Enhancing Airport Access with Emerging Mobility (2025)
Chapter: Front Matter
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| ACRP Research Report 269 |
Airport Cooperative Research Program Sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration |
Enhancing Airport Access
with Emerging Mobility
ACRP OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE*
CHAIR
Marianne Csaky
LanzaJet
VICE CHAIR
Cathryn Stephens
Eugene Airport
MEMBERS
Clara Bennett
Boca Raton Airport Authority
Melissa Cooper
Kansas City Aviation Department
Darryl Daniels
Jacobsen Daniels Associates
Kimberly A. Kenville
University of North Dakota
Lance Lyttle
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
Chad Makovsky
City of Phoenix (AZ)
Ramon Ricondo
Ricondo and Associates, Inc.
Atif Saeed
Philadelphia International Airport
Jesus H. Saenz, Jr.
San Antonio Airport System
Jessica Sypniewski
Federal Aviation Administration
EX OFFICIO MEMBERS
Justin Barkowski
American Association of Airport Executives
[Vacant]
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Laura Rinaldi McKee
Airlines for America
Christopher J. Oswald
Airports Council International–North America
Gregory Pecoraro
National Association of State Aviation Officials
T.J. Schulz
Airport Consultants Council
Victoria Sheehan
Transportation Research Board
SECRETARY
Monique R. Evans
Transportation Research Board
TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD 2025 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE*
OFFICERS
CHAIR: Leslie S. Richards, Professor of Practice, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
VICE CHAIR: Joel M. Jundt, Secretary of Transportation, South Dakota Department of Transportation, Pierre
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Victoria Sheehan, Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC
MEMBERS
James F. Albaugh, President and CEO, The Boeing Company (retired), Scottsdale, AZ
Carlos M. Braceras, Executive Director, Utah Department of Transportation, Salt Lake City
Douglas C. Ceva, Vice President, Customer Lead Solutions, Prologis, Inc., Jupiter, FL
Nancy Daubenberger, Commissioner of Transportation, Minnesota Department of Transportation, St. Paul
Marie Therese Dominguez, Commissioner, New York State Department of Transportation, Albany
Garrett Eucalitto, Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Transportation, Newington
Andrew Fremier, Executive Director, Metropolitan Transportation Commission, San Francisco, CA
Martha Grabowski, Professor Emerita, Information Systems, Le Moyne College, Madden College of Business & Economics, Cazenovia, NY
Randell Iwasaki, President and CEO, Iwasaki Consulting Services, Walnut Creek, CA
Carol A. Lewis, Professor, Transportation Studies, Texas Southern University, Houston
Scott C. Marler, Director, Iowa Department of Transportation, Ames
Ricardo Martinez, Adjunct Professor of Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Decatur, GA
Russell McMurry, Commissioner, Georgia Department of Transportation, Atlanta
Craig E. Philip, Research Professor and Director, VECTOR, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
Steward T.A. Pickett, Distinguished Senior Scientist, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY
Susan A. Shaheen, Professor and Co-Director, Transportation Sustainability Research Center, University of California, Berkeley
Marc Williams, Executive Director, Texas Department of Transportation, Austin
EX OFFICIO MEMBERS
Bryan Bedford, Administrator , Federal Aviation Administration, Washington, DC
Michael R. Berube, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Sustainable Transportation, U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC
Tariq Bokhari, Acting Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, Washington, DC
Steven G. Bradbury, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC
Steven Cliff, Executive Officer, California Air Resources Board, Sacramento
Drew Feeley, Acting Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration, Washington, DC
LeRoy Gishi, Chief, Division of Transportation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior, Germantown, MD
Firas Ibrahim, Director, Office of Research, Development, and Technology, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology (OST-R), Washington, DC
Jason Kelly, Deputy Commanding General for Civil Works and Emergency Operations, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, DC
Sandra Knight, President, WaterWonks, LLC, Washington, DC
Ben Kochman, Acting Administrator, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Washington, DC
Niloo Parvinashtiani, Engineer, Mobility Consultant Solutions, Iteris Inc., Fairfax, VA, and Chair, TRB Young Members Coordinating Council
Gloria Shepherd, Acting Deputy Administrator, Federal Highway Administration, Washington, DC
Karl Simon, Director, Transportation and Climate Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC
Paul P. Skoutelas, President and CEO, American Public Transportation Association, Washington, DC
Jim Tymon, Executive Director, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Washington, DC
Sang Yi, Acting Administrator, U.S. Maritime Administration, Washington, DC
___________________
* Membership as of August 2025.
