Airport Passenger and Luggage Processing PDF

## 2.2.3 Processing of Passengers, Luggage, and Freight We are now going to describe all the steps that passengers and their luggage go through during their transfer between the surface and the air modes. We will first deal with the departure process, then with the arrival process. We will differe...

## 2.2.3 Processing of Passengers, Luggage, and Freight We are now going to describe all the steps that passengers and their luggage go through during their transfer between the surface and the air modes. We will first deal with the departure process, then with the arrival process. We will differentiate between national and international processes where differences exist. Finally, we will discuss freight processing separately as it differs in a number of ways. For ease of reference, Figure 2.2.3 provides a visual summary of the flow of passengers and luggage through the terminal. **2.2.3.1 Departing Passengers** **Note:** The process is similar also in the case of UAM arrivals of departing passengers. **Step 1-Access to the Terminal:** Upon leaving the surface vehicle that brought him or her to the terminal, the passenger will step on the curb. From this point, he will have his luggage with him. Porter service or the availability of trolleys will help him in this respect. From the curb, one or several doors provide access to the terminal, more specifically to the check-in concourse. It is the area where passengers register with the airline with which they made a reservation. It consists of: - A concourse located adjacent to the building façade. - A row of counters, placed parallel or perpendicular to the building façade. The provision of kiosks for self check-in and automated baggage-drop machines are commonplace. - A conveyance system for luggage. Once the passenger reaches the check-in counter, he presents his ticket to the airline attendant (along with his passport if flying to a foreign destination). His ticket will be checked for validity and his luggage handed out to the attendant. Next, the passenger will be given a boarding pass, indicating the seat assigned to him as well as the boarding gate and time. Once these formalities are complete, the passenger is no longer encumbered by luggage and he has the choice, depending on the available time and his personal needs, to proceed all the way to the gate hold room (the last point before boarding), wait in a general seating area, or take advantage of the various commercial services available. At most airports, common use self-service counters are available. They consist of small computers installed at various convenient locations in the terminal. Passengers who have a reservation can obtain their airline ticket and boarding pass without having to wait in line. Home check-in is available for most flights. Passengers with a valid reservation go to the web-site of their airline and check in via the function provided. They receive their boarding pass in a printable form and/or on their smartphone. For learning purposes, we will assume that the passenger will use all available facilities and services. In this case, his next stop will be at one or several of the commercial outlets. **Step 3-Commercial Facilities-Landside:** They consist of a number of facilities providing services to passengers, visitors and employees. They fall in two categories: - **Commercial services** - **Non-commercial services** **Commercial Services:** Commercial services consist of the many concessions that offer passengers, employees and visitors a wide range of services. The number, type, and quality of these concessions vary with the size of the terminal and with local market conditions. A small terminal may have only two or three such concessions while a large international terminal may include one hundred or more outlets. The most common services are: - Restaurants, bars, and cafeteria. - Duty-free shops. - Foreign exchange. - Business centers, including Internet and wireless access. - Hotels (co-located with terminal). - Specialty shops (clothing, shoes, gifts, books, etc.). - Newspaper stands. - Travel insurance counters. - Banking services. - Barber shops, beauty salons. - Amusement machines. - Television watching areas. - Advertising displays. - Pay telephone booths - Post office. - Wi-Fi/Internet access The provision of such commercial services meets the needs and wants of passengers. It also generates substantial non-aeronautical revenues for the airport operator. However, extreme care should be exercised to ensure that the location and layout of these concessions, while providing good exposure to customers, do not impede the natural flow of passengers. Otherwise, they would defeat the higher objective of quick and easy transfer. The airport operator should use these non-aeronautical revenues to cross-subsidize airside costs, thereby reducing the financial burden on airlines. Food outlets are among the most widely used services. They range from basic fast-food type concessions to elaborate dining rooms, depending on the types of passengers that the airport serves. The whole range may be provided if several types of passengers use the terminal. Other types of frequently used commercial services are duty-free shops, newsstands, gift shops, and