Guidebook for Conducting Airport User Surveys

251 Pages·2003·6.71 MB·English

ACRP
AIRPORT
COOPERATIVE
RESEARCH
PROGRAM
REPORT 26
Sponsored by
the Federal
Aviation
Administration
Guidebook for Conducting
Airport User Surveys
ACRP OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE* TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD 2009 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE*
CHAIR OFFICERS
James Wilding CHAIR:Adib K. Kanafani, Cahill Professor of Civil Engineering, University of California, Berkeley
Independent Consultant VICECHAIR:Michael R. Morris, Director of Transportation, North Central Texas Council of
Governments, Arlington
VICE CHAIR
EXECUTIVEDIRECTOR:Robert E. Skinner, Jr., Transportation Research Board
Jeff Hamiel
Minneapolis–St. Paul MEMBERS
Metropolitan Airports Commission
J. Barry Barker, Executive Director, Transit Authority of River City, Louisville, KY
MEMBERS Allen D. Biehler,Secretary, Pennsylvania DOT, Harrisburg
Larry L. Brown, Sr.,Executive Director, Mississippi DOT, Jackson
James Crites
Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport Deborah H. Butler,Executive Vice President, Planning, and CIO, Norfolk Southern Corporation,
Richard de Neufville Norfolk, VA
Massachusetts Institute of Technology William A.V. Clark, Professor, Department of Geography, University of California, Los Angeles
Kevin C. Dolliole
David S. Ekern,Commissioner, Virginia DOT, Richmond
Unison Consulting
Nicholas J. Garber, Henry L. Kinnier Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, University of
John K. Duval
Beverly Municipal Airport Virginia, Charlottesville
Kitty Freidheim Jeffrey W. Hamiel, Executive Director, Metropolitan Airports Commission, Minneapolis, MN
Freidheim Consulting Edward A. (Ned) Helme, President, Center for Clean Air Policy, Washington, DC
Steve Grossman
Randell H. Iwasaki, Director, California DOT, Sacramento
Jacksonville Aviation Authority
Tom Jensen Susan Martinovich, Director, Nevada DOT, Carson City
National Safe Skies Alliance Debra L. Miller, Secretary, Kansas DOT, Topeka
Catherine M. Lang Neil J. Pedersen,Administrator, Maryland State Highway Administration, Baltimore
Federal Aviation Administration Pete K. Rahn, Director, Missouri DOT, Jefferson City
Gina Marie Lindsey
Sandra Rosenbloom, Professor of Planning, University of Arizona, Tucson
Los Angeles World Airports
Carolyn Motz Tracy L. Rosser, Vice President, Regional General Manager, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., Mandeville, LA
Hagerstown Regional Airport Rosa Clausell Rountree, CEO–General Manager, Transroute International Canada Services, Inc.,
Richard Tucker Pitt Meadows, BC
Huntsville International Airport Steven T. Scalzo, Chief Operating Officer, Marine Resources Group, Seattle, WA
Henry G. (Gerry) Schwartz, Jr.,Chairman (retired), Jacobs/Sverdrup Civil, Inc., St. Louis, MO
EX OFFICIO MEMBERS
C. Michael Walton, Ernest H. Cockrell Centennial Chair in Engineering, University of Texas, Austin
Sabrina Johnson Linda S. Watson, CEO, LYNX–Central Florida Regional Transportation Authority, Orlando
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Steve Williams, Chairman and CEO, Maverick Transportation, Inc., Little Rock, AR
Richard Marchi
Airports Council International—North America
EX OFFICIO MEMBERS
Laura McKee
Air Transport Association of America Thad Allen(Adm., U.S. Coast Guard),Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard, Washington, DC
Henry Ogrodzinski
Peter H. Appel, Administrator, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, U.S.DOT
National Association of State Aviation Officials
Melissa Sabatine J. Randolph Babbitt, Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration, U.S.DOT
American Association of Airport Executives Rebecca M. Brewster, President and COO, American Transportation Research Institute, Smyrna, GA
Robert E. Skinner, Jr. George Bugliarello, President Emeritus and University Professor, Polytechnic Institute of New York
Transportation Research Board University, Brooklyn; Foreign Secretary, National Academy of Engineering, Washington, DC
James E. Caponiti, Acting Deputy Administrator, Maritime Administration, U.S.DOT
SECRETARY
Cynthia Douglass, Acting Deputy Administrator, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety
Christopher W. Jenks Administration, U.S.DOT
Transportation Research Board
LeRoy Gishi, Chief, Division of Transportation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the
Interior, Washington, DC