* Membership as of August 2025.
AIRPORT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM
ACRP RESEARCH REPORT 269
Enhancing Airport Access
with Emerging Mobility
Gaël Le Bris
Loup-Giang Nguyen
Stephanie Atallah
Karla Medina Romero
Daniel Sanchez
Taylor Tremain
WSP USA, INC.
Raleigh, NC
Prasanna Kavaipatti
TRANSSOLUTIONS, INC.
Atlanta, GA
Julia Nagy
HARRIS MILLER MILLER & HANSON, INC.
Washington, DC
Subscriber Categories
Aviation • Public Transportation • Vehicles and Equipment
Research sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration
AIRPORT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM
Airports are vital national resources. They serve a key role in transportation of people and goods and in regional, national, and international commerce. They are where the nation’s aviation system connects with other modes of transportation and where federal responsibility for managing and regulating air traffic operations intersects with the role of state and local governments that own and operate most airports. Research is necessary to solve common operating problems, to adapt appropriate new technologies from other industries, and to introduce innovations into the airport industry. The Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) serves as one of the principal means by which the airport industry can develop innovative near-term solutions to meet demands placed on it.
The need for ACRP was identified in TRB Special Report 272: Airport Research Needs: Cooperative Solutions in 2003, based on a study sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). ACRP carries out applied research on problems that are shared by airport operating agencies and not being adequately addressed by existing federal research programs. ACRP is modeled after the successful National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) and Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP). ACRP undertakes research and other technical activities in various airport subject areas, including design, construction, legal, maintenance, operations, safety, policy, planning, human resources, and administration. ACRP provides a forum where airport operators can cooperatively address common operational problems.
ACRP was authorized in December 2003 as part of the Vision 100—Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act. The primary participants in the ACRP are (1) an independent governing board, the ACRP Oversight Committee (AOC), appointed by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation with representation from airport operating agencies, other stakeholders, and relevant industry organizations such as the Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA), the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE), the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO), Airlines for America (A4A), and the Airport Consultants Council (ACC) as vital links to the airport community; (2) TRB as program manager and secretariat for the governing board; and (3) the FAA as program sponsor. In October 2005, the FAA executed a contract with the National Academy of Sciences formally initiating the program.
ACRP benefits from the cooperation and participation of airport professionals, air carriers, shippers, state and local government officials, equipment and service suppliers, other airport users, and research organizations. Each of these participants has different interests and responsibilities, and each is an integral part of this cooperative research effort.
Research problem statements for ACRP are solicited periodically but may be submitted to TRB by anyone at any time. It is the responsibility of the AOC to formulate the research program by identifying the highest priority projects and defining funding levels and expected products.
Once selected, each ACRP project is assigned to an expert panel appointed by TRB. Panels include experienced practitioners and research specialists; heavy emphasis is placed on including airport professionals, the intended users of the research products. The panels prepare project statements (requests for proposals), select contractors, and provide technical guidance and counsel throughout the life of the project. The process for developing research problem statements and selecting research agencies has been used by TRB in managing cooperative research programs since 1962. As in other TRB activities, ACRP project panels serve voluntarily without compensation.
Primary emphasis is placed on disseminating ACRP results to the intended users of the research: airport operating agencies, service providers, and academic institutions. ACRP produces a series of research reports for use by airport operators, local agencies, the FAA, and other interested parties; industry associations may arrange for workshops, training aids, field visits, webinars, and other activities to ensure that results are implemented by airport industry practitioners.
ACRP RESEARCH REPORT 269
Project 10-33
ISSN 2572-3731 (Print)
ISSN 2572-374X (Online)
ISBN 978-0-309-73198-0
Library of Congress Control Number 2024950825
© 2025 by the National Academy of Sciences. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the graphical logo are trademarks of the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
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The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) grants permission to reproduce written material in this publication for classroom and non-commercial purposes subject to the rights of any third parties and appropriate attribution. Permission is given with the understanding that none of the material will be used to imply NAS, TRB, AASHTO, APTA, FAA, FHWA, FTA, GHSA, or NHTSA endorsement of a particular product, method, or practice. For other uses of the written material, users must request permission from the National Academies Press.