bookstores. **Non-commercial Services:** Non-commercial services are usually provided free of charge for the convenience of the travelling public. They include: - Porters - Luggage trolleys. - Flight information displays - Public address - Lost luggage - Information desks - Seating areas - Toilets - Nurseries - Showers From this point, the next processing subsystem is the security screening point. Its location should be visible, or clearly indicated with signage. **Step 4 Security Screening:** The security screening point is the area where all departing passengers and their carry-on luggage are checked for compliance with aviation security requirements. It is also the boundary between landside and airside. The actual processing will consist of checking the person using a metal detector of a full body scanner checking for potential weapons or explosives. Additionally, most national security regulations request additional manual searches of the passenger and the hand baggage on a %-base, spot checks indicated by random generator and in case the system indicate doubtful objects. The checked baggage is visually checked with an x-ray machine, and verified for traces of explosives with a special detector. If there is still some doubt, the screening agent may decide to conduct a manual search of the luggage. The most common pieces of equipment found in this area are: - Walk-through metal detectors, complemented by hand-held detectors - scanning equipment (full body scanners, hand luggage scanning equipment, etc.) - Explosive detection equipment You will learn more about this subject in Module 4-Security. At the end of this process, the passenger will not be allowed to go back to the landside. Depending on the size and layout of the terminal, he may find himself near his gate hold room, or he may be quite a distance away from it. The same applies to airport staff that are required to cross into the controlled areas of the airport's airside. **Step 5-Government Controls-International Passengers:** Many countries require that outbound international passengers go through an inspection of their travel documents before leaving their territory. In this case, counters are provided in an appropriate location. Automated passport control equipment are found at many airports. **Step 6-Commercial Facilities-Airside:** It is customary to find commercial facilities beyond the security screening point. For peace of mind reasons, passengers prefer to go through all processing points and reach an area close to their boarding gate. At that time, they will feel comfortable to spend some time in a concession, without the stress of missing their flight if there are long waits at the various control points. The providers of commercial services often duplicate the types and brands found on landside. In addition to fixed outlets, some concessionaires provide mobile trolleys that are positioned near busy areas and quickly wheeled to another area, according to demand. At many airports, the boarding gate of a flight is not announced until a predetermines time before the flight is due for boarding Since home check-in is common these days, passengers with a boarding pass on their telephone or printed at home are obliged to linger around the concession area until their flight is called. This practice is supposed to encourage more spending in the concessions. The next step is for the passenger to go to the gate hold room and wait. **Step 7-Hold Room:** At this point, the passenger will have reached the point where the airline assembles all the passengers for a particular flight and from which he will gain access to the aircraft. The hold room is located immediately adjacent to the exit door. Since the wait may be significant, this area provides seating. **Step 8-Pre-Boarding Check:** Once the flight is ready to board, the gate attendant will make an announcement to that effect. It is customary to board a flight by row number, starting from the rear seats to reduce congestion in the cabin. This is the final step in the processing of departing passengers. Airline attendants will verify each boarding pass as passengers go by them. This check can be done manually or through a scanner. They may also verify the identity of boarding passengers. Completely automated boarding gates are used at many airports. Where used, the start of boarding is announced and passengers go through the gates one by one, with the machine performing all required checks, without human intervention. **Step 9 Boarding:** From that point, the passenger will exit the terminal and access the aircraft through a number of possible options: - A passenger bridge. This is the preferred option as it protects people from the weather elements, it ensures security as passengers cannot mix with other types of passengers, and it provides safety as passengers cannot wander on the apron where the risk of accidents exists. - A transfer vehicle (bus or transporter), either parked on the apron adjacent to the exit door, or mated directly on the door (the latter providing the same degree of comfort, security and safety as a passenger bridge) - Walk from the exit door to the aircraft. This option does not provide protection from the elements and it exposes passengers to risks. Risk is reduced by the