Cost-Based Space Estimation in Passenger Terminals

Abstract

Passenger processing space estimations described in textbooks and guidebooks are based solely on peak passenger demand and personal space standards describing perceived passenger comfort. The economic aspects of facility sizing are disregarded by those methods. In this article, an analytical tool based on deterministic queuing theory is presented for determining optimal personal space, which minimizes total cost. Total cost is defined as the sum of the cost of constructing, operating, and maintaining (COM) the facility and the cost of passenger (user) inconvenience. While COM cost is derived as a function of the expected maximum queue length and personal space, passenger cost is defined as a function of average queue length and personal space. Application of the tool is demonstrated using a hypothetical data from a typical passenger check-in lobby. It is shown that optimal personal space is influenced less by unit user cost than by unit construction cost, even when scale economies exit. Moreover, the degree of elasticity and the optimal personal space are dependent on the cost functional form.