Airport Layouts and Passenger Flows
Sep 14, 2009, 5:52 pm
#1
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Airport Layouts and Passenger Flows
Hey, everyone.
I have observed different airport layouts and passenger flows in the past years and noticed a few differences between airports in North America and Brazil. As I have been only to Canada, the US and Brazil, I'm curious to learn how it works in other countries. First I will state my perceptions, then I will post some pictures to illustrate what I mean and lastly I will put some questions. Please note that these are general perceptions and there may be actual variation from one airport to another.
United States (most airports):
Arrivals: DOMESTIC passengers walk out the aircraft through a jetway, which leads straight to the concourse. Connecting passengers go from gate to gate and don't have to go through sterile corridors. Passengers who have arrived in their final destination follow the signs to baggage claim/ground transportation and can access retail stores available in the concourse. Baggage claim area is usually open to non-passengers, so they can meet up with arriving passengers.
INTERNATIONAL arriving passengers walk out through the jetway, which leads to a small room with an elevator and escalators. All passengers have to go up one level and walk through a secure sterile section of corridors, which leads to the immigration booths. After that, passengers go down two levels, claim their luggage and clear customs. Connecting passengers leave their luggage on the baggage recheck desk, which is located near the custom desks.
Departures: BOARDING passengers access the jetway straight from the concourse and international and domestic passengers mingle, since there's no passport control for departing passengers.
Canada (major aiports only)
Works pretty much like US airports, but they do have passport control for international departures. There are also US pre-clearance facilities, which means that US-bound passengers clear immigration and customs before leaving Canada.
Brazil (major aiports only)
Arrivals: DOMESTIC passengers walk out the airplane through jetways, which lead to a main sterile corridor, located between the gates and the jetways. All passengers have to walk all the way to the end of that corridor, where they can choose to go down one level to baggage claim or re-enter the gate area through the transfers desk, for connecting flights. Passengers who have arrived in their final destination cannot buy anything from the concourse merchants, since retail stores are not accessible from the sterile corridor. Baggage claim area is restricted to passengers and is not open for non-passengers.
INTERNATIONAL passengers walk out the plane to the same sterile corridor located between the jetways and the gates and have to walk all the way to the other end of the terminal, where international connecting passengers have to clear security to access the gates and passengers whose final destination is Brazil have to go down one level and clear immigration. After that, they claim their bags and clear customs, which is located on the same level as immigration. Connecting passengers have to walk out the baggage claim area and find the airlines desks to recheck their luggage.
Departures: boarding passengers have to walk across the sterile corridor to access the jetways and eventually boarding passengers will interrupt the flow of arriving passengers or vice-versa. INTERNATIONAL passengers departing have to go through passport control booths and don't mingle with domestic departing passengers.
PICTURES
Gate G12 in MSP (United States). Note (on the left) how the jetway ends directly in the concourse and it is not separated from the gate.
© StreetView 2009
Sterile corridor in CNF (Brazil). Note the gates on the left and the jetways on the right.
© docpepz http://www.airliners.net/aviation-fo...d.main/154634/
Gates 24 and 24A in GRU (Brazil). Note how the gate is not directly connected to the jetways and there is a glass separation between them.
© StreetView 2009
QUESTIONS
How is it in your country, guys? Is it more like it works in the US or it looks more like Brazil? Pictures are very much appreciated.
For those who travel the most, which model do you think works best and which one is more common?
By the way, before anyone suggests that the model used in Brazil is this way because of the time when those terminals were built, I did some research and it turns out that most of the terminals in which that model has been adopted were built (or remodeled) less than 15 years ago.
I have observed different airport layouts and passenger flows in the past years and noticed a few differences between airports in North America and Brazil. As I have been only to Canada, the US and Brazil, I'm curious to learn how it works in other countries. First I will state my perceptions, then I will post some pictures to illustrate what I mean and lastly I will put some questions. Please note that these are general perceptions and there may be actual variation from one airport to another.
