Intermodal integration in air transportation: status quo, motives and future developments

• Published in: Journal of transport geography 2011-11, Vol.19 (6), p.1187-1197
• Main Authors: Vespermann, Jan, Wald, Andreas
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Air transportation; Air vs. rail competition; Airport; Airport strategy; Airports; Aviation; Geography; Intermodal; Intermodal integration; Joints; Management and operations; Marketing; Passengers; Transport
• ISSN: 0966-6923; 1873-1236
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2011.05.003

► An analysis of the status quo of modal split and intermodal integration of 41 major airports. ► Major regional differences between American, Asian, and European Airports. ► Airports aim at increasing the share of high-occupancy access modes. ► Cluster analysis reveals different motives for intermodal integration. ► Provides best practice example for air-rail integration. Soaring air traffic, increasing urban expansion and airports operating at full capacity are reasons that have caused a discussion about improvements in airport landside access systems. One approach to better match customer demands and address airport congestion is to facilitate the intermodal integration of airports. Building on a survey on intermodal passenger air transportation, we elaborate on the current and future situation at major airports. Our findings indicate a high modal concentration and dependence on individual access modes. However, while airport managers intend to reduce the share of these modes, they plan to increase that of high-occupancy airport access modes. We analyze the underlying motives that cause airports to extend their connections to surface infrastructure. In a case study, we assess an intermodal best practice solution for the integration of air and rail.