provision of pavement markings to guide passengers to the aircraft stand. Airlines should guide and monitor passengers for safety and security reasons. This option is often used at small terminals where propeller-driven aircraft operate. - The passengers' baggage is transported and loaded separately to the aircraft A final reconciliation is conducted to match, whether the passenger, whose baggage is about to be loaded, has boarded, too. Usually, no check-in bag is allowed onto the aircraft with the passenger missing. It must be offloaded for security reasons. The baggage process is described in chapter 2.2.3.5. **2.2.3.2 Arriving Passengers** You will now learn about the arrivals process, divided in two streams implying different steps: national and international passengers. In both cases, we will describe the generic process and will indicate where differences exist. Remember that "national" in this context include also passengers wholly inside the European Union or the United States (or similar political formation). **Step 1-Deplaning:** The options described in the "boarding" step also apply. However, depending on the origin of the flight (national or international), the aircraft will be assigned a stand that provides access to either the national or international arrivals area. Once inside the terminal, passengers will be in the arrivals concourse. National passengers will walk directly to the luggage reclaim area, which should be visible from that point. If not, directional signage will assist. **Step 2-Government Controls-Immigration-International Passengers:** Passengers arriving from a foreign country must go through a number of government controls (Immigration, Customs, Health, and Agriculture). These controls may require a substantial amount of time. Therefore, this area must be large enough to accommodate several incoming flights simultaneously. Immigration is the first type of control. Its objective is to control the entry of people into the country. It consists in checking the passenger's passport. If there is a doubt about the admissibility of the passenger, he will be escorted to the Immigration Office for further interviews. If the passenger is readily admitted, he will proceed to the luggage reclaim area, normally located near the Immigration area. Passport and immigration controls are increasingly fully automated, with human intervention only in case of an admissibility problem. **Step 3-Arrival Duty Free:** More and more aerodromes offer additional duty-free shops for arriving passengers. This will free the passenger from carrying the goods during the flight. Additional services are home-/hotel-delivery. **Step 4-Luggage Reclaim Area:** This area consists of a concourse, designed to accommodate the number of passengers expected at peak time. Passengers assemble along the luggage reclaim device(s) provided. Various systems exist, ranging from a simple straight conveyor belt, to sophisticated revolving flat conveyors or inclined carousels. This is where arriving passengers are re-united with their checked luggage. Ideally, luggage is delivered concurrently with the arrival of passengers in the area. However, operational constraints might make this impossible to achieve because of aircraft parked in a remote location, heavy loads or mechanical breakdowns. **Step 5 Government Controls-Customs-International Passengers:** Customs control the entry of goods into the country. Luggage may be opened and searched. Prohibited goods will be confiscated and admissible goods in excess of the allowed quantity will be subject to the payment of a Customs duty. Several countries also establish health and food controls to prevent diseases from entering the country. A typical example is Australia, where rabies is still unknown. So the related controls and regulations are extremily strict (as Jonny Depp in 2015 experienced with his pet dogs). From this point, the passenger will exit the government control area and cross into the landside and the arrivals concourse. **Step 6-Commercial Facilities-Landside:** Arriving passengers do not spend unnecessary time in the terminal: they want to leave the airport as quickly as possible. Accordingly, few commercial facilities are required in this area. There are, however, some minimum requirements: - Car rental counters, where arriving passengers will obtain a vehicle. It may be parked either in an area adjacent to the terminal, or in a remote location served by a courtesy shuttle service. This aspect will be covered in more details in unit 3.3-Landside. - Foreign exchange, where international passengers can buy local currency. - SIM card shops providing for local mobile telephone services. - Coffee shops and other services especially for the meters and greeters. Airports recognize the growing commercial attractiveness of providing such facilities and services here **Step 7 Access to the Curb and Surface Transportation:** The passenger exits the terminal and reaches the curb and surface transportation. In case of UAM service being available, the passenger will have been directed to the vertiport where he can take an air taxi. The above notwithstanding, some airports have adapted a formula whereby the terminal is actually built as an entertainment center. Other than providing