Edward R. Hamberger,President and CEO, Association of American Railroads, Washington, DC
John C. Horsley, Executive Director, American Association of State Highway and Transportation
Officials, Washington, DC
Rose A. McMurry, Acting Deputy Administrator, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, U.S.DOT
Ronald Medford, Acting Deputy Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,
U.S.DOT
Victor M. Mendez, Administrator, Federal Highway Administration, U.S.DOT
William W. Millar, President, American Public Transportation Association, Washington, DC
Peter M. Rogoff, Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, U.S.DOT
Joseph C. Szabo,Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration, U.S.DOT
Polly Trottenberg, Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy, U.S.DOT
Robert L. Van Antwerp(Lt. Gen., U.S. Army), Chief of Engineers and Commanding General,
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, DC
*Membership as of October 2009. *Membership as of October 2009.
A I R P O R T C O O P E R A T I V E R E S E A R C H P R O G R A M
ACRP
REPORT 26
Guidebook for Conducting
Airport User Surveys
D. C. Biggs
M. A. Bol
J. Baker
JACOBSCONSULTANCY
Ottawa, ON
G. D. Gosling
AVIATIONSYSTEMCONSULTING, LLC
Berkeley, CA
J. D. Franz
JD FRANZRESEARCH, INC.
Sacramento, CA
AND
J. P. Cripwell
J. P. CRIPWELLASSOCIATES
Ottawa, ON
Subject Areas
Planning and Administration • Aviation
Research sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration
TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD
WASHINGTON, D.C.
2009
www.TRB.org
AIRPORT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM ACRP REPORT 26
Airports are vital national resources. They serve a key role in trans- Project 03-04
portation of people and goods and in regional, national, and inter- ISSN 1935-9802
national commerce. They are where the nation’s aviation system ISBN 978-0-309-11812-5
connects with other modes of transportation and where federal respon- Library of Congress Control Number 2009941124
sibility for managing and regulating air traffic operations intersects
with the role of state and local governments that own and operate most © 2009 National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
airports. Research is necessary to solve common operating problems,
to adapt appropriate new technologies from other industries, and to
introduce innovations into the airport industry. The Airport Coopera-
COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
tive Research Program (ACRP) serves as one of the principal means by
which the airport industry can develop innovative near-term solutions Authors herein are responsible for the authenticity of their materials and for obtaining
written permissions from publishers or persons who own the copyright to any previously
to meet demands placed on it.
published or copyrighted material used herein.
The need for ACRP was identified in TRB Special Report 272: Airport
Research Needs: Cooperative Solutionsin 2003, based on a study spon- Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) grants permission to reproduce material in this
publication for classroom and not-for-profit purposes. Permission is given with the
sored by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The ACRP carries
understanding that none of the material will be used to imply TRB or FAA endorsement
out applied research on problems that are shared by airport operating
of a particular product, method, or practice. It is expected that those reproducing the
agencies and are not being adequately addressed by existing federal material in this document for educational and not-for-profit uses will give appropriate
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NOTICE
and administration. The ACRP provides a forum where airport opera-
tors can cooperatively address common operational problems. The project that is the subject of this report was a part of the Airport Cooperative Research
Program conducted by the Transportation Research Board with the approval of the
The ACRP was authorized in December 2003 as part of the Vision
Governing Board of the National Research Council. Such approval reflects the Governing
100-Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act. The primary partici-
Board’s judgment that the project concerned is appropriate with respect to both the
pants in the ACRP are (1) an independent governing board, the ACRP purposes and resources of the National Research Council.
