Modeling and Simulation of Departure Passenger’s Behavior Based on an Improved Social Force Approach: A Case Study on an Airport Terminal in China

Abstract

The unprecedented growth of passenger throughput in large airport terminals highlights the importance of analyzing passengers’ movement to achieve airport terminal’s elaborate management. Based on the theory of original social force model, video data from a departure hall of a large airport terminal in China were analyzed to summarize passengers’ path planning characteristics. Then, a double-level model was established to describe passengers’ path planning behaviors. At the decision level of the proposed model, the avoiding force model including common avoiding force and additional horizontal avoiding force was established on the basis of setting time and space limitations for taking avoiding action and was used to describe passengers’ path planning in close-range space. At the tactical level of the proposed model, the route and node choice models were established to describe passengers’ path planning in long-range space. In the route choice model, a distribution of intermediate destination areas was proposed, with detouring distance, pedestrian density, speed difference, and pedestrian distribution considered in choosing an intermediate destination area. In the node choice model, the walking distance, the quantity of people waiting, and luggage were considered in choosing a check-in counter or security check channel. The main parameters of the proposed model were confirmed according to video data. Simulation results show that the proposed model can simulate departure passengers’ path planning behaviors at an acceptable accuracy level.