United States (most airports):
Arrivals: DOMESTIC passengers walk out the aircraft through a jetway, which leads straight to the concourse. Connecting passengers go from gate to gate and don't have to go through sterile corridors. Passengers who have arrived in their final destination follow the signs to baggage claim/ground transportation and can access retail stores available in the concourse. Baggage claim area is usually open to non-passengers, so they can meet up with arriving passengers.
INTERNATIONAL arriving passengers walk out through the jetway, which leads to a small room with an elevator and escalators. All passengers have to go up one level and walk through a secure sterile section of corridors, which leads to the immigration booths. After that, passengers go down two levels, claim their luggage and clear customs. Connecting passengers leave their luggage on the baggage recheck desk, which is located near the custom desks.
Departures: BOARDING passengers access the jetway straight from the concourse and international and domestic passengers mingle, since there's no passport control for departing passengers.
Canada (major aiports only)
Works pretty much like US airports, but they do have passport control for international departures. There are also US pre-clearance facilities, which means that US-bound passengers clear immigration and customs before leaving Canada.
Brazil (major aiports only)
Arrivals: DOMESTIC passengers walk out the airplane through jetways, which lead to a main sterile corridor, located between the gates and the jetways. All passengers have to walk all the way to the end of that corridor, where they can choose to go down one level to baggage claim or re-enter the gate area through the transfers desk, for connecting flights. Passengers who have arrived in their final destination cannot buy anything from the concourse merchants, since retail stores are not accessible from the sterile corridor. Baggage claim area is restricted to passengers and is not open for non-passengers.
INTERNATIONAL passengers walk out the plane to the same sterile corridor located between the jetways and the gates and have to walk all the way to the other end of the terminal, where international connecting passengers have to clear security to access the gates and passengers whose final destination is Brazil have to go down one level and clear immigration. After that, they claim their bags and clear customs, which is located on the same level as immigration. Connecting passengers have to walk out the baggage claim area and find the airlines desks to recheck their luggage.
Departures: boarding passengers have to walk across the sterile corridor to access the jetways and eventually boarding passengers will interrupt the flow of arriving passengers or vice-versa. INTERNATIONAL passengers departing have to go through passport control booths and don't mingle with domestic departing passengers.
PICTURES
Gate G12 in MSP (United States). Note (on the left) how the jetway ends directly in the concourse and it is not separated from the gate.
© StreetView 2009
Sterile corridor in CNF (Brazil). Note the gates on the left and the jetways on the right.
© docpepz http://www.airliners.net/aviation-fo...d.main/154634/
Gates 24 and 24A in GRU (Brazil). Note how the gate is not directly connected to the jetways and there is a glass separation between them.
© StreetView 2009
QUESTIONS
How is it in your country, guys? Is it more like it works in the US or it looks more like Brazil? Pictures are very much appreciated.
For those who travel the most, which model do you think works best and which one is more common?
By the way, before anyone suggests that the model used in Brazil is this way because of the time when those terminals were built, I did some research and it turns out that most of the terminals in which that model has been adopted were built (or remodeled) less than 15 years ago.
Sep 14, 2009, 7:25 pm
#2
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One difference between the US and some other countries involves screening of checked baggage (for bombs or other dangerous items).
In the US, checked baggage screening occurs after checking your baggage. If they need to look inside, you will not be available to give them the key or combination to open any locks on the baggage or watch them inspect it, which results in the issues with locking baggage, TSA locks, accidental incorrect repacking during screening, finger pointing in case of theft, etc..
In some other countries, you give baggage to be checked to a screener station who looks at it with an X-ray; they can ask you for the key or combination to open any locks if they want to look inside, since you are right there. After screening, they put tamper-evident tape on it to show that it has been screened and not opened afterward and give it back to you to check in at the airline desk. There sometimes is a wrapping service (full wrap with plastic wrap as an additional deterrent against or detection of theft) available for a fee there.
In the US, checked baggage screening occurs after checking your baggage. If they need to look inside, you will not be available to give them the key or combination to open any locks on the baggage or watch them inspect it, which results in the issues with locking baggage, TSA locks, accidental incorrect repacking during screening, finger pointing in case of theft, etc..
