Planning Airport Access in an Era of Low-Cost Airlines

Planning for future airport access should reflect the rise and prospective dominance of low-cost airlines. Air transport now serves a mass market, focused on costs. Increasingly, metropolitan airport passengers use multiple airports. Many airport employees ride public transportation to work. Together, these facts undermine the case for special-purpose, high-speed modes of airport access and argue for more cost-effective modes of public transport that distribute both passengers and employees effectively over metropolitan regions. While some extensions of municipal rail transit systems may be appropriate, planners should pay close attention to a range of rubber-tired, high-occupancy vehicles which can respond to the evolving needs of travelers and employees such as bus rapid transit.