Head of North American Aviation, Steve Van Beek, presents on land use strategies at airports

Steve Van Beek, PhD, Director and Head of North American Aviation, presented on land use strategies for airports in a webinar hosted by TRB (Transportation Research Board). The series features three keynote speakers from the Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Insight Event: Challenges to Successful Land Use Strategies at Airports in April of 2018.

In this webinar, Steve provides insights into the changing nature of the aviation business model and how airports should rethink land use into the future. He suggests that we need to gain consensus to adapt policies and change regulations to help the industry adjust to changes now and into the future.

The aviation industry as a whole is seeing small increases in operations, yet there is rapid growth in enplanement due to the densification of airlines. This is causing an increase in people traveling through airports, creating a strain on terminals, including concessions and amenities, and ground transportation access.

This change is manifesting various effects for different sizes and types of airports. Airports such as Denver, with the largest footprint in the U.S., is trying to deal with a surge in new curbside vehicles, modifying ground transportation and parking, and better linking downtown Denver through transit. Smaller airports, such as Greenville-Spartanburg Airport with confined land use, are examining ways to repurpose land in the short term that has been set aside for long term expansion. Boston Logan airport is examining ways to mitigate increased stress on gateways, roadways and curbs by possibly incentivizing high occupancy vehicles (HOVs) and staging people on the other side of gateways.

With so many changes in ground transportation access, including TNCs such as Uber and Lyft and the future of Connected Autonomous Vehicles (CAVs), technological changes are outpacing airports’ master plans. Fewer people are parking at the airport and with an increase in curbside drop off, traffic, the curb and parking garages are all affected. Airports need to reconsider how they are planning and building large facilities, such as parking garages and transit hubs, and how to get more people to airport terminals with a scarcity of roadways and curb space.

Airports have legally been viewed within their property boundaries, making it difficult to build connecting transit and rail links into the airport. The USDOT and FAA have been examining this issue and currently have pending guidance on how to help airports better connect through transit. Airports are also exploring remote terminals and staging passengers off-site, utilizing HOVs, such as buses or people movers, to bring passengers directly airside or into core terminals and therefore limit impact on roadways and curb space.

With the uptick in curbside drop offs, airports are seeing decreased use of parking facilities –  traditionally the largest source of discretionary income. Airports need to become more responsive to pricing and bring enhanced amenities to parking customers. Some airports are utilizing dynamic pricing, similar to airplane seat or hotel room pricing, to increase parking volumes. Learn more about parking pricing strategies in Steve’s article written for Steer's 18th issue of North American The Review.

As airports move forward, there needs to be an inclusive balance of airside, terminal and landside needs. A better consensus to develop policy adaptions and new regulations to accommodate rapid changes would greatly benefit the industry.

Listen to the entire webinar on the TRB website.