In some other countries, you give baggage to be checked to a screener station who looks at it with an X-ray; they can ask you for the key or combination to open any locks if they want to look inside, since you are right there. After screening, they put tamper-evident tape on it to show that it has been screened and not opened afterward and give it back to you to check in at the airline desk. There sometimes is a wrapping service (full wrap with plastic wrap as an additional deterrent against or detection of theft) available for a fee there.
Sep 14, 2009, 7:35 pm
#3
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One difference between the US and some other countries involves screening of checked baggage (for bombs or other dangerous items).
In the US, checked baggage screening occurs after checking your baggage. If they need to look inside, you will not be available to give them the key or combination to open any locks on the baggage or watch them inspect it, which results in the issues with locking baggage, TSA locks, accidental incorrect repacking during screening, finger pointing in case of theft, etc..
In some other countries, you give baggage to be checked to a screener station who looks at it with an X-ray; they can ask you for the key or combination to open any locks if they want to look inside, since you are right there. After screening, they put tamper-evident tape on it to show that it has been screened and not opened afterward and give it back to you to check in at the airline desk. There sometimes is a wrapping service (full wrap with plastic wrap as an additional deterrent against or detection of theft) available for a fee there.
In the US, checked baggage screening occurs after checking your baggage. If they need to look inside, you will not be available to give them the key or combination to open any locks on the baggage or watch them inspect it, which results in the issues with locking baggage, TSA locks, accidental incorrect repacking during screening, finger pointing in case of theft, etc..
In some other countries, you give baggage to be checked to a screener station who looks at it with an X-ray; they can ask you for the key or combination to open any locks if they want to look inside, since you are right there. After screening, they put tamper-evident tape on it to show that it has been screened and not opened afterward and give it back to you to check in at the airline desk. There sometimes is a wrapping service (full wrap with plastic wrap as an additional deterrent against or detection of theft) available for a fee there.
Sep 14, 2009, 7:52 pm
#4
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Most countries that I have visited by air (off the top of my head: UK, Ireland, Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea, Germany, France, Italy) segregate international departures from domestic departures.
The US is weird in that it has no immigration exit control: that function is handled by the carrier rather than by immigration agents. The US also has no concept of sterile transit from one international flight directly to another. Here's what I mean:
LAX-NRT-HKG (transiting in Japan): Passenger deplanes from their LAX-NRT flight through the segregated international arrivals corridor (i.e. the other side of the glass partition from the terminal). At some point before immigration and customs, there is another corridor marked "International Connections." Passenger goes down this corridor to a security checkpoint, gets screened, and walks out into the international departures area to catch their next flight. They have not legally entered Japan, so they do not go through customs or immigration, and their bags are checked straight through to their NRT-HKG flight.
NRT-LAX-GRU (transiting in the US): Passenger deplanes from their NRT-LAX flight into the international arrivals area. They go through US immigration's passport/visa check despite the fact that they do not intend to stay in the US for more than a few hours. They collect their checked bags and take their bags through a customs check. They then re-check their bags, go upstairs to the ticketing concourse, go through the TSA shoe carnival and finally catch their LAX-GRU flight.
On the other hand, the US system makes a domestic-to-international connection much easier. If you fly OKA-NRT-LAX, you have to leave the secure domestic area at NRT and go through both security and immigration exit control to get to the international departures area for your NRT-LAX flight. If you fly LAS-LAX-NRT, you never have to leave the secure area at LAX unless you are forced to change terminals, which saves some time.
JAL has "international" flights from Osaka and Nagoya to NRT for this reason: passengers clear exit control at their origin and the flight arrives at NRT as an international arrival so that passengers can use the transit channel rather than getting the run-around through international departures at NRT.
The US is weird in that it has no immigration exit control: that function is handled by the carrier rather than by immigration agents. The US also has no concept of sterile transit from one international flight directly to another. Here's what I mean:
LAX-NRT-HKG (transiting in Japan): Passenger deplanes from their LAX-NRT flight through the segregated international arrivals corridor (i.e. the other side of the glass partition from the terminal). At some point before immigration and customs, there is another corridor marked "International Connections." Passenger goes down this corridor to a security checkpoint, gets screened, and walks out into the international departures area to catch their next flight. They have not legally entered Japan, so they do not go through customs or immigration, and their bags are checked straight through to their NRT-HKG flight.
