively used survey in the airport industry currently. The ASQ Survey is the four core programs of the ASQ Initiative which also includes ASQ Performance, ASQ Assured and ASQ Management.
2. At each participating airport, a statistically significant number of passengers are surveyed each quarter. The survey method is by questionnaire where departing passengers in the gate areas are asked to fill in the survey. The surveys are administered quarterly by an independent external party not connected to the airport.
3. The survey consists of about 30 questions which are the same world wide. The survey is grouped into categories and the questions are on a 5 point scale with 5 being the best. Examples of the questions include ambience of the airport, friendliness of airport staff, cleanliness of restrooms.
4. The results are complied and issued quarterly to all the airports on the program. These results provide year on year comparisons and also compares each airport with the other airports in the program. The reports identifies areas that each airport is strong and weak in compared to the average score. This allows each airport to make operational and capital decisions in order to drive service quality improvement at the airport.
5. Top 5 airports in the world in 2009 - Seoul Incheon International Airport, Singapore Changi Airport, Hong Kong International Airport, Beijing Capital International Airport, and Hyderabad Rajiv Ghandi International Airport
Top Airport (By region)
George, South Africa (Africa); Seoul Incheon, South Korea (Asia-Pacific); Keflavik, Iceland (Europe); Cancun, Mexico (Latin America-Caribbean); Tel Aviv, Israel (Middle East) and Austin, USA (North America).
Top Airport (By traffic size categories)
Halifax, Canada (under 5 million), Hyderabad, India (5-15 million), Baltimore/Washington, USA (15-25 million), Seoul Incheon, South Korea (25-40 million) and Hong Kong, China (over 40 million).
If you would like to read more about ASQ, please explore these links.
- Airport Service Quality website (click here)
- ASQ results news release for best airports in 2009 (click here)
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Useful Airport Consultants Council publications
What is the Airport Consultants Council (ACC)?
"The Airport Consultants Council (ACC) is the international trade association that represents the unique interests of consultant firms and related businesses that provide airport development and operations expertise. Constant development and complex challenges have become the norms in aviation today. Airport facilities, technology, markets, planning, design, security, regulations and economics are in a state of unprecedented change. ACC helps its members stay ahead in this dynamic industry by bringing the experts together." ACC website
In short, it represents the consultants involved in airport development. This is an American organization so their focus is primarily is the United States. I mention them because of the resources they have produced which I find useful.
My personal favorites are:
1. Quick Reference for Airports - contains airport maps, aircraft details, select faa advisory circulars excerpts all in one book (click here, the link on their library appears to be broken)
2. Airport Owner's Guide to Project Delivery Methods - useful if you are an airport owner trying to understand design-build, construction manager at risk etc. (click here)
There are also a number of other resources in the ACC library which might be interest to airport planners. Click here to go to the ACC Library.
You can also check out the conferences and events that they organize. Annually, they organize together with other airport-related organizations:
1. Planning, Design Construction Symposium
2. Airport Project Delivery Summit
Click here for the ACC homepage
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
What is a Cell Phone Lot / Cell Phone Waiting Area?
Cell phone what? Cell phone Lot or Cell Phone Waiting Area. More and more US airports are implementing these. Just google "Cell phone lot" and you can see a number of airports describing their lots on their websites.
Given the dominance of cars in the US, there is a substantial number of passengers that are picked up family or friends. These drivers typically would exhibit one of these behaviors:
1. Circle constantly
2. Park on the arrival curbside till the police/security tell them to move on.
3. Park illegally on the side of the road
4. Drive slowly.
In order to deal with this problem, airports have created cell phone lots. These are parking lots with between 50 to 100 spaces for drivers to park their cars there while waiting for their passenger to arrive. When passengers arrive, they call their drivers' cell phone to ask them to drive to the arrival curb to pick them up.... hence the name "cell phone lot".
Typical characteristics of cell phone lots:
1. near the terminal buildings, preferably within visual range of the terminal.
2. just off the main terminal roadway system
3. 50-200 spaces
4. well lit at night and safe
5. Flight Information Display System
6. Rule that driver must be in or at their cars
You might also want to read USA Today's article about cell phone lots. (click here)
Monday, February 1, 2010
What is a Conrac?
If you are not an American Airport Planner, chances are you are not familiar with this term. A CONRAC facility is a Consolidated Rental Car Facility. CON=Consolidated, RAC=Rent A Car. To understand why a Conrac is needed, there needs to be an understanding of the American way of life.
