The main deficiency in current terminal design methodology relates to the lack of empirically based information regarding passenger behavior and passenger requirements in airport terminals. This is exacerbated by the fact that airport planners do not have an adequate model of passenger behavior. This paper describes a research program that has attempted to alleviate these problems. The basis of the research has been the development of a design procedure and rationale capable of explicitly catering to the requirements of all terminal users. This approach will enable the airport planner to define levels of service to suit both the extent of passenger flow and the operational characteristics of the terminal. The central theme of the design methodology was the development of a set of linked analytical queuing models that can act as a framework for interpreting the processing activities of terminal users. This approach was complemented by an extensive survey of passenger behavior at an airport terminal. The survey was designed to both validate the modeling approach and test some general hypotheses about how various passenger groups spend their time in airport terminals. The latter aspect is dealt with in a discussion of some of the design implications of observed passenger behavior.

The level of demand for medium-and long-distance air transport has been known for some time to be dependent on a number of factors, including the cost, comfort, safety, and convenience of the service being provided. Air travel is recognized as the most expensive of all intercity modes of travel. A consequence of this is that traffic is attracted by offering a premium service in terms of speed, comfort, and convenience. However, it is evident that, within the air transport system, the airport terminal has become a major impedance to the rapid and comfortable processing of passengers from origin to destination. During the past 20 years, the airport terminal has had to reduce its level of passenger service in 3 distinct areas: access to and from the airport, the period spent within the terminal and its immediate environs, and the time spent within the aircraft both in ground delays and in the" stack." The discussion here relates to the second, and possibly most significant, problem area, the time spent by