Industry Research
ACRP Report 10 – Innovations for Airport Terminal Facilities: The objectives of this research project were to identify and develop innovations that can be implemented at airports of various sizes to improve the experience of passengers as they travel between the airport entrance and the secure portions of the passenger terminal. These innovations were then to be incorporated into concepts intended to stimulate design solutions that address the common issues passengers face on the landside portions of the terminal. Particular focus was given to the needs of the aging population. The innovations and concepts developed as part of this research effort were focused on those that could be implemented within the next 5 to 10 years at large- and medium-hub airports.
ACRP Report 55 - Passenger Level of Service and Spatial Planning for Airport Terminals: The objectives of this research were to develop standard space allowances for passengers in each area of the air terminal, to identify an appropriate level-of-service (LOS) framework, and to identify a dynamic or holistic measure representing a passenger’s overall experience of the journey.
ACRP Report 67 – Airport Passenger Conveyance System Usage/Throughput: This report provides a Guidebook for planning and implementing passenger conveyance systems at airports based on actual case study analysis of how these components function in real-time situations. It describes best practices and specific design considerations and presents decision-making frameworks for implementing passenger conveyance systems. Passenger conveyance components include escalators, elevators, moving walkways, and passenger assist vehicles/carts.
ACRP Report 73 - Airport-to-Airport Mutual Aid Programs: This is a guidebook that will assist individuals at airports who would like to enter into formal or informal mutual aid agreements with other airports in the event of a community-wide disaster (e.g., hurricane, earthquakes) that requires support and assistance beyond their own capabilities. The guidebook describes the benefits that an airport-to-airport mutual aid program (MAP) can provide. It outlines the different considerations when setting up an airport-to-airport MAP and has many examples, including examples from other industries
ACRP Report 104 – Defining and Measuring Aircraft Delay and Airport Capacity Threshold: This report provides airports and their stakeholders with guidance for understanding, selecting, calculating, and reporting measures of delay and capacity. The report describes common metrics, identifies data sources, recommends the most appropriate metrics based on user needs, and suggests ways to improve metrics.
ACRP Report 111 - A Guidebook for Airport-Airline Consortiums: This report provides guidance for airport operators and airline representatives who are responsible for agreements related to facilities, equipment, systems, and services and who may be interested in evaluating, advocating, or forming consortiums to provide needed services. The Guidebook provides a discussion of the structure, organization, governance, membership provisions, scope, administrative and operational staffing; presents best practices for the preparation of consortium agreements and performance standards, capitalization, and cost allocation methodologies; and identifies areas that have been most challenging in the operation of consortiums from the airport’s, airline’s and operator’s perspectives.
ACRP Report 112 - Airport Terminal Incident Response Planning: This report provides a scalable tool that airport operators, terminal managers, emergency managers, and planners can use to create and maintain integrated incident response plans that address hazards in and around airport terminals. The Airport Terminal Incident Response Plan (TIRP) tool (available on the CD-ROM that accompanies this report) assists in the development of a response plan that, when implemented, would mitigate the impact of these events on the terminal users. These response plans cover natural and manmade incidents such as hurricanes, snowstorms, tornados, earthquakes, structural fires, electrical outages/power failures, bomb threats, security breaches, and active shooter situations for evacuation, sheltering in place, relocation, and repopulation/recovery and are applicable to a variety of sizes and types of airports and airport terminals. In addition to the TIRP tool, the report contains a user’s guide that provides a step-by-step process of generating incident response plans. The report also contains an output example that demonstrates completed terminal incident response plans using the TIRP tool.
ACRP Report 69 - Asset and Infrastructure Management for Airports: This report provides a primer and guidebook for airport managers and staff on asset and infrastructure management applicable to all areas of the operation of an airport. The report begins with a primer for executive-level staff. The primer offers an overview of an asset and infrastructure management program and the benefits and costs of implementation. The guidebook provides examples from various airports and is designed to be a reference for integrating proven asset and infrastructure management practices and techniques, at airports of all sizes. The guidebook defines an asset and infrastructure management program and its components and how a program relates to daily operations and longer term planning.
ACRP 03-16 – Guidebook for Estimating the Economic Impact of Air Cargo at Airports: This Guidebook was developed to assist airport authorities, air cargo operators, and public sector planners in establishing the value of air cargo facilities and operations to their communities and regions. The primary metric of this value is economic impact: the direct, indirect, and induced income and employment generated by the industry. The primary tools are economic impact models that use available data to answer the questions posed by practitioners.
National Safe Skies Alliance – Findings and Practices for Sharing Sensitive Information and Systems: The objective of this synthesis report was to create a single, consolidated source of information on successful practices to share privileged information not classified by the federal government for use at US airports of all types and sizes. This synthesis report provides the findings and practices on effective ways that airports administer access, as well as control and recover information after it is no longer needed.
National Safe Skies Alliance – Criminal History Record Checks (CHRCs) and Vetting Aviation Workers: Served as data analysts and authors to the team developing a guidebook for best practices for conducting and adjudicating CHRCs and other vetting methods in the aviation industry to promote a safe and secure environment. Report expected to be published in Spring 2017.
ACRP 10-25 – Public Notifications Programs at Airports: Served as data analysts and authors to the team developing a guidebook on successful practices for public notification that can be effectively applied to airport specific programs that allow airports to increase safety and public awareness. The guidebook explores efficient and effective notification methods during both routine operations and crisis situations identified from current public notification processes in aviation and other similar industries. Report expected to be published in Spring 2017.
National Safe Skies Alliance Airport Concessions Study: Identified best practices for delivery of products and supplies at commercial service airports; project results also defined consolidated delivery location / system design guidelines and provided the TSA with quantifiable information that could be used to develop efficient procedures and standards. Work provided TSA a baseline report and mapped a process approach for airports that want to use a consolidated receiving and distribution approach. Study provided the TSA with a robust overview of current concessions’ delivery practices and database for use in development of future security practices and policies.
National Safe Skies Alliance – Exit Lane Breach Control Guidebook: Identified best practices and planning considerations for deploying automated exit lane / breach control technology for US airport exit lanes. The work included development of a planning spreadsheet useful in developing the resource requirements based on expected passenger demand.