NRT-LAX-GRU (transiting in the US): Passenger deplanes from their NRT-LAX flight into the international arrivals area. They go through US immigration's passport/visa check despite the fact that they do not intend to stay in the US for more than a few hours. They collect their checked bags and take their bags through a customs check. They then re-check their bags, go upstairs to the ticketing concourse, go through the TSA shoe carnival and finally catch their LAX-GRU flight.
On the other hand, the US system makes a domestic-to-international connection much easier. If you fly OKA-NRT-LAX, you have to leave the secure domestic area at NRT and go through both security and immigration exit control to get to the international departures area for your NRT-LAX flight. If you fly LAS-LAX-NRT, you never have to leave the secure area at LAX unless you are forced to change terminals, which saves some time.
JAL has "international" flights from Osaka and Nagoya to NRT for this reason: passengers clear exit control at their origin and the flight arrives at NRT as an international arrival so that passengers can use the transit channel rather than getting the run-around through international departures at NRT.
Sep 14, 2009, 8:03 pm
#5
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Most countries that I have visited by air (off the top of my head: UK, Ireland, Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea, Germany, France, Italy) segregate international departures from domestic departures.
The US is weird in that it has no immigration exit control: that function is handled by the carrier rather than by immigration agents. The US also has no concept of sterile transit from one international flight directly to another.
The US is weird in that it has no immigration exit control: that function is handled by the carrier rather than by immigration agents. The US also has no concept of sterile transit from one international flight directly to another.
I don't mind the US's lack of exit controls but I positively despise the lack of transit. It is a moronic policy that provides no benefits to the country but does a great job of annoying potential travelers and costing the airlines money in the form of lost business and costs passengers money in the form of unnecessary visas.
Sep 14, 2009, 8:36 pm
#6
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One point to mention. US airports will often have different methods of handling international arrivals. For instance, MSP has a corridor system very similar to the photo posted of Brazil (actually starting a few gates down from where the OP took that photo), where international passengers as directed (by a series of locked doors) into the customs area, while departing passengers, and passengers arriving on a domestic flight but at an international configuration gate (happened to me twice) go straight between the gate and jet way. Larger airports will have full terminals dedicated to international travel and thereby not have to mess around with special hallways. While, smaller airports many only have one or two gates for international arrivals, so the customs process happens almost instantly after exiting the jet way.
Also should be noted, that if the international arriving passenger is connecting to another domestic flight, they will need to go through TSA.
Also should be noted, that if the international arriving passenger is connecting to another domestic flight, they will need to go through TSA.
Sep 14, 2009, 8:58 pm
#7
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Regarding International-to-International transit, USA doesn't have an 'international' hub, much like LHR, or FRA or NRT or HKG, etc. That's because USA is much bigger country than these countries and there tend to be a lot more international-to-international transfer in these places than here in USA. Hence not enough such traffic to make it worthwhile having int'l-to-int'l facility at most international airports.
Of course it's a moot point when the US gov't insists on knowing everyone who is flying into (or even flying through USA's airspace) USA, and thus force everyone to go through I&C, regardless of their final destination. (Before 9/11, such transits could happen without officially entering USA, although it requires extra steps such as being escorted from a special facility to the outgoing gate).
Of course it's a moot point when the US gov't insists on knowing everyone who is flying into (or even flying through USA's airspace) USA, and thus force everyone to go through I&C, regardless of their final destination. (Before 9/11, such transits could happen without officially entering USA, although it requires extra steps such as being escorted from a special facility to the outgoing gate).
Sep 14, 2009, 9:25 pm
#8
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Regarding International-to-International transit, USA doesn't have an 'international' hub, much like LHR, or FRA or NRT or HKG, etc. That's because USA is much bigger country than these countries and there tend to be a lot more international-to-international transfer in these places than here in USA. Hence not enough such traffic to make it worthwhile having int'l-to-int'l facility at most international airports.