NOTICE
The research report was reviewed by the technical panel and accepted for publication according to procedures established and overseen by the Transportation Research Board and approved by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed or implied in this document are those of the researchers who performed the research and are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; or the program sponsors.
The Transportation Research Board does not develop, issue, or publish standards or specifications. The Transportation Research Board manages applied research projects which provide the scientific foundation that may be used by Transportation Research Board sponsors, industry associations, or other organizations as the basis for revised practices, procedures, or specifications.
The Transportation Research Board; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; and the sponsors of the Airport Cooperative Research Program do not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers’ names or logos appear herein solely because they are considered essential to the object of the report.
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AIRPORT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM
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Learn more about the Transportation Research Board at www.TRB.org.
COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMS
CRP STAFF FOR ACRP RESEARCH REPORT 269
Monique R. Evans, Director, Cooperative Research Programs
Waseem Dekelbab, Deputy Director, Cooperative Research Programs
Marci A. Greenberger, Manager, Airport Cooperative Research Program
Jordan Christensen, Senior Program Officer
Stephanie L. Campbell-Chamberlain, Senior Program Assistant
Natalie Barnes, Director of Publications
Heather DiAngelis, Associate Director of Publications
Lisa Whittington, Editor
ACRP PROJECT 10-33 PANEL
Field of Operations
Agatha Kessler Fentress, Aerial Futures, Greenwood Village, CO (Chair)
Brian C. Chang, NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services, New York, NY
Peter C. Martin, CDM Smith, San Francisco, CA
John Newsome, Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (retired), Celebration, FL
Corina Wilkes, US Access Consultants, Inc., La Mesa, CA
Patrick Forrester, FAA Liaison
Aneil Patel, Airports Council International–North America Liaison
FOREWORD
By Jordan Christensen
Staff Officer
Transportation Research Board
ACRP Research Report 269: Enhancing Airport Access with Emerging Mobility provides strategies for addressing current and future transportation and ground access technologies and for planning landside facilities that incorporate these emerging technologies. Airport operators and other landside stakeholders will find these guidelines helpful when planning, designing, and operating passenger terminal facilities, including roadways, curbs, parking, mass transit facilities, and ground transportation centers. Accompanying this guide are appendices that provide case examples and other supportive research, as well as an electronic toolkit that features interactive content and tools to assess electric growth for landside transportation.
Emerging ground access technologies, such as autonomous, automated, connected, and electric vehicles, will affect airport landside operations. Curbside traffic will change, becoming more complex as automotive technologies become more innovative. Other mass and personal transportation modes that leverage both legacy and new technologies will also provide mobility to and from the airport. Airport operators will need to understand the impacts to landside operations to effectively plan for passenger terminal facilities. They will also have to consider accessibility, costs, legal and regulatory implications, sustainability, and resilience.
The research, conducted by WSP USA with support from Harris Miller Miller & Hanson and TransSolutions, focused on guidelines for near- and long-term integration of emerging and multimodal ground access technologies to enhance landside operations and the customer experience of passenger terminal facilities. The research included a literature review, an inventory of existing and emerging transportation modes relevant to airport ground access, and an impact assessment. An industry working group was also engaged to provide their feedback during the project.
The guide and accompanying tools provide information on the current state and possible changes to airport access, emerging modes and technologies, strategies and planning for airport access, facility requirements planning, and other challenges that come with managing future landside operations changes. These materials can be found on the National Academies Press website (nap.nationalacademies.org) by searching for ACRP Research Report 269: Enhancing Airport Access with Emerging Mobility.
AUTHOR ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The research for this report was performed in 2022 and 2023 under ACRP Project 10-33, “Incorporating Emerging Transportation and Ground Access Technologies at Airports,” by a multidisciplinary team led by WSP USA. WSP USA, Inc., is the contractor for this project.
