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^* Membership as of February 2025.

^* Membership as of February 2025.

AIRPORT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM

Airport Parking Reservation Systems and Techniques

A Synthesis of Airport Practice

Stephen D. Van Beek
Adrian Leung
STEER DAVIES & GLEAVE, INC.
Alexandria, VA

Subscriber Categories
Aviation • Operations and Traffic Management • Terminals and Facilities

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 SYNTHESIS 140

Project 11-03, Topic S03-19
ISSN 1935-9187
ISBN 978-0-309-73407-3
Library of Congress Control Number 2025930873
Digital Object Identifier: 10.17226/29030

© 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

Authors herein are responsible for the authenticity of their materials and for obtaining written permissions from publishers or persons who own the copyright to any previously published or copyrighted material used herein.

Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) grants permission to reproduce material in this publication for classroom and not-for-profit purposes. Permission is given with the understanding that none of the material will be used to imply TRB, AASHTO, APTA, FAA, FHWA, FTA, GHSA, or NHTSA endorsement of a particular product, method, or practice. It is expected that those reproducing the material in this document for educational and not-for-profit uses will give appropriate acknowledgment of the source of any reprinted or reproduced material. For other uses of the material, request permission from CRP.

Cover photo credit: Omar Prestwich, edits by Adrian Leung

NOTICE

The 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.

The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied in this report 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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The National Academy of Sciences was established in 1863 by an Act of Congress, signed by President Lincoln, as a private, nongovernmental institution to advise the nation on issues related to science and technology. Members are elected by their peers for outstanding contributions to research. Dr. Marcia McNutt is president.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to bring the practices of engineering to advising the nation. Members are elected by their peers for extraordinary contributions to engineering. Dr. John L. Anderson is president.

The National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) was established in 1970 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to advise the nation on medical and health issues. Members are elected by their peers for distinguished contributions to medicine and health. Dr. Victor J. Dzau is president.

The three Academies work together as the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation and conduct other activities to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions. The National Academies also encourage education and research, recognize outstanding contributions to knowledge, and increase public understanding in matters of science, engineering, and medicine.

Learn more about the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine at www.nationalacademies.org.

The Transportation Research Board is one of seven major program divisions of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The mission of the Transportation Research Board is to mobilize expertise, experience, and knowledge to anticipate and solve complex transportation-related challenges. The Board’s varied activities annually engage about 8,500 engineers, scientists, and other transportation researchers and practitioners from the public and private sectors and academia, all of whom contribute their expertise in the public interest. The program is supported by state departments of transportation, federal agencies including the component administrations of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and other organizations and individuals interested in the development of transportation.

Learn more about the Transportation Research Board at www.TRB.org.

COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMS

CRP STAFF FOR ACRP SYNTHESIS 140

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

Demisha Williams, Senior Program Assistant

Natalie Barnes, Director of Publications

Heather DiAngelis, Associate Director of Publications

ACRP PROJECT 11-03 PANEL

Joshua D. Abramson, Barge Design Solutions, Inc., Nashville, TN (Chair)

Brenda L. Enos, TRC, Boston, MA

Bryant Francis, Cleveland Airport System, Cleveland, OH

Kimberly A. Kenville, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND

Cameron Thompson, Birmingham Airport Authority, Birmingham, AL

Keila Walker-Denis, Orlando International Airport, Orlando, FL

Scott Wintner, San Jose Norman Y. Mineta International Airport, San Jose, CA

Patrick W. Magnotta, FAA Liaison

Liying Gu, Airports Council International–North America Liaison

Christine L. Gerencher, TRB Liaison

TOPIC S03-19 PANEL

Melanie Brown, City of Houston - Houston Airport System, Spring, TX

Jenna Buckner, Ricondo and Associates, Mount Pleasant, SC

Garrett DiCorpo, City of Charlotte Aviation Department, Fort Mill, SC

Ellis Kim, Sam Schwartz Consulting, New York, NY

Peter B. Mandle, InterVISTAS Consulting LLC, San Mateo, CA

Lei Zhu, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC

ABOUT THE ACRP SYNTHESIS PROGRAM

Airport administrators, engineers, and researchers often face problems for which information already exists, either in documented form or as undocumented experience and practice. This information may be fragmented, scattered, and unevaluated. As a consequence, full knowledge of what has been learned about a problem may not be brought to bear on its solution. Costly research findings may go unused, valuable experience may be overlooked, and due consideration may not be given to recommended practices for solving or alleviating the problem.