a convenient path for arriving and departing passengers, part of the airside of the terminal is dedicated to complex concessions ranging from cinemas to fun toys for children and excellent restaurants. The idea is to increase non-aviation revenue by making the airport attractive also to non-travelling people. Singapore Changi is an excellent example of this. **2.2.3.3 Circulation Areas** Now that you have learned about the various nodes that make up the total terminal process, we will discuss the requirement for efficient links between these nodes and ways to provide them. Circulation areas are in the form of concourses allowing passengers to move between processing points. They also allow visitors to reach the point where they will meet arriving passengers and terminal employees to go to and from their work area. Adequate circulation is a very important feature of the terminal and its adequacy will greatly contribute to the overall impression made on users. An efficient link should meet the following criteria. - Be as straight as possible, particularly avoiding sharp turns and back-tracking. - Avoid unnecessary changes in level that are challenging for people carrying heavy luggage or with limited mobility. - Avoid crossflows that may be disorienting and potentially dangerous. - Be as short as possible between two points, to reduce walking distances. - Require as little signage as possible by reducing the number of choices: the best solution is to be able to see one's destination, either through unobstructed view or glassed partitions. - Signage must not be overwhelming; it must be properly located and convey unequivocal messages. The use of international transportation pictograms eliminates language barriers. Additional information about the time required to reach the various gates will relax passengers and encourage further spending money. - Segregate those categories of passengers that cannot be in the same space at the same time (for instance arriving international and national passengers, security-screened passengers and non-screened ones) In large terminals, when walking distances become unacceptable, some mechanized systems can provide relief for passengers. The main systems are. - Moving sidewalks. - Electric trolleys providing a shuttle service between distant parts of a terminal. - Automated people movers (a driverless train or monorail operating between terminals at large airports. **2.2.3.4 Support (Operational and Administrative) Areas** **Airline Space:** Airlines are the prime users of operational and administrative office space. They use it for various functions (either by themselves or by their ground service providers): - Operational functions such as flight dispatch, flight planning, crew lounges, and management of ground handling. These areas are located near the apron. - Passenger service functions such as ticketing, lost luggage and excess baggage cashier. This area should be provided in both the arrivals and departures area. - Administrative functions, such as offices, employee changes rooms, and storage. They can be located away from operational areas if there is easy access to them.. **Government Control Agencies Support Space** These agencies require a significant amount of floor space in support of their processing functions. Their most common areas are: - Office space for supervisory personnel and for private interview rooms, control rooms for resource management (often combined with other operating partners’ operations control rooms) cashier for payment of duties. These areas are located near the processing area. - Change rooms and lockers. These can be located away from the processing area, in non-prime space. In some cases, appropriately secured storage space is required for storing the service arms of service members. Most governments require the airport operator to provide such facilities free of charge to the state. **Security Screening Support Space:** Similar to government control agencies, the agency responsible for security screening requires some office and support space as well as operations control rooms near the screening point. **Concessionaires Support Space:** Most commercial operators require space for storage and general office support. This space may range from very small to large, in the case of food outlets. **Airport Operator Space:** Several options exist. The airport operator may accommodate all its office requirements within the terminal. Alternatively, he may establish its quarters in a separate building, or adopt a mixed approach whereby corporate functions are carried out from a remote building, operational staff being located in the terminal. As terminal space is scarce and can be offered lucratively to commercial tenants, more and more airport operators relocate their own staff further away and free such space for additional commercial revenue. The Airport Operations Control Centre (AOCC) can be located in a dedicated or shared facility on or near the aerodrome. **Other Areas:** Although not part of the above facilities, building systems play an important role in making the terminal comfortable and safe. A significant amount of space is dedicated to accommodate electrical, heating, cooling, and plumbing systems. They tend to be located away from public