Every year, the holiday season brings a tide of air travelers surging to airports across the United States. Airlines for America, an airline industry association, predicted record travel in the months of December and January, with 50 million passengers expected to travel through U.S. airports. This influx of air travelers, coupled with the overall increase in air travel in the last few years, exposes millions of travelers to America’s desirable and undesirable airports. The desirable airports have evolved to accommodate the increase in air passenger volume. This increase in volume, driven by larger modern aircraft, is noticed at security processing and puts additional strain on parking, curbside drop-off, check-in, and waiting areas at the gate. The evolution of America’s desirable airports has been driven by intentional design addressing passenger volume in these key areas.
The average airport terminal in the United States is 40 years old. Nearly all airports in America were designed and built before the increased security standards established by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Of the 50 largest airports in the United States, a list that includes Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Chicago O’Hare International, Miami International, and Los Angeles International Airport, the average age is 82 years.
Airline travel has increased by nearly 50% in the last two decades. Yet, in that same period, no new major airports were built in the United States. Denver International Airport, the last large airport built in the United States, opened in February of 1995, six years before the increased security protocols launched in response to 9/11. Today, Denver International is one of the busiest airports in the world, hosting nearly 70 million passengers in 2022. There has not been a single major airport designed and built in its entirety after 9/11. This means the 50 largest airports in America are processing more than 700 million passengers annually through mostly outdated, retrofitted, and sometimes redesigned infrastructure.
" }The proposed security checkpoint overlooks the check-in counters at IAH Terminal B.
Modern security requirements demand a larger footprint of space for specifically designed security machines such as the newest CT scanners, which look like miniature jet engines and can take up close to 200 square feet per machine, multiplied by upwards of five machines per security area, totaling more than 1,000 square feet. This is the equivalent of a two-car garage at every security processing area, just for the baggage scanners. America’s oldest airports, limited by outdated design, are often unable to accommodate such a large footprint for today’s heavy security equipment.
Addressing these spatial constraints is the focus of the design teams of Stantec and Grimshaw, who have only three years to expand Terminal B at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, which presents a significant scheduling and construction challenge. Limited by dimensional restrictions and antiquated architecture, the designers opted to lift the entire security processing area off the ground floor of the terminal and into a vessel-like structure suspended near the terminal's ceiling. This design solution more than doubles the space available for security processing, increasing the number of check-in counters from 12 to 24 and the number of security lanes from four to 14.
" }A rendering of the newly redesigned and expanded security area for Houston’s IAH Terminal B.
The age and design of many major airports in the United States may be a significant factor in air passenger processing delays and terminal congestion. Demand for air travel has increased over the last twenty years, and recent data shows no signs of cooling demand. Airlines have a strong financial incentive to monetize the increased demand, yet they face limited options to capture the influx of interested air travelers. Adding new routes or additional flights to existing routes is limited by the number of operational runways at existing major airports. Faced with these constraints, airlines are moving to add larger aircraft to their inventory and deploying those aircraft to add capacity to their most popular routes.
United Airlines, the world’s largest airline by fleet size and passenger destinations, announced plans to purchase more than 100 high-volume aircraft. Andrew Nocella, United’s Chief Commercial Officer, cited limitations of airport runways and terminal gates as the primary factor behind their decision to invest in higher volume aircraft.
United aims to increase passenger volume by 40% over the next three years by swapping smaller aircraft for newer, larger aircraft from Boeing and Airbus. Fifty of the more than 100 high-volume aircraft purchased by United are Boeing’s new 787-9. United will swap older Boeing 767s for the newer 787-9 Dreamliner, adding 129 seats to hundreds of routes worldwide.
" }IAH Terminal B’s redesign aims to utilize every inch of usable space within its tightly constrained footprint.
The addition of higher-volume aircraft helps address the challenge of insufficient runways and terminal gates. Major airlines' investments have increased passenger capacity on existing air routes, but this increased passenger volume has also significantly contributed to increased airport congestion. The trickle-down effect of adding 129 seats to hundreds of flights around the country impacts everything from airport parking to inter-terminal transportation, check-in and security processing, terminal seating, and more.
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is one of the fastest-growing airports in America. The Stantec design team is again tackling passenger congestion with the West Gate Terminal Expansion Project. Located just 160 miles from George Bush Intercontinental Airport, where Stantec also addressed similar challenges, this project adds 84,500 square feet across three levels, including three new gates, expanded gate seating areas, retail and dining spaces, and other passenger amenities, all while keeping the terminal fully operational during construction.
" }A rendering of the West Gate Terminal Expansion at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
As demand for air travel continues to grow, airports around the country must address outdated designs and invest in the overall passenger experience. This investment in terminal redesign (or terminal expansion) can add capacity throughout the entire passenger experience, from parking and curbside drop-off to baggage pick-up. Increased demand for air travel will be met with increased competition between airports, and the country’s newest terminals and hubs may be better positioned to meet future demand.
A version of this article was originally published by Page, now Stantec.
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