The automobile or car is the central to the American lifestyle. Outside of the big cities like New York and Chicago and the eastern seaboard, the auto reigns supreme. There are drive thrus for everything, not just fast food restaurants but also banks.
Because cars are such a dominant feature, the rental car industry in the US is very large. Passengers either have their own cars parked at the airport, get someone to pick them up, rent a car. Generally, a smaller proportion use cabs or bus or trains to get to and from the airport.
So how do passengers get to the rental car lot to pick up their rental cars? They would wait on the curb for the rental car company bus to pick them up. Once at the lot, they would enter the customer service building and do the necessary paperwork to rent the car. Then they will pick up their car. The variation to this would be to do the paperwork at a counter in the passenger terminal before proceeding to take the bus from the curb to the rental car lot.
For the larger airports, this presented a significant problem as the number of buses circling the terminal buildings would be quite large. (given that they were at least 6 to 9 rental car companies typically competing in a particular airport.
This evolved into the birth of the Consolidated Rental Car Facility. All the rental car counters would be housed in a single facility instead of being scattered all over. Think of it as concentric circles.
The center
-----------
The center of the building would be the customer service area with all the counters and offices of the rental car companies. Customers get to the customer service center by bus or by people mover.
The automobile or car is the central to the American lifestyle. Outside of the big cities like New York and Chicago and the eastern seaboard, the auto reigns supreme. There are drive thrus for everything, not just fast food restaurants but also banks.
Because cars are such a dominant feature, the rental car industry in the US is very large. Passengers either have their own cars parked at the airport, get someone to pick them up, rent a car. Generally, a smaller proportion use cabs or bus or trains to get to and from the airport.
So how do passengers get to the rental car lot to pick up their rental cars? They would wait on the curb for the rental car company bus to pick them up. Once at the lot, they would enter the customer service building and do the necessary paperwork to rent the car. Then they will pick up their car. The variation to this would be to do the paperwork at a counter in the passenger terminal before proceeding to take the bus from the curb to the rental car lot.
For the larger airports, this presented a significant problem as the number of buses circling the terminal buildings would be quite large. (given that they were at least 6 to 9 rental car companies typically competing in a particular airport.
This evolved into the birth of the Consolidated Rental Car Facility. All the rental car counters would be housed in a single facility instead of being scattered all over. Think of it as concentric circles.
The center
-----------
The center of the building would be the customer service area with all the counters and offices of the rental car companies. Customers get to the customer service center by bus or by people mover.
The inner circle
----------------
Once customers have collected their cars, they go to the Ready-Return Area just behind each rental car counter/office. They go to the correct numbered space and pick up their car. This is the same location they will return their rental car.
----------------
Once customers have collected their cars, they go to the Ready-Return Area just behind each rental car counter/office. They go to the correct numbered space and pick up their car. This is the same location they will return their rental car.
The outer circle
-----------------
The outermost area is the maintenance area for each rental car company. This is where the company cleans, refuels and washes the cars to make them ready for the next customer. They also have maintenance bays for servicing the vehicles.
The outermost area is the maintenance area for each rental car company. This is where the company cleans, refuels and washes the cars to make them ready for the next customer. They also have maintenance bays for servicing the vehicles.
Typically the amount of land needed for a full Conrac facility is about 80 to 200 acres. (32 to 80 ha)
The newest Conrac to open is the one at Atlanta and it is connected to the terminal by light rail. (click here)
Other Conracs include: Phoenix, Houston Bush, Albuquerque, Dallas Fort-Worth, Kansas City, Anchorage.
There are variants to the concept.
1. Some Conracs don't have the maintenance centers adjacent to the Ready return areas and Customer service centers.
2. Some Conracs can be accessed by foot and there is no need to take a bus or train.
Key Organizations in the Airport Industry (ICAO, ACI, IATA)
This is a simplistic overview of the key organizations in the Airport Industry that airport planners should be aware of.