areas, in the basement if provided. **2.2.3.5 Luggage Processing-Departure Process** In air transportation, luggage is not permitted to travel in the same cabin as the passenger (except for small carry-on luggage, that can fit in overhead bins in the cabin or under the seat). Instead, passengers and luggage are separated from check-in to reclaim. Although luggage does not follow the same path as passengers, it is subject to a comparable process that includes processing, circulation, and holding. You are now going to learn about the path that luggage follows after it is handed out to the airline attendant or automated baggage drop-off machine after arrival at the airport. **Step 1- When the passenger arrives at the counter, he hands out his luggage to the airline attendant, who accepts it, weighs it (airlines impose a weight limit of checked luggage), and tags it for identification and processing. Many aerodromes provide automated baggage drop-off points, at which passengers can label their baggage themselves and put it in the receiving belt. The weight limitations are enforced also for luggage handed in via the automated drop-off point. For security reasons, the attendant, or the drop-off machine will ask the passenger a number of questions relative to the contents of his luggage. You will learn more about this subject in Module 4-Security. **Step 2-Transfer to the Outbound Luggage Room:** The attendant deposits the luggage on a conveyor belt located immediately behind the row of counters. This belt will transport luggage to the outbound luggage room, generally located on the ground floor of the terminal, near the apron, sometimes at a considerable distance from the check-in concourse. The automated drop-off point ensures the same function. Airlines, ground handlers, or the terminal operator may operate the outbound luggage room, depending on local arrangements. **Step 3-Security Screening:** In addition to the questions asked at the time of check-in, outbound luggage is automatically checked for contents upon arrival in the outbound luggage room. At many airports, there is no space in the baggage hall. The baggage is then either screened upon entering the terminal or prior to check-in. You will learn about this process and supporting technology in Module 4-Security. **Step 4-Sortation:** The outbound luggage room area is used to assemble and sort luggage by flight. The actual sortation system may range from manual, in a small terminal that processes one flight at a time, to large and complex automated systems that sort luggage by reading an electronic tag attached to each piece of luggage. Luggage can be arranged in loose form or in special containers that fit in the aircraft hold. The latter speed up the loading and unloading of aircraft. **Step 5 Holding:** After sortation, the luggage load for each flight is grouped in one area, just like passengers in a gate hold room. **Step 6-Reconciliation:** As described earlier, no baggage is allowed on board without its owner boarding, too. This reconciliation process is mandatory for at least all international flights and requires the match between baggage lists (in the baggage hall) and passenger lists at the gate. Modern airports provide for an automated system that is supported by baggage tag scanners. **Step 7-Loading:** Once the aircraft is ready to be loaded, the luggage load is carried to the aircraft on a train of trolleys towed by a tractor and loaded, using a mobile conveyor belt for loose luggage or an elevating device for containers. This function may be performed by various agencies, as for the outbound luggage room. **2.2.3.6 Luggage Processing the Arrival Process** **Step 1-Aircraft Unloading:** Upon arrival of the aircraft, luggage is unloaded using similar methods as for departures. **Step 2-Access to Terminal:** Luggage is then transported to a different side of the terminal, called the inbound luggage room, and located in the arrivals area. The same transportation equipment is used as for departures. **Step 3-Drop Off:** Once inside the luggage room, attendants unload the luggage trolleys on a conveyor belt that feeds the luggage reclaim devices located in the luggage reclaim area. When there are several devices, a different conveyor feeds each one of them. At international airports, where national and international luggage must remain segregated, two separate inbound luggage rooms may be provided. **Step 4-Reclaim:** Once placed on the luggage reclaim device, the passenger and his luggage will be re-united. Depending on the airport's complexity and state customs regulations transferring baggage can be sorted and delivered to the next flight without the passenger's assistance. This happens more and more to the benefit of passenger comfort and process speed. **2.2.3.7 Freight Processing** Freight consists of any goods carried by air, including mail but excluding checked and carry-on luggage. It includes a wide array of goods such as - Air mail (the highest priority) - Urgently needed items (replacement parts) - Perishable products (fresh flowers, fish and meat) - Livestock - Items of limited useful life (newspapers) - Emergency items (serums and blood) - High value goods (gemstones and gold) - Any item for which the air mode is the most efficient