Evaluating Level of Service at Airport Passenger Terminals: Review of Research Approaches

Abstract

Establishing measures to evaluate the level of service (LOS) at airport passenger terminals is of interest to airlines and airport operators. Airport LOS has been evaluated at individual airports, but no standard method or reporting system exists. Airport passenger terminal LOS and capacity have been research topics over the past two decades. More recently, studies have been initiated to identify the passenger terminal problem in general and capacity and service measures in particular. In 1986, FAA responded to concerns about an inadequate understanding of passenger terminal capacity constraints by commissioning TRB to study ways to measure airport capacity. This study recognized that the capacity of any given airport facility cannot be evaluated without defining acceptable LOS values. Currently, however, little agreement exists on analysis methods. No universally accepted way exists to measure LOS for airport terminal buildings. In this regard, various approaches developed by different agencies and researchers are reviewed. This review is useful for professionals interested in applying one of the methods previously developed but not having access to all published information, especially the new approaches. The intent of this review is to motivate new research on the subject, which would facilitate the integration of various existing methods or the development of new approaches.