Gaël Le Bris, CM, PE, Vice President, Aviation Planning at WSP USA, was the project director and principal investigator for this project. He was assisted by Loup-Giang Nguyen, who served as deputy project manager. The other authors of this report are Stephanie Atallah, PhD; Karla Medina Romero; Daniel Sanchez; and Taylor Tremain of WSP USA plus Julia Nagy of HMMH. Bo Du, PhD, PE; Joshua Sattan; and Beathia Tagoe (WSP USA) also assisted with the research effort. The VISSIM microsimulations were conducted and analyzed by Katherine Craig, PE; Sherry Kim, PE; Feng Lu; Luc Senh; Brendan Smith, PE; and Victor Teglasi, PE (WSP USA), with the support of Chikki Chan, Belinda G. Hargrove, and Prasanna Kavaipatti (TransSolutions). Robin Christians and Benjamin N. Rudolph (WSP USA) participated in the development of the toolkit, and Eric Martens (WSP USA) participated in the preparation of various visuals. Sarah Bailey (WSP USA) assisted with the finalization of the deliverables.
The authors wish to thank the participants in the interviews and industry workshops, as well as the stakeholders who shared data, perspectives, and materials with the project team. They particularly express appreciation to Zainab Beydoun (Wayne County Airport Authority), Adam Borovkoff (County of Sonoma), Brady Brewster (McFarland Johnson), Josh Brown (Puget Sound Regional Council), Rachel Brown (Port of Seattle), Jimmy Clarkin (Philadelphia International Airport), Owen Curtis (Curtis Transportation Consulting, LLC), Christian Davis (Spanish Fork-Springville Airport), Andrew Duvall (NREL), Thea Ewing (HNTB), Arturo García-Alonso (Avports), Quinn Hatoff (Uber), Tamera Irwin (San Antonio Airport System), Andy Jeninga (Uber), Peter Lindsay (Port of Seattle), Nic Longo (Port of Seattle), Kate McMillan (Uber), Christian Nelson (Blue Grass Airport), Clem Newton-Brown (Skyportz), Jeffrey Nieman (Hertz), Pete Pelletier (GOAA), Geraldine Poor (Port of Seattle), Natalie Pusser (Harnett Regional Jetport), Shoaib Quader (Smith Reynolds Airport), Angel Ramos (Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport), David M. Reich (LAWA), Brian Ruppert (Delta Air Lines), Wendy Shepherd (Southwest Florida International Airport), Joshua Sperling (NREL), Rob Stratmeyer (JMT), David Tomporowski (Port of Seattle), Jon Wingler (Pinal County Airpark), Stanley Young (NREL), and Nicolas Zart.
CONTENTS
Chapter 1 State of Airport Access
What Is a Mode of Transportation?
From Transportation to Mobility
Mode Availability at Commercial Service Airports
Ground Access at Smaller Airports
Chapter 2 New Paradigm in Airport Access
Airport Access at the Threshold
Intermodality in Airport Access
Integrated Approach of Intermodality
Additional Services to Passengers
Chapter 3 Airport Access for All
Chapter 4 Inventory of Emerging Modes and Technologies
Catalog of Modes and Technologies
Key Components of Automated Driving Systems
Traffic and Roadway Engineering Aspects
Timeline and Penetration Scenarios
Chapter 6 Impact of Connected and Automated Vehicles on Airport Landside
Automated Driving Impact Assessment Through Traffic Simulations
Chapter 7 Strategizing and Planning Airport Access
Developing an Airport Access Strategy
Ground Access in Airport Master Planning and Aviation System Planning
Metropolitan and Regional Transportation Planning Process
Transportation Planning: How to Plan with Stakeholders
Chapter 8 Facility Requirements
Connected and Automated Vehicles
Chapter 9 Sustainability and Environmental Considerations
Weather Vulnerability and Resilience
National Environmental Policy Act
Homeless and Unhoused Communities in Mass Transit
Chapter 10 Implementation and Funding
Chapter 11 Managing Future Changes in Landside Operations
Preparing for New Users and Technologies
Promoting Operational Efficiency and Resilience
Safety Implications for Landside Operations
Chapter 12 Freight Access Considerations
Use Cases for Airport Freight Access
Logistics and Non-aviation Freight Activities
Emerging Trends in Freight Forwarding
Chapter 13 Intra-airport Mobility
Analyzing and Selecting Intra-airport Mobility Solutions
Passenger Conveyance Inside Terminals
To and From Off-Site Ground Transportation Facilities
Appendix A Airport Case Examples in the United States and Abroad
Appendix B Mobility Solutions at Non-aviation Facilities
Appendix C Accounting for CAVs in Airport Landside Traffic Flow–Simulations
Appendix D Laws and Regulations in Airport Ground Transportation
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