one, although speed may not be vital Freight may be carried in freighter aircraft, in "Combi" aircraft (passengers and freight sharing the same deck) or in the hold of passenger aircraft. A substantial percentage of freight travels in the hold of passenger aircraft. Freight is processed in a separate terminal, away from the passenger terminal to avoid mixing cars and large, slow-moving trucks serving the freight terminal. However, it must be connected to the passenger terminal apron by an airside service road. It allows the quick and efficient transfer of freight between passenger aircraft and the freight terminal. Only full freighter aircraft access the freight terminal. This requires an apron and a taxiway connection to the maneuvering area. Freight terminals may be owned and operated by various combinations of agencies (airport operator, airlines, or tenants). Like passenger terminals, they include other partners like Customs, Health, Agriculture and Security. Other tenants may include Customs Brokers (enterprises that get international goods cleared through Customs on behalf of the consignee) and Freight Forwarders, who act on behalf of exporters in arranging transportation services. Freight processing shares some of the characteristics of passenger traffic. For example, it is subject to Customs inspection and to security requirements and it must be protected from the elements. However, it does not move on its own power between landside and airside. Therefore, freight terminals include more mechanization that their passenger counterpart. Another difference is the fact that the shipper and the consignee usually do not have to go to the airport to ship or receive their goods. Instead, surface transportation companies or Freight Forwarders pick up the goods from the shipper and transport them by truck to the freight terminal. At the other end, a similar company will pick up the goods from the receiving terminal and transport them to the consignee. We will now describe the steps that freight follows on departure and on arrival. You will note that it shares some common features with passenger processing. **Departure** **Step 1-Access to the Terminal:** Upon reaching the terminal, goods are unloaded on a dock and moved inside the building. **Step 2-Receiving Area:** Freight is brought to a receiving area where it is counted, identified, weighed, measured and labelled. **Step 3-Security Screening:** Freight is not always screened. It depends on national regulations. However, if required, this is where it is conducted. **Step 4-Assembly and Holding:** Small shipments are consolidated into aircraft loads, and sorted by flight. **Step 5-Dispatch to Aircraft:** Loads are dispatched either to a freighter aircraft positioned on a nearby stand or transported by truck to a passenger aircraft. **Key Learning Point** The main steps of passenger processing are check-in, security screening, and boarding (for departing passengers); deplaning, Government controls (for international passengers), and luggage reclaim for arriving passengers. **Arrival** **Step 1-Access to Terminal:** Freight is brought from the aircraft to the terminal using the same process as for departure. **Step 2-Sortation and Check-In:** Freight is sorted into separate packages and checked. **Step 3-Customs Clearance:** International freight goes through Customs inspection and clearance. **Step 4-Holding:** Once cleared, it is brought to a holding area where it awaits pick-up. **Step 5-Delivery:** Finally, freight is brought to the landside dock for dispatch to the consignee through surface transportation. **Key Learning Point** Facilitation means the various measures implemented by States, airlines, and airports, to standardize, simplify, and reduce the amount and complexity of Government controls at airports. **2.2.3.8 Facilitation** In the previous section, you learned about all the various control processes that apply to passengers, luggage and freight. These measures are required for security reasons and to ensure that international passengers and goods comply with access condition in effect in the State. However, these measures tend to slow down the flow of passengers, luggage, and freight, and they contribute to reduce the speed advantage inherent to air transportation. Facilitation means the various measures implemented by States, airlines, and airports, to standardize, simplify, and reduce the amount and complexity of passenger controls and processing stops at airports. The objective of facilitation is to improve the efficiency of control processes, reduce delays and related costs and of course thus enhancing the passenger's travelling experience. The challenge is to find a balance between an adequate level of control and processing efficiency. ICAO makes general recommendations in this respect. Generally, States should ensure that international airports provide adequate facilities and services and should take measures to ensure that passengers are processed without delay. More specifically, States should adopt the following measures: - Size facilities adequately. - Ensure that concessions do not interfere with normal flow. - Compensate long walking distances with mechanized systems. - Provide standardized signage, flight information displays, and voice