INTRODUCIION

An airport is like a total city devoted to dynamic movement. It comprises many

varied structures that facilitate passenger and cargo movement, maintenance, and aircraft
control, and other structures that provide for auxiliary support functions. The very nature
of an airport's complexity makes it necessary to isolate its segments for design purposes .It
is therefore the intent of this article to isolate primarily the passenger functions and to
discuss how they tend to operate at an airport and what their general relationships to a
community are.

Relationship to Community

The operation of the airport is no different than the operation of a small city and is
inherently set in motion by economic factors. It is also influenced by the fact that for the
traveling passenger, air transportation makes the period of inconvenience considerably
shorter than it would be with other conventional systems. However, an airport cannot be an
island unto itself, and it has a great impact on a community. The very size of the airport
affects the surrounding community. The careful planning of buildings and site location
afford the potential for improving the environment and economics of a community. There
are many problems of noise, air pollution, and ecological balance that can be minimized or
eliminated by proper site planning and building design. The community is affected by the
working population of the airport, by the introduction of new industry, and by the economic
impact of same. The economic health of the airport and the architect's attempt to stay
within the bounds thereby established cannot be overemphasized. The successful operation
of the airport will demand total cooperation with the surrounding community. It thereby
follows that every effort to establish proper working relationships among the many varied
systems within the airport will be predicated upon a successful relationship with the
surrounding community.
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS

Needless to say, passengers who may be carrying baggage should be offered such
conveniences of design as automated doors, sufficiently wide escalators, moving sidewalks,
and similar devices. At all times the analysis of traffic flow, volume of passengers, and
direction of movement should be carefully considered. Air traffic passengers rapidly cross
international boundaries, and language problems must be anticipated. The International
Air
Transport Association has given serious consideration to the language problem and has
attempted to develop a series of glyphs which can frequently be used in lieu of bilingual
messages. Telephone communication is a necessary and important element in the
passenger terminal. In some instances this will require a telephone communication center
with bilingual operators.

The terminal must also provide amenities for the traveling public. These may include any
of the following list and such other items as may be determined by a particular- locale:

 Bank  Cocktail lounge  Telegraph (desk,

 Newsstand  Drug store phones, or both)
 Barber shop  Rest room  Gift shop
 Observation deck facilities  Haberdashery
 Camera shop  Duty free shops  Telephones
 Parcel lockers  Shoe shine  Hotel Television
 Candy store  Employee snack lounge
 Restaurant and bar and cafeteria  Insurance vending
supplementary  Showers/ dressing  Valet
eating facilities rooms  Money exchange
 Car rental  Teenage lounge  Women's wear
agencies  Flower shop

In addition to the amenities, consideration should be given to traveler's aid in large

installations and nursery facilities adjacent to the women's lounge in the main portion of
the facility. Medical and first-aid facilities should be included in the passenger terminal if
they are not provided elsewhere in the airport. An internal telephone system may be
required between the airlines, the operating authority, and/or police authorities. The size of
the terminal building and the complex needs of each user should receive consideration
when planning the telephone system.
 Airline Statistical Data Requirements

1. Estimated enplaning and deplaning traffic:

Figures on enplaning and deplaning passengers should be given separately.
a. Passengers-total number per year
Passengers -average day, peak month
Passengers-peak hour and time
Passenger characteristic (business, vacation, student)
b. Interline passengers
c. Interline passengers
d. Originating passengers
e. Air freight cargo-total tons
f Mail-total tons
g. Baggage-total number per year
Baggage -average day, peak month
2. Projected flight schedule:
a. City pairs
b. Originating and terminating
c. Time frame
d. Aircraft type
3. Aircraft:
a. Number of gate positions
 b. Number and type of aircraft for gate size design
c. Aircraft parking attitude
4. Terminal building spaces:
a. Gate lounge-number and sizes
b. Baggage claim type and size
c. Amenities area
d. Operational facilities-type and sizes
e. Central ticketing facilities
5. Automobile parking requirements (airline experience):
a. Public
b. Valet
c. Taxis
d. Limousines
e. Car rental
f. Employees

BOARDING PASSENGER- Any originating or connecting passenger authorized to board a flight.

