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A Guidebook for Airport Winter Operations (2015)

Chapter: Chapter 7 - Winter Operations Baseline and Performance Targets

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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 7 - Winter Operations Baseline and Performance Targets." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2015. A Guidebook for Airport Winter Operations. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22221.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 7 - Winter Operations Baseline and Performance Targets." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2015. A Guidebook for Airport Winter Operations. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22221.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 7 - Winter Operations Baseline and Performance Targets." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2015. A Guidebook for Airport Winter Operations. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22221.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 7 - Winter Operations Baseline and Performance Targets." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2015. A Guidebook for Airport Winter Operations. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22221.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 7 - Winter Operations Baseline and Performance Targets." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2015. A Guidebook for Airport Winter Operations. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22221.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 7 - Winter Operations Baseline and Performance Targets." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2015. A Guidebook for Airport Winter Operations. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22221.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 7 - Winter Operations Baseline and Performance Targets." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2015. A Guidebook for Airport Winter Operations. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22221.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 7 - Winter Operations Baseline and Performance Targets." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2015. A Guidebook for Airport Winter Operations. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22221.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 7 - Winter Operations Baseline and Performance Targets." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2015. A Guidebook for Airport Winter Operations. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22221.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 7 - Winter Operations Baseline and Performance Targets." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2015. A Guidebook for Airport Winter Operations. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22221.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 7 - Winter Operations Baseline and Performance Targets." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2015. A Guidebook for Airport Winter Operations. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/22221.
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40 Winter Operations Baseline and Performance Targets After setting winter operations program goals and objectives, and identifying associated APIs and performance measures, a performance and cost baseline can be established to under- stand existing operating capabilities and set performance targets. A baseline can also be used to compare and evaluate the effectiveness of newly implemented operational strategies and tactics. This chapter presents considerations for documenting a performance and cost baseline, as well as setting performance targets once current performance capabilities and limitations are understood. 7.1 Document Performance Baseline Available data associated with defined APIs and performance measures and data collected during previous winter seasons can be used to establish a performance baseline. However, the data should reflect the outcomes of current equipment and operational practices. Data associ- ated with winter operations practices no longer in use offer no benefit. If no data were recorded for certain APIs during previous seasons, do not allow this lack of data to prevent moving for- ward with efforts to improve winter operations performance. Use the upcoming winter season to collect and document data that can then serve as a baseline for future seasons. Refer to the last section of Chapter 6 on data collection and reporting. 7.2 Associate Performance with Historical Winter Events For performance and cost baseline data to yield their greatest value, associate them with his- torical winter events occurring immediately prior to and at the time the data were collected. The recommended meteorological data and winter storm event recurrence interval determinations described in Chapter 5 can support the evaluation of performance and cost baseline data and offer meaningful context. This effort can, in turn, help an airport operator and its stakeholders define target threshold winter-event conditions, as described later in this chapter. 7.2.1 ATC Runway Closure Duration The duration of ATC runway closures due to pavement surface conditions and/or snow and ice removal operations is an effective API to use in establishing a performance baseline. As an API, ATC runway closure duration can be associated with SRE runway occupancy time and past winter event condition data following the steps identified in this section. This process can illus- trate the general relationship between winter event conditions and SRE runway occupancy time, potentially supporting the estimation of SRE investment necessary to reduce runway occupancy C H A P T E R 7

Winter Operations Baseline and Performance Targets 41 time as described in Chapter 13. Additionally, the process can illustrate the general relationship between SRE runway occupancy time and ATC runway closure duration, poten- tially revealing opportunities to improve existing proce- dural or communication inefficiencies between the airport operator and ATC. Considering only data collected within the period of time that best reflects current SRE capabilities, implement the following steps: 1. Review operations logs to identify runway closures over the course of a winter storm event. If multiple runways were in use, identify and separately document the data for each runway in a basic spreadsheet. 2. Identify the date, ATC runway closure time, reopening time, and closure duration (in minutes) for each runway. 3. Identify the time SRE entered and exited the runway sep- arately from the time when ATC closed and reopened the runway. 4. Calculate the total and average closure duration for each runway during the event (see Table 7-1). 5. Identify the winter event in the list of historical win- ter storm events summaries (if prepared as described in Chapter 5). Add data for event duration, snow type (e.g., dry or wet), total event snowfall, and average event intensity along with recurrence interval data for each parameter to the spreadsheet (see Table 7-2). The five steps described above should be repeated for additional winter events that led to runway closures dur- ing the historical period of review. Ideally, data is assembled for five or more seasons (barring significant changes to snow removal operations during that period). More data will enable increased understanding of the relationships between the data sets. The data in the spreadsheet can then be sorted by any column to assess event parameter magni- tude on runway closure time (see Table 7-3). 7.2.2 Aircraft Delays Attributable to ATC Runway Closure Duration During 2013, approximately 36.5 percent of flight delays reported by airlines were attributable to weather (13). Dur- ing the winter months of 2013, runway closures were one of many causes of aircraft arrival and departure delays during winter weather events. Runway closures typically occur for SRE operations and subsequent pavement friction testing. Flight cancellations also present costs. However, because many airlines proactively cancel flights ahead of pending winter storm events to reduce air traffic into and out of the impacted airports, it is difficult to attribute cancellations to runway closures. Source: M-B Companies, Inc. BEST PRACTICE—Log of Winter Event Activities Certificated airports are required to maintain a daily log of airport activities. Even with the addi- tional workload created by a snow or ice event, it is important to maintain a detailed and accurate log of activities during a storm. General aviation airports also benefit from a detailed record of snow removal activities. A storm summary is often attached to the daily log to summarize important data related to the storm, including the amount and type of snow received, snow removal meth- odology, amount of chemicals used, frequency of runway closures, airport capacity, deicing perfor- mance, and notable events. An internal storm-to- storm comparison is likely the best benchmarking opportunity available to airport operators. The daily log becomes a short-term and long-term data source for performance review. A daily log becomes a quick reference guide when respond- ing to tenant questions during winter event per- formance review meetings and can be researched when planning a response to a forecasted snow or ice event. References to decisions and perfor- mance during previous events of a similar nature may streamline the planning process for the forth- coming event. Daily log information and event summaries are excellent end-of-season resources for SICC review when considering possible revi- sions to the SICP.