Oversight Committee (AOC), appointed by the Secretary of the U.S.
The members of the technical advisory panel selected to monitor this project and to review
Department of Transportation with representation from airport oper-
this report were chosen for recognized scholarly competence and with due consideration
ating agencies, other stakeholders, and relevant industry organizations for the balance of disciplines appropriate to the project. The opinions and conclusions
such as the Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA), expressed or implied are those of the research agency that performed the research, and
the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE), the National while they have been accepted as appropriate by the technical panel, they are not
Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO), and the Air Transport necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board, the National Research Council, or
the Federal Aviation Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Association (ATA) as vital links to the airport community; (2) the TRB
as program manager and secretariat for the governing board; and Each report is reviewed and accepted for publication by the technical panel according to
(3) the FAA as program sponsor. In October 2005, the FAA executed a procedures established and monitored by the Transportation Research Board Executive
Committee and the Governing Board of the National Research Council.
contract with the National Academies formally initiating the program.
The ACRP benefits from the cooperation and participation of airport The Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, the National Research
professionals, air carriers, shippers, state and local government officials, Council, and the Federal Aviation Administration (sponsor of the Airport Cooperative
equipment and service suppliers, other airport users, and research orga- Research Program) do not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers’
names appear herein solely because they are considered essential to the clarity and
nizations. Each of these participants has different interests and respon-
completeness of the project reporting.
sibilities, and each is an integral part of this cooperative research effort.
Research problem statements for the ACRP are solicited periodically
but may be submitted to the TRB by anyone at any time. It is the
responsibility of the AOC to formulate the research program by iden-
tifying the highest priority projects and defining funding levels and
expected products.
Once selected, each ACRP project is assigned to an expert panel,
appointed by the TRB. Panels include experienced practitioners and
research specialists; heavy emphasis is placed on including airport pro-
fessionals, the intended users of the research products. The panels pre-
pare project statements (requests for proposals), select contractors, and
provide technical guidance and counsel throughout the life of the
project. The process for developing research problem statements and Published reports of the
selecting research agencies has been used by TRB in managing cooper- AIRPORT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM
ative research programs since 1962. As in other TRB activities, ACRP
are available from:
project panels serve voluntarily without compensation.
Primary emphasis is placed on disseminating ACRP results to the Transportation Research Board
intended end-users of the research: airport operating agencies, service Business Office
500 Fifth Street, NW
providers, and suppliers. The ACRP produces a series of research
Washington, DC 20001
reports for use by airport operators, local agencies, the FAA, and other
interested parties, and industry associations may arrange for work- and can be ordered through the Internet at
shops, training aids, field visits, and other activities to ensure that http://www.national-academies.org/trb/bookstore
results are implemented by airport-industry practitioners. Printed in the United States of America

C O O P E R A T I V E R E S E A R C H P R O G R A M S
CRP STAFF FOR ACRP REPORT 26
Christopher W. Jenks,Director, Cooperative Research Programs
Crawford F. Jencks,Deputy Director, Cooperative Research Programs
Michael R. Salamone,ACRP Manager
Theresia H. Schatz,Senior Program Officer
Eileen P. Delaney,Director of Publications
Natalie Barnes, Editor
ACRP PROJECT 03-04 PANEL
Field of Policy and Planning
Douglas Mansel, Port of Oakland, Oakland, CA(Chair)
Senanu Ashiabor, Dowling Associates Inc., Oakland, CA
Jennifer M. Kipp, Port of Seattle, Seattle, WA
Joseph D. Navarrete,HNTB Corporation, Arlington, VA (formerly)
David Rubin, Ridgewood, NJ
Marc Turpin, Greater Toronto Airports Authority, Toronto, ON
Lori Pagnanelli,FAALiaison
Patrick Sullivan, FAA Liaison
Kimberly Fisher, TRB Liaison
AUTHOR ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The research reported herein was performed under ACRP Project 03-04 by Jacobs Consultancy
Canada Inc.; Aviation System Consulting, LLC; JD Franz Research, Inc.; and J. P. Cripwell Associates.