announcements. - Locate luggage reclaim areas close to surface transportation. - Provide mechanized handling systems for freight. - Implement electronic data transfer for freight documentation. - Process arriving international passengers within forty-five minutes of deplaning, when normal inspections are carried out. - Process departing passengers within sixty minutes after they reach the first processing point (check in), when normal inspections are carried out. IATA makes further sampling of arriving passengers by Customs (check randomly selected passengers instead of all). - Provide multi-channel Customs exit (passengers who have nothing to declare can exit through a "Green" channel-subject to spot checks by Customs-while others go through a "Red" channel. - Use automated technology to increase efficiency or controls (The Simplifying Passenger Travel program of IATA). The basic concept is to collect information on passengers once and share it electronically with all downstream control agencies. Machine-readable passports are an example of technology improving the efficiency of controls. - Use of automated check in kiosks that reduce processing times at departure. - Use biometric equipment and controls to speed up the security screening process. This topic will be discussed in more details in Module 4-Security. - Provide adequate facilities and services to assist the processing of passengers with disabilities (reduced mobility, vision and hearing impairment). Some of the ICAO recommendations dealing with facilitation go beyond the issue of Government controls. We will now address two of these important components: signage and public address voice announcements. Signage can greatly contribute to facilitating the flow of passengers and visitors, and make the airport experience positive. There are three types of terminal signage: way finding, location, and flight information. In an international context, where passengers and visitors may not understand the local language(s) nor English (the international aviation language), it is recommended to use standard symbols, used at all international airports. When words are used, terminology should be simple and easy to understand by the unsophisticated user. Signage should also meet the special needs of disabled users. For example, elevator buttons should include an inscription in Braille language. Way finding signage shows passengers which direction to take to reach a specific point along the processing path. Efficient signage provides a sense of security and confidence, and it reduces the stress associated with finding oneself in an unknown environment under strict time constraints. The most common way finding signs indicate the direction of key processing points such as check-in, security screening, gate numbers, luggage reclaim area, and surface transportation services. Other way finding signs may include the location of toilets, food outlets, and elevators. Way finding signage generally consists of a name or symbol, collocated with a directional arrow. The characteristics of an efficient way finding signage system are clarity, conciseness, and unobstructed view. Airports as well as airlines provide passengers with specialized "Apps", that offer personal wayfinding via the passenger's smartphone. Complex airports with several options to channel passengers, commenced using dynamic signage, that is adjusting way finding directions according to the terminal's current delay situation. **Key Learning Point** Terminals can be of centralized or decentralized concept. The main sub-categories are: linear, pier finger, satellite, and open apron. Each concept has advantages and disadvantages. The ideal concept should allow airlines to carry out an efficient and profitable operation. **2.2.4 Different Types of Terminal** The shape and design of terminals is influenced by the volume and nature of the traffic they serve. Some of the key considerations are the number of airlines established at the airport, the split between national and international traffic, the percentage of transfer passengers, the available land space, and the type of surface access modes. Two main categories of terminals exist: - **Centralised,** where all the elements of passenger and luggage processing are located in one building. - **Decentralised,** where the elements of passenger and luggage processing are provided in small units and repeated in one or more buildings. The advantages and disadvantages of each system are shown in Table 2.2.4.a. **Linear** It is the most basic shape. It is rectangular and often consists of a single level, with departures on one side and arrival on the other one. It provides a single common check-in area leading to a common gate hold room. It is well suited for small terminals. **Pier Finger** It consists of a main processing building to which one or more perpendicular pier fingers are added. The finger piers provide frontage to park aircraft and protected circulation for passengers. Some processing takes place in each hold room. This concept represents a slight degree of decentralization. **Satellite Terminal** The layout is similar to the pier finger type of terminal, but aircraft stands are provided as a cluster at the end of each pier. Within each satellite, a single