International
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1. ICAO - International Air Transport Organization, the United Nations body charged with civil aviation matters
2. ACI - Airports Council International, representing Airports
3. IATA - International Air Transport Association, representing Airlines
4. Department of Civil Aviation, Civil Aviation Authority of each country
United States
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1. FAA - Federal Aviation Administration (part of the US Department of Transportation)
2. ACI-NA - North American branch of ACI, representing Airports (generally the larger commercial service airports)
2. AAAE - American Association of Airport Executives, representing Airport executives
3. ACC - Airport Consultants Council, representing consultants
4. ATA - Air Transport Association, representing airlines
5. AOPA - Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association
6. State Department of Transportation (e.g. TxDOT etc.)
7. NBAA - National Business Aviation Association
8. NASAO - National Association of State Aviation Officials
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Airport Planning Courses
Click here for latest update of this 'Airport Planning Courses' page
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If you are asking, where can I learn about airport planning? Here are some courses which I am aware of. Let me know if you are aware of any more out there.
(Updated 8 July, 2012)
United States
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1. UC Berkeley - Airport Systems Planning and Design. Offered by National Center of Excellence for Aviation Operations Research (NEXTOR). 4 day course that tends to be held in Nov. Look under short courses in the Nextor website. The next one is 8 Oct - 11 Oct 2012. (Early Bird USD1850, Standard Rate USD1950, FAA USD1000)
2. ACC/ACI-NA/FAA - Airport Planning Workshop - 3 day course. Held annually or once every 2 years. First one was held in Dec 2009. The last one was 5 - 7 Dec 2011. It tends to be jointly held with the NEPA workshop. It is orientated to the US airport industry and rules. (ACI USD590, Non-member USD690)
3. MIT - This 5 day/3 day course was held every 2 years. It is from an Airports Systems perspective. The last one was in 2006. For some reason, there has not been one since then. IAAE Canada is hosting a 3 day Airport Systems course by MIT Professors de Neuville, Odoni and Belobaba from 22 - 24 Aug 2012 in Montreal. (click here) (CDN2500 non-members, CDN2250 members)
4. AAAE Accreditation or Certified Member - If you are American or work in the US Airport Industry, this is also a good option as it ties in with FAA regulations and the unique characteristics of the American Airport Industry. It is a self-study program with a Multiple Choice exam. There are 4 modules in the Body of Knowledge, one of them is pertaining to Planning, Construction and Environmental. The other modules are Finance and Administration; Operations, Security and Maintenance; Legislative Affairs, Marketing and Communications, and Air Service Development. There is also a week long course (AAE/Certification Academy) that helps you go through the material and prepare you for the exam.
In addition, there are a number of aviation schools throughout the country that use Alexander Wells book "Airport Planning and Management" as a textbook for their undergraduate classes.
International
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1. Cranfield University - Cranfield offers a MSc Program in Airport Planning and Management. Most of the modules of the MSc Program are offered as 5 day short courses (GBP1370). Go to "Short Courses in Air Transport" to check it out. Cranfield MSc started when Loughborough University ended their MSc program which was running for more than 20 years.
2. Singapore Aviation Academy (SAA) - SAA is the training arm of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore. SAA has held Airport Engineering courses annually for many years. They appear to be transitioning to a new 9 week Airport Engineering Programme jointly organised by Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California, Berkeley and Singapore Aviation Academy (SAA). The next class is 30 Jul - 28 Sep 2012 (USD14,800). There is also another class from 29 Jul to 27 Sep 2013.
3. IATA - This 5 day course appears to be run annually in Montreal. The next class is 15 Oct to 19 Oct 2012. (Non-members USD3700, Members USD3145, Developing Countries USD2590)
4. ACI-World - Airports Council International (ACI) Global Training also has a 3 day training course on Airport Master Planning. The next class is 17-19 Oct 2012 in Brussels (EUR650) and 7-11 Oct 2012 in Abu Dhabi (EUR1000).
No longer available / discontinued?
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1. UT Austin - 3 day course at UT-Austin. (Center for Lifelong Engineering Education, look under Civil/Transportation) Typically run in Aug/Sep time of the year. I think it has been going on for more than 10 years. There are also courses on Airport Pavements, Airport Engineering & Management, Airport Noise and Air Quality models. Each one is not always run annually. The last course was in 2010. It seems to have discontinued.
2. Harvard - 3 day course last held in Jul 09 under the auspices of the Harvard Graduate School of Design Executive Education Program. Not sure if this is a one off. The theme was "Next Generation Airport Design: Toward a Customer Friendly, Efficient, Safe, and Secure Passenger Airport"
Related Posts:
Airport Planning and Management Online Training
Airport Planning and Management Online Training
What is the best book to learn about managing an Airport (United States)
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