42 A Guidebook for Airport Winter Operations Winter Event Date Runway 10L Runway 10R All Runways A TC C lo su re T im e SR E En tr an ce SR E Ex it SR E R un w ay O cc up an cy T im e (m in ) A TC R eo pe ni ng T im e A TC C lo su re D ur at io n (m in ) A TC C lo su re T im e SR E En tr an ce SR E Ex it SR E R un w ay O cc up an cy T im e (m in ) A TC R eo pe ni ng T im e A TC C lo su re D ur at io n (m in ) A TC C lo su re D ur at io n (m in ) 1/17/2011 6:25 6:28 6:53 25 7:00 35 7:20 7:22 7:55 33 8:02 42 77 8:17 8:20 8:44 24 8:48 31 9:00 9:08 9:36 28 9:38 38 69 9:38 9:54 10:20 26 10:25 47 10:41 10:48 11:16 28 11:18 37 84 11:32 11:38 11:57 19 11:59 27 12:22 12:30 12:55 25 12:57 35 62 13:26 13:28 13:52 24 13:55 29 15:05 15:06 15:32 26 15:37 32 61 16:00 16:01 16:20 19 16:22 22 17:00 17:01 17:23 22 17:28 28 50 Average Event ATC Closure Duration (min) 32 35 34 Number of Event ATC Runway Closures 6 6 12 Table 7-1. Example summary of ATC runway closure data for a winter storm event. Winter Event Date Runway 10L Runway 10R All Runways Event Duration Total Event Snowfall Average Event Intensity A TC C lo su re T im e SR E En tr an ce SR E Ex it SR E R un w ay O cc up an cy T im e (m in ) A TC R eo pe ni ng T im e A TC C lo su re D ur at io n (m in ) A TC C lo su re T im e SR E En tr an ce SR E Ex it SR E R un w ay O cc up an cy T im e (m in ) A TC R eo pe ni ng T im e A TC C lo su re D ur at io n (m in ) A TC C lo su re D ur at io n (m in ) H ou rs R ec ur re nc e In te rv al Sn ow T yp e D ep th (i n. ) R ec ur re nc e In te rv al In ch es / H ou r R ec ur re nc e In te rv al 1/17/2011 6:25 6:28 6:53 25 7:00 35 7:20 7:22 7:55 33 8:02 42 77 11 1.1 Dry 4.2 2.7 0.38 0.9 8:17 8:20 8:44 24 8:48 31 9:00 9:08 9:36 28 9:38 38 69 9:38 9:54 10:20 26 10:25 47 10:41 10:48 11:16 28 11:18 37 84 11:32 11:38 11:57 19 11:59 27 12:22 12:30 12:55 25 12:57 35 62 13:26 13:28 13:52 24 13:55 29 15:05 15:06 15:32 26 15:37 32 61 16:00 16:01 16:20 19 16:22 22 17:00 17:01 17:23 22 17:28 28 50 Average Event ATC Closure Duration (min) 32 35 34 Number of Event ATC Runway Closures 6 6 12 Table 7-2. Example summary of ATC runway closure and meteorological data for a winter storm event.

Winter Operations Baseline and Performance Targets 43 Winter conditions on pavement surfaces other than runways may contribute to ground delays during aircraft taxi-in and taxi-out. These are more difficult to measure and attribute to SRE performance. This is especially true if ramp and apron pavement snow removal responsibilities are shared among multiple parties. Understanding the nature and impact of runway closures on flight delays will enable airports to be more informed as they engage their stakeholders about reducing SRE runway occupancy time during winter weather events. This can be accomplished by estimating aircraft delays attrib- utable to winter weather event runway closures, and then calculating associated aircraft and passenger delay costs. Predicting specific arrival and departure delays attributable to winter weather event driven runway closures requires the use of delay simulation models or an analysis of past delay data. ACRP guidance on delay types, measurement, and simulation can be found in ACRP Report 104: Defining and Measuring Aircraft Delay and Airport Capacity Thresholds and ACRP Report 79: Evaluating Airfield Capacity. Models such as the Total Airspace and Airport Modeler and SIMMOD are widely used, while the Runway Delay Simulation Model, the Airfield Delay Simulation Model, and the Air Traf- fic Optimization Fast Time Simulator are also being used (14, p. 43). The models use input data including aircraft flight schedule (often represent- ing the busiest operational day) and runway closure data, including closure frequency and durations, associated with specific winter storm event con- ditions. Simulations can be specifically tailored to runway configurations, runway use (e.g., arrival only, departure only, mixed, etc.), demand levels, and target runway closure times. The end products are high-resolution simula- tions of the delays experienced during runway closures due to snow removal operations. However, preparing and running the simulations is time con- suming and expensive. This technique is most feasible at large airports when significant expenditures on a new or substantially expanded SRE fleet are being considered, likely requiring external support. Winter Event Date Average Event ATC Runway Closure Duration (min) Number of Event ATC Runway Closures Event Duration Total Event Snowfall Average Event Intensity H ou rs R ec ur re nc e In te rv al Sn ow T yp e D ep th (i n. ) R ec ur re nc e In te rv al In ch es / H ou