Jacobs Consultancy was the contractor for this study.
The project director was Matthew Bol of Jacobs Consultancy, replaced by David Biggs of Jacobs
Consultancy when Mr. Bol retired toward the end of the project. The co-principal investigators were
David Biggs and Geoff Gosling of Aviation System Consulting, LLC. Other authors of the report were
Jennifer Franz of JD Franz Research, Inc.; Paul Cripwell of J. P. Cripwell Associates; and Jim Baker of
Jacobs Consultancy.
F O R E W O R D
By Theresia H. Schatz
Staff Officer
Transportation Research Board
ACRP Report 26: Guidebook for Conducting Airport User Surveysprovides methods and
useful information for conducting effective user surveys at airports. The guidebook intro-
duces the basic concepts of survey sampling and the steps involved in planning and imple-
menting a survey; describes the different types of airport user surveys; and provides guid-
ance on how to design a survey and analyze its results. This guidebook will be of value to
airport operators, planners, designers, and other stakeholders that need to survey airport
users to obtain useful information to plan and operate their facilities appropriately and
efficiently. Airport facilities can include all aspects of airport terminal buildings, parking
lot operations, surface transportation, food and retail services, and employee accommo-
dations, among others.
ACRP Report 26 complements several ACRP airport terminal design–related reports.
Specifically, ACRP Report 23: Airport Passenger-Related Processing Rates Guidebook and
ACRP Report 25: Airport Passenger Terminal Planning and Design,among others in progress,
provide a set of guidance tools to assist airport operators and their planning teams. In addi-
tion, the contractor’s final report for ACRP Project 03-04 documents the research process
that was used to develop ACRP Report 26 and is available on the TRB website (www.trb.org)
by searching for “ACRP 03-04”.
Airport user surveys are the primary source of information for airport operators and
other agencies on airport user characteristics and airport ground access mode use, and they
play a critical role in airport planning and air travel forecasting. The planning, development,
conduct and analysis of airport user surveys can be complex, expensive, and subject to a
number of pitfalls. For example, surveys are often conducted at infrequent intervals and by
different contractors, and often a lack of continuity exists between successive surveys for the
same airport. The lack of comparability between surveys at airports in multi-airport regions
can be a particular problem for analyzing airport selection decisions or performing studies
of traffic leakage to airports in adjacent regions.
Also, a number of technical issues arise with airport surveys that are often not well under-
stood. These issues include selection of sample size and appropriate sample design; how to
handle responses from large parties, such as tour groups or sports teams that have been
encountered in the survey; and how to appropriately weight individual survey responses in
presenting the survey results. While there is a considerable body of knowledge on sound
survey methodology in general, the airport environment presents many unique situations
and challenges. The specific guidance on airport user surveys provided by this guidebook
should be particularly helpful to organizations undertaking such surveys.
The objective of ACRP Project 03-04 was to provide guidance for planning, designing,
conducting, and analyzing airport user surveys. The research was conducted by Jacobs
Consultancy of Ottawa, Ontario, with Aviation System Consulting, LLC; JD Franz Research,
Inc.; and J. P. Cripwell Associates. To meet the project objective, a survey of 216 airports,
metropolitan planning organizations, state aviation organizations, and consulting and
survey firms was conducted by the research team to obtain information on their experience
with airport user surveys. As expected, the main reason for conducting surveys was found
to be in order to obtain information on air passenger/airport user characteristics. Follow-
up interviews were then conducted with 13 organizations to obtain more information about
the survey practices and experiences. Guidance was prepared based on these interviews, the
experience of the project team, and other information collected during the research.
C O N T E N T S
1 Summary
7 Chapter 1 Introduction
7 1.1 Purpose of This Guidebook
7 1.2 Role of Surveys in Airport Planning, Development, and Management
8 1.3 Survey Concepts
10 1.4 Main Survey Types and Methods
11 1.5 How to Use This Guidebook
12 Chapter 2 Planning a Survey
12 2.1 Defining the Purpose
13 2.2 Selecting the Survey Method
16 2.3 Survey Frequency and Timing
18 2.4 External Agencies
19 2.5 Preparing the Survey Budget
20 2.6 Survey Planning Team
22 2.7 Preliminary Schedule and Target Dates
23 2.8 Survey Location and Security Clearance
24 2.9 Contracting External Resources
26 2.10 Summary
27 Chapter 3 Statistical Concepts
28 3.1 Concepts of Census and Sample Surveys
28 3.2 Statistical Accuracy and Confidence Intervals
31 3.3 Sampling Methods
36 3.4 Sample Size
43 3.5 Weighting
44 3.6 Summary
45 Chapter 4 Survey Design
45 4.1 Survey Population
48 4.2 Sampling Strategy and Plan
49 4.3 Questionnaire Design and Structure
52 4.4 Expected Data Collection Rate
53 4.5 Survey Logistics
55 4.6 Selection and Training of Field Staff
58 4.7 Pre-Tests and Pilot Tests
60 4.8 Maximizing Response Rates
63 4.9 Use of Electronic Data Collection Devices
68 4.10 Data Entry and Quality Control
69 4.11 Analysis and Reporting of Survey Results
71 4.12 Post-Survey Analysis: Lessons Learned
71 4.13 Documenting the Survey
72 4.14 Summary
73 Chapter 5 Air Passenger Surveys
73 5.1 Purpose of the Survey
74 5.2 Survey Methodology
90 5.3 Sample Size, Survey Coverage, and Timing
98 5.4 Questionnaire Wording and Length
101 5.5 Weighting Survey Responses
106 5.6 Measures to Obtain Adequate Response
106 5.7 Location-Specific Guidelines
107 5.8 Information on Greeters and Well-Wishers
108 5.9 Groundside Surveys
114 5.10 Checklists
115 5.11 Survey Budget
117 5.12 Summary
119 Chapter 6 Employee Surveys
119 6.1 Purpose of the Survey and the Data to Be Collected
120 6.2 Survey Methodology
121 6.3 Sampling Methodology
122 6.4 Questionnaire Wording and Length
123 6.5 Measures to Obtain Adequate Response
123 6.6 Survey Budget
124 6.7 Summary
125 Chapter 7 Tenant Surveys
125 7.1 Purpose of the Survey and the Data to Be Collected
125 7.2 Survey Methodology
127 7.3 Sampling Methodology
128 7.4 Questionnaire Wording and Length
128 7.5 Measures to Obtain Adequate Response
129 7.6 Survey Budget
129 7.7 Mystery Shopper
131 7.8 Summary
132 Chapter 8 Surveys of Area Residents
132 8.1 Purpose of the Survey and the Data to Be Collected
132 8.2 Survey Methodology
132 8.3 Sampling, Coverage, and Timing
135 8.4 Questionnaire Wording and Length
135 8.5 Measures to Obtain Adequate Response
136 8.6 Survey Budget
136 8.7 Summary
137 Chapter 9 Surveys of Area Businesses
137 9.1 Purpose of the Survey and the Data to Be Collected
137 9.2 Survey Methodology
139 9.3 Sampling Methodology
139 9.4 Questionnaire Wording and Length
140 9.5 Measures to Obtain Adequate Response
140 9.6 Survey Budget
141 9.7 Summary