CONNECTING PASSENGER- A passenger who arrives on one flight only for the purpose
of transferring to another flight to reach his destination. These passengers are broken down into two
categories- intraline and interline passengers.
CUSTOMS- This is an area under federal jurisdiction through which passengers arriving from
foreign countries are required by law to pass in order to make a declaration related to baggage which
is accompanying them upon entry to the United States. This area is used for receipt of a declaration
and/ or examination of baggage. If duty is required; the customs agent will receive same in the
customs area. Special attention must be paid to the design of this area because of changing
techniques of operation.
DEPARTURE ROOM- An assembly area, including the boarding control point, located at a gate
position(s) for passengers pending availability of aircraft for boarding.
DEPLANING- Any passenger, cargo, baggage, visitor, ate, which is related to the unloading from an
arriving flight.
DOMESTIC PASSENGERS- All passengers traveling in the United States or its territories are
considered as domestic. Foreign nationals within the confines and territory require no special
checking and operate as domestics.
ENPLANING- Any passenger, cargo, baggage, visitor, etc., which is related to the boarding of a
departing flight.
FIS: FIS is an abbreviation for Federal Inspection Services. It is utilized as an all-inclusive term for
the U.S. Public Health, Immigration, and Naturalization Service, the Department of Agriculture,
and U.S. Customs.
GATE- A location to which aircraft are brought for the purpose of discharging and loading
passengers and their baggage.
GATE CONCOURSE- An extension from the main terminal building primarily intended to provide
protected access for passengers between the main terminal building and the gates. In addition to the
passenger corridor, the concourse may include airline functional areas and minimum consumer
services.
GROUND TRANSPORTATION- The independently operated transportation vehicles scheduled for
passengers' use between airports and the areas served thereby is called ground transportation.
IMMIGRATION: This area is devoted to the examination of passports of United States nationals and
aliens seeking to enter the United States. Consideration for design and function of this area must be
correlated with federal authorities.
INTERLINE CONNECTING/ION- A term used to describe passengers and baggage which arrive on
the flight of one airline and depart on a flight of another.
INTOWN TERMINAL- A facility located apart from the airport, usually in the downtown area of the
city, at which passengers may be processed, baggage is checked to passenger’s destinations, and from
which ground transportation is provided.
INTERLINE CONNECTING/ION- A term used to describe passengers and baggage which arrive on
one flight and depart on another flight of the same airline.
IN-TRANSIT PASSENGER- If an internationally bound aircraft stops at an airport for
refueling or discharge of passengers and a remaining number of passengers are to be detained in the
aircraft for another destination, the convenience of providing a totally segregated lounge facility may
be warranted for the continuing passengers . This facility is referred to as an in-transit area. No FIS
inspection is required, but security of the area is important.
LONG-HAUL- A term used to define flights or traffic which travel over a relatively long distance as
opposed to those which travel over a shorter distance. Normally, long-haul passengers arrive at their
originating airport earlier than short-haul passengers, carry more baggage than short-haul
passengers, and are accompanied to or are met at the airport by more persons than short-haul
passengers.
ORIGINATING PASSENGER- A passenger who is starting his trip.
OUTBOUND BAGGAGE ROOM- The area to which checked baggage of originating passengers is
delivered for sorting by flights prior to its being dispatched to the aircraft for loading.
PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE- The function of the Public Health Service is to determine whether an
arriving passenger will present a health hazard to the general population.
This may require inoculation, special examination, and possibly quarantine. Design requires
correlation with federal authorities.
READY ROOM- An area adjacent to the normal work areas in which personnel whose duties are
performed out-of-doors may assemble, be protected, and from which they may receive their work
assignments. These rooms should be concealed from public view. SELF-CLAIM BAGGAGE: A
method under which passengers have direct access to terminating baggage in a controlled area. As
passengers leave the area, an attendant retrieves baggage claim checks and matches them to strap
checks to assure that passengers have selected only baggage to which they are entitled.
SHORT-HAUL- A term used to define flights or traffic which travel over a relatively short distance
as opposed to those which travel over a long distance. Normally, short-haul passengers arrive at the
airport of origin later than long-haul passengers, carry less baggage than long-haul passengers, and
are accompanied to or met at the airport by fewer persons than long-haul passengers.
STANDBY PASSENGER- A passenger not holding confirmed space but who is on hand at departure
time for space that might become available.
TERMINATING PASSENGER- A passenger who has arrived at his destination.
THROUGH PASSENGER- A passenger who arrives and departs on the same flight.
TRANSFER BAGGAGE ROOM- The area to which checked baggage of connecting passengers is
delivered for sorting by flights prior to its being dispatched to the aircraft for loading. This may be
combined with the outbound baggage room at some locations.
UNIT TERMINAL- One of several functionally complete terminal areas (which may be in the same
or several buildings) each of which houses the activities of one or more airlines.