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About 15% of American adults suffer some level of fear (aviophobia). While some of them avoid flying almost totally, there are 15% that are passengers* passing through a US airport and experiencing aviophobia from boarding their upcoming flight. This fear, exacerbated to some extent by various factors within the airport's control, impacts passenger experience, their behavior before, during, and after boarding their plane.... more »

This Synthesis will document the various landside transportation data being gathered at airports, the data collection methods, the interpretation of data, and the application of data in decision-making.

Airports, especially general aviation, nonhub, and those with geographic terrain issues, have challenges with maintaining the turf and vegetation in and around the airport. The proposed Synthesis would review current airport practices for turf and vegetation management given the various constraints of manpower, equipment, funding, etc.

Effective management of a skilled workforce is essential to achieving an airport's strategic goals. This synthesis would provide airport managers with an overview of current human resources data analytics tools and techniques used for evidence-based decision making in workforce management.

This synthesis study will examine how US and International airports have responded to the capacity "crunch" caused by the current COVID crisis due to the need to provide for increased social distancing, infection testing, vaccination documentation verification, etc... Such an analysis will not only help disseminate ideas to assist airports in the short run as airports emerge from this crisis but will also provide guidance... more »

In 2020, ACRP Synthesis 108 was published based on 2018 data. This synthesis established an important (and previously unavailable) baseline about the fixed base operator (FBO) industry. Much has happened at GA airports and to business and personal flying during the pandemic.  It would be valuable to the GA airport community to reassess/update the analysis presented in Synthesis 108 and reflect on new services and business... more »

This Synthesis study will document the current state of practice of modeling the distribution of future aviation activity among airports in a multi-airport region and identify needed future research to advance the state of practice. The state of practice of how this is done has advanced very little in the past two decades, although the advent of relatively new "big data" sources of information offers promising opportunities... more »

To synthesize information on ground transportation fee structures and best practices at other airports, with an emphasis on carbon reduction. This information could be used to support innovative ground transportation fees to reduce carbon, while considering changes in travel patterns, non-aeronautical revenue, and potential social equity issues.

Cancelation of flights should be an independent airport decision rather than waiting for the government

Efforts to reduce airport impacts on climate change potentially could benefit from the expanding toolbox of micro mobility devices including powered and unpowered bicycles in lieu of fossil fossil powered vehicles for airside logistics.  How are airports using micro mobility devices?

Advanced air mobility (AAM) is a broad concept enabling consumers access to on-demand air mobility, cargo and package delivery, healthcare applications, and emergency services through an integrated and connected multimodal transportation network. However, a number of challenges could impact AAM's growth potential, such as the public acceptance of autonomous flight, the availability of departure and arrival stations, electric/hydrogen... more »

Using FEMA emergency management core capabilities and CDC's public health preparedness capabilities as models, this ACRP proposed project will help airports across the country expand existing emergency management programs through the development of industry specific capabilities and metrics for increasing resiliency, preparedness, recovery, planning, and more.

Research Field: Special Projects

Allocation: $100,000

Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) includes the use of highly automated aircraft to transport passengers and cargo at lower altitudes. Activity will likely include commercial inter-city travel, cargo delivery, public services, and private/recreational use. The initial ecosystem will utilize existing facilities (airports, heliports), but in the future, new, dedicated facilities... more »

Research Field: Operations

Allocation: $100,000

ACRP published Research Report 228: Airport Microgrid Implementation Toolkit in 2021. The toolkit has a suite of reference materials and guidance to help airports consider, plan for, and implement microgrid solutions at their facility. The toolkit itself includes modules covering microgrid basics, airport energy profiles, resilience, stakeholder engagement, energy options,... more »

Research Field: Operations

Allocation: $500,000

Electric vehicles and autonomous vehicles (including robotaxis) are expected to contribute an increasing share of landside activity at airports. The transition will likely impact all components of an airport's landside facilities, including roadways, curbs, parking, and ground transportation centers. Airports must consider these trends in their facility planning, yet little... more »