Sep 14, 2009, 9:26 pm
#9
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Some badly designed airports in the US require an international arriving passenger to go through security screening after clearing customs even if that is his/her final destination, because the only way out of the airport is through the screened area. Less convenient and less secure.
Sep 14, 2009, 9:30 pm
#10
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Sorry.
Last edited by joejones; Sep 14, 2009 at 9:30 pm Reason: never mind
Sep 14, 2009, 9:32 pm
#11
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panama and costa rica, you get out of the plane go to your connecting gate (costa rica is not a hub ..panama very much is)
mexico...weird arrangement......you go through immigration at MEX......then you do customs at your final destination
and well....there is Venezuela's method on departure (my brother told me about it)
the militars go on the plane.....doing a final 'passport check'......then if you are 'lucky' they call you up.....and you have to go down to the tarmac...........so that they go through your suitcase contents with you...in case they find anything suspicious.
mexico...weird arrangement......you go through immigration at MEX......then you do customs at your final destination
and well....there is Venezuela's method on departure (my brother told me about it)
the militars go on the plane.....doing a final 'passport check'......then if you are 'lucky' they call you up.....and you have to go down to the tarmac...........so that they go through your suitcase contents with you...in case they find anything suspicious.
Last edited by wolfie_cr; Sep 14, 2009 at 9:44 pm
Sep 14, 2009, 9:58 pm
#12
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These are the main reasons the flows vary so much between the USA and other places.
I don't mind the US's lack of exit controls but I positively despise the lack of transit. It is a moronic policy that provides no benefits to the country but does a great job of annoying potential travelers and costing the airlines money in the form of lost business and costs passengers money in the form of unnecessary visas.
I don't mind the US's lack of exit controls but I positively despise the lack of transit. It is a moronic policy that provides no benefits to the country but does a great job of annoying potential travelers and costing the airlines money in the form of lost business and costs passengers money in the form of unnecessary visas.
Sep 14, 2009, 10:58 pm
#13
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As several people have already indicated, I doubt that any US carrier has a significant percentage of their passengers making international to international connections, probably less than 1%. To redesign an airport to accomodate 1% or less of its incoming passengers is, in my opinion, not "moronic," especially if it generates a significant decrease in convenience for the other 99%. I doubt that US carriers lose much business because of this policy.
Sep 15, 2009, 6:10 am
#14
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LAX-NRT-HKG (transiting in Japan): Passenger deplanes from their LAX-NRT flight through the segregated international arrivals corridor (i.e. the other side of the glass partition from the terminal). At some point before immigration and customs, there is another corridor marked "International Connections." Passenger goes down this corridor to a security checkpoint, gets screened, and walks out into the international departures area to catch their next flight. They have not legally entered Japan, so they do not go through customs or immigration, and their bags are checked straight through to their NRT-HKG flight.
JAL has "international" flights from Osaka and Nagoya to NRT for this reason: passengers clear exit control at their origin and the flight arrives at NRT as an international arrival so that passengers can use the transit channel rather than getting the run-around through international departures at NRT.
JAL has "international" flights from Osaka and Nagoya to NRT for this reason: passengers clear exit control at their origin and the flight arrives at NRT as an international arrival so that passengers can use the transit channel rather than getting the run-around through international departures at NRT.
By the way, how is the gate arrangement in Japan? Do they always have the sterile glass corridors between gates and jetways, like those pictures from Brazil or they have a level dedicated to immigration, like the USA? And for domestic flights and connections? Is it more like the picture of MSP (i.e. no sterile corridor)?
Sep 15, 2009, 6:32 am
#15
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One point to mention. US airports will often have different methods of handling international arrivals. For instance, MSP has a corridor system very similar to the photo posted of Brazil (actually starting a few gates down from where the OP took that photo), where international passengers as directed (by a series of locked doors) into the customs area, while departing passengers, and passengers arriving on a domestic flight but at an international configuration gate (happened to me twice) go straight between the gate and jet way. Larger airports will have full terminals dedicated to international travel and thereby not have to mess around with special hallways. While, smaller airports many only have one or two gates for international arrivals, so the customs process happens almost instantly after exiting the jet way.