Exploring Airport Employee Commuting and Transportation Needs (2024)
Chapter: 6 Summary of Findings
CHAPTER 6
Summary of Findings
The nature of employee commuting, although unique, is experienced by every employee who works at an airport. Employees, as a whole, experience many of the same challenges. Yet, employees also have personal and oftentimes unique experiences commuting to and from work at the airport. Even so, airport operators are in a position to improve the employee commuting experience for employees of the airport operator and airport tenants. To effectively accomplish this, it is important for the airport to understand the unique commuting challenges experienced by employees at the airport. There is no shortcut for this. Simply adopting solutions proven successful at a peer airport may not produce the same results at your airport. It is important to gather experiences from employees, which is most effectively done via a survey. Once understood, the airport can begin developing a plan to accommodate transportation demand and improve the commuting experience of employees.
This synthesis resulted in key conclusions, which are the subject of this chapter:
Second commute. Due to the sheer size of many airport campuses, and the location of parking lots, transit stations, and so on, airport employees may be required to commute again once they park their vehicle or exit the transit station, for instance. This second commute adds to the duration of an employee’s daily commute and can create additional frustration for the employee.
Active commuting. Research has discovered numerous benefits of active commuting modes, such as walking or bicycling. Employees benefit with improved mental and physical health, and employers benefit by improved job performance.
Airport effort. More effort could be expended by airport operators in attempting to influence employee commuting behavior. Survey results indicate that few airports are attempting to influence employee commuting behavior.
Ease of use. Airports that have successfully influenced employee commuting methods have generally made alternative commuting modes easy to use. Employees look for ease of use, citing convenience as a significant factor in mode choice.
Education. Airport operators will need to inform and educate employees as to alternative commuting modes. Oftentimes, employees may only choose modes they are familiar with.
Employee work hours. Employees often work odd hours, which may not coincide with the public transit operating hours. Thus, an airport may want to consider supplementing public transit with an airport-provided vanpool, shuttle, or other program.
Events. It can be effective to create some excitement around alternative commuting modes. For example, to encourage bicycling and downplay any stigma associated with this commuting mode, companies have developed events such as a Bike to Work Day, Ride to Work Day, and Bike to Work Breakfast.
Funding. Airport operators will need to complete an honest assessment of the costs of operating a transportation management organization (TMO), transportation management
association (TMA), and/or an employee commute options (ECO) program. Consider requiring airport employers to share in the costs.
Incentives/disincentives. To alter employee commuting behavior, airports will need to consider incentivizing alternative modes and disincentivizing the mode of choice—typically SOV. If changes are desired, there has to be something to influence employee behavior.
Mode of choice. Generally, airport employees choose to commute to work via SOV. This may be due to convenience or personal preference, or it may be the only option due to a lack of access to public transit and other modes.
Multiple solutions. Due to the unique commuting challenges of employees at an airport, it is beneficial to develop multiple solutions. It would be rare if a singular solution met all employee challenges.
Partnerships. With numerous employers at an airport, it is important to partner with these employers to collectively influence employee commuting behavior. Otherwise, airport operator efforts may be counteracted by employers. For example, if the airport operator increases employee parking rates to discourage SOV use, but airport employers subsidize the increase, this action will not have the intended effect on employee commuting behavior.
Recruitment and retention. Airport operators and airport tenant employers at many airports have encountered difficulty in both retaining existing employees and recruiting new employees due to the commuting challenges experienced by employees. With a shortage of employees in some fields, an airport with difficult commuting experience for employees will only further impact these shortages, making recruitment and retention difficult for both the airport operator and airport tenants.
Safety. Particularly with employees who commute via bicycle and those who would like to, safety is of paramount concern. Bike lanes, or the lack thereof, speed of traffic, weather, and distance to the airport are significant factors that influence the degree of bicycle ridership. Airports that ensure sufficient bike lanes and also provide covered bicycle parking, lockers, and showers for riders can positively impact ridership.
SOV parking. Providing sufficient and free parking to accommodate SOVs only encourages employee use of SOVs. When the number of spaces is restricted so that employees may not have an available space to park an SOV, employees may consider alternate commuting modes.
Surveys. To fully understand commuting challenges experienced by employees, airport operators can survey employees on a regular basis. This is especially helpful in gauging whether airport-provided commuting solutions are meeting employee needs. If data on airport-wide commuting challenges are desired, employees of airport tenants can also be surveyed.
Transportation equity. Due to the cost of housing in some areas, the location of transit stations, and other variables, all airport employees may not have access to the same level of transportation, creating an inequitable situation. In fact, there may be some demographics in an area that cannot work at the airport due to the challenges of getting to work. Car ownership cannot be assumed. English as a first language cannot be assumed. The concept of equity is an important consideration for airports actively addressing the commuting challenges of employees.
Recommendations for Future Research
Although this synthesis collected data from employees of airport operators and airport tenants, additional research that collects data from airport transportation professionals would add an additional perspective. Specifically, what methods have been adopted by airports to meet the commuting transportation needs of employees of both airport operators and airport tenants?
Additionally, a guidebook that provides guidance to airport staff in developing a TMA and ECO program would be useful to the industry. Although this synthesis presents current practices of airports, by definition, a synthesis does not present guidance, thus leaving a need for such guidance among airports desiring to better meet the commuting needs of employees. The guidebook can include a suggested survey to be distributed by the airport operator to gather employee commuting experiences, as well as suggested metrics to evaluate the success of implemented methods to influence employee commuting modes.
