Stand in line at any airport in America during the holiday rush, and you’re bound to hear fellow travelers complaining about late flights, cancellations and missed connections.  Delays have reached unprecedented levels in 2007, promising to make it one of the worst years in history for on-time arrivals.  And, demand is not expected to subside anytime soon.  The Federal Aviation Administration estimates there will be 924 million passengers getting on planes by 2012, up from an estimated 750 million in 2007.

To find out how travelers themselves might fix the U.S. ailing air transportation system, the HNTB Companies commissioned a survey of more than 1,000 Americans, asking them how their wait at the gate could best be improved.  Topping the list: greater efficiency and airport expansions.

When asked what could make their airport experiences more enjoyable, 59 percent favored more efficient security and check-in facilities while 33 percent said more efficient movement of people within the airport.

“Efficiency is one of the biggest problems airports face today, and it’s not just from increased demand,” said Angela Gittens, HNTB Vice President of airport business services.  “Airports are getting squeezed from several directions: the carry-on restrictions require more space for checked baggage, the need for more security screenings and processing requires more space and the need for more amenities requires more space.  To restore efficiency, airports need to change they way they are arranged.”

After greater efficiency, survey respondents said they would welcome more in-gate amenities.  Thirty-eight percent said their wait at the gate would be better if they could relax in lounge chairs or watch TV.  That was followed by 22 percent who said they would like more food and gift shops.

“This finding makes a lot of sense,” Gittens said.  “Comfort features like more food facilities are necessary because many airlines no longer serve meals.”

Another 19 percent of those surveyed asked for more business services, such as laptop recharging stations or Wi-Fi.

“The need to arrive early affects business people, too,” Gittens said.  “They want to stay productive while they wait.  That means having Internet access or plug-ins for cell phones, laptops and BlackBerries.”

A harder-to-please 12 percent of respondents said none of the choices would make their experiences more enjoyable.*

With delays the rule rather than the exception, the survey went on to ask, “Which of the following, if any, would most help reduce airport flight delays?” Almost half of the respondents (44 percent) said remodeling and expanding airport facilities to include more runways, more terminals and wider concourses would help.

“Until recently, the increased passenger demand had been absorbed through the airline industry’s seat and yield management systems.  Now the only way to add capacity is to add more flights and more aircraft,” said Tom Rossbach, HNTB director of aviation architecture.  “As a result, airport terminals and concourses are more crowded than ever.  To accommodate the additional passenger growth, aircraft gates and runways need to be designed and constructed to meet demand.”

According to Rossbach, several airports have added, or are in the process of adding, new runways or runway extensions.  They include Seattle-Tacoma, Boston Logan, Chicago O’Hare and Los Angeles.  Airports, which recently have completed or will be expanding terminals, include Dallas/Fort Worth, Atlanta, Chicago, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City and San Diego.

Besides expansion and remodeling, nearly one-quarter of survey respondents (24 percent) thought more service to small, regional airports would reduce congestion and shorten delays while another 14 percent voted for fewer scheduled flights.  Still, 18 percent of respondents said none of those improvements would help.

※ Percentages equal more than 100 because respondents were allowed to choose more than one answer.

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