There is information on nearly every subject of concern to the airport industry. Much of it derives from research or from the work of practitioners faced with problems in their day-to-day work. To provide a systematic means for assembling and evaluating such useful information and to make it available to the entire airport community, the Airport Cooperative Research Program authorized the Transportation Research Board to undertake a continuing project. This project, ACRP Project 11-03, “Synthesis of Information Related to Airport Practices,” searches out and synthesizes useful knowledge from all available sources and prepares concise, documented reports on specific topics. Reports from this endeavor constitute an ACRP report series, Synthesis of Airport Practice.

This synthesis series reports on current knowledge and practice, in a compact format, without the detailed directions usually found in handbooks or design manuals. Each report in the series provides a compendium of the best knowledge available on those measures found to be the most successful in resolving specific problems.

FOREWORD

By Jordan Christensen
Staff Officer
Transportation Research Board

Airport parking is usually the largest source of non-aeronautical revenues at commercial airports. To manage and enhance parking revenue, one strategy some airports have employed is implementing an online booking system (OBS). These systems have multiple capabilities: Customers can prepay and reserve parking spaces, and airports have more control in estimating the parking demand, which allows them to increase utilization of parking facilities. A variety of management models for OBSs exist, each of which has its own challenges and benefits.

The objective of this synthesis is to describe the deployment of parking reservation systems, their benefits and costs, and the operational and financial results. The audience is airport staff responsible for airport parking. The study included capital costs and operating expenses for implementing an OBS and the benefits and challenges of the systems. Information used in this study was obtained through a literature review, survey of airports, and interviews resulting in five case examples found in Chapter 4.

Stephen D. Van Beek and Adrian Leung, of Steer Davies & Gleave, Inc., synthesized the information and wrote the report. The members of the topic panel are acknowledged on page iv. This synthesis is an immediately useful document that records the practices that were acceptable within the limitations of the knowledge available at the time of its preparation. As progress in research and practice continues, new knowledge will be added to that now at hand.

AUTHOR ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The study discussed in this synthesis was performed under ACRP Project 11-03/Topic S03-19, “Airport Parking Reservation Systems and Techniques,” by a team of consultants from Steer Davies & Gleave, Inc. (hereafter “Steer”). Stephen D. Van Beek, Director at Steer, served as the principal investigator and a co-author of the report. Adrian Leung, Principal Consultant at Steer, served as the deputy principal investigator and a co-author of this report. Gurbani Sahai, Consultant at Steer, served as a supporting research analyst.

This project is thanks to the time and contributions of the U.S. airport staff who participated in the survey. The synthesis team would also like to give special acknowledgment to the airport staff who participated in the case example interviews, including Naveen Bandla of Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, Cody Bauman of Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport, Lori Schandel of Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport, Walter Krygowski of Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, and William E. Robinson of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

CONTENTS

Summary

Chapter 1 Introduction

1.1 Overview

1.2 Approach

Chapter 2 Literature Review Summary Findings

2.1 OBS and Parking Management

2.2 Customer Experience Benefits

2.3 Airport Revenue Strategies

2.4 Airport Capacity Challenges

Chapter 3 Survey Summary Findings

3.1 Survey Overview

3.2 Key Findings

Chapter 4 Airport Case Examples

4.1 Introduction and Case Example Findings

4.2 Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport

4.3 Dallas Fort Worth International Airport

4.4 Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport

4.5 Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport

4.6 Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport

Chapter 5 Conclusion and Future Research Needs

5.1 Background and Objective of Synthesis

5.2 Summary of Findings

5.3 Future Research

References

Acronyms and Abbreviations

Appendix A Annotated Bibliography

Appendix B Survey Analysis