hold room serves all gates. The piers may be constructed at grade or underground. This concept constitutes a higher degree of decentralization. More processing functions take place in each satellite, causing some dispersal of activities and duplication of airline personnel. **Open Apron** Aircraft stands are located away from the terminal and special vehicles designed to mate on the terminal and on aircraft (called transporters) transfer passengers. Airline operation buildings must be provided near the aircraft stands. This represents the highest degree of decentralization but it requires the operation of many expensive transporters. In addition, it adds one step to the boarding and deplaning process of passengers. Is there an ideal concept? Many factors must be considered: - Construction and maintenance costs for the operator. - Operating costs for airlines and tenants. - Operational benefits for the terminal operator the airside operator, the ground service providers, airlines, and passengers. - Commercial benefits for the terminal operator by having most suitable commercial facilities at an ideal location in the passenger flow. - Operating costs for the terminal operator (i.e. heating, cooling, cleaning, esp. of fancy shaped or angled glass walls). Seen from the main customer's perspective-the airline-the preferred concept is one that allows them to carry out efficient and profitable operations in one location, within the limits of existing capacity. This position favors a centralized system. **2.2.5 Operational Procedures of Terminal** Providing properly designed terminal facilities goes a long way toward ensuring a quick, easy, and comfortable transfer of passengers between the surface mode and the air mode. However, without adequate and consistently applied operational procedures, these facilities may, at times, cause operational disruption. This is more likely to happen at peak time, when demand on facilities approaches or reaches their capacity, or when a mechanical failure causes a subsystem to slow down or shut down completely. A terminal being made up of a chain of subsystems, any reduction in throughput in one subsystem is likely to cause negative downstream effects. If the cause of the problem is not rectified promptly, the whole processing chain may become clogged. This very serious situation may cause the following problems: - Missed flights for passengers, causing stress and inconvenience. - Late departures for airlines, causing downstream effects on the whole network. - Increased operating costs. - General customer dissatisfaction with the airport, potentially leading to the loss of customers for the airlines and the airport operator. In order to avoid these problems, the terminal operator-in consultation with its partners-should develop, maintain, and enforce a number of operational procedures aimed at reducing the risk of irregular operations. We are now going to examine a number of such procedures. **2.2.5.1 Curb Management** Curb congestion is a common problem at busy airports, and a challenging one to solve. The curb is meant to provide a safe stopping place for vehicles to load and unload passengers and their luggage. This applies to all types of surface transportation vehicles (private cars, taxicabs, buses, coaches, hotel shuttle buses, remote parking shuttle buses, etc). Terminal designers should plan to provide a curb that meets the level of traffic expected at peak times, and take into account the mix of surface transportation types. The types of passengers, the available surface transportation services, and socio-cultural considerations determine this mix. Ensuring the safe and efficient movement of passengers arriving on UAM solutions is an increasing priority. **2.2.5.2 Crowd Control** A crowd forms when people accumulate to wait for something or to watch something. In a terminal, crowds form at processing points: check-in, security screening, concessions cashier (especially food outlets), government control points, luggage reclaim area, and access points to public transportation. Another type of terminal crowding occurs when greeters gather in the arrivals concourse to wait for arriving friends or relatives. Crowding in a terminal impedes the smooth flow of passengers and causes disruption to the efficient use of space. Additionally, crowds have their own group dynamics and can easily change into a mass of people, that jointly become irrational and are very difficult to control. Several operational measures can alleviate the formation of crowds: - Install stanchions in waiting areas so that people wait in a linear, orderly fashion. This is particularly useful in-the check-in concourse and at security screening points. When lines are left unchecked, waiting passengers tend to line up all the way to the back wall of the terminal, thereby impeding walk-through circulation. - Ensure that processing points are adequately staffed in relation to demand. This may require coordination with other agencies. By monitoring queueing lengths terminal operators can pro-actively initiate mitigation activities thus avoiding further crowding. - During peak times, position adequately trained employees in areas known to cause congestion. They will control the size and shape of queues by asking people to