Optimal Configuration of Airport Passenger Buildings for Travelers

This paper uses a novel analysis to define the optimal configuration of airport passenger buildings for travelers. The approach explicitly recognizes two significant practical facts omitted in previous work—(1) the importance of transfer passengers, who may comprise 50% or more of the travelers; and (2) the way airlines intelligently position aircraft at gates to minimize the walking distances between connecting flights. The analysis breaks the issue of finding the walking distances of travelers into two parts. The “impedance” matrix defines the distance or level of difficulty in transiting between gates and results from architectural considerations. The “flow” matrix defines the number of passengers going between gates. Multiplication of these matrices results in a “passenger-impedance” matrix that defines the distribution of walking distances or travel time for travelers. Comparison of these distributions shows the relative advantage of different configurations. Results suggest that from the perspective of the travelers, intelligently managed linear midfield concourses generally provide the best overall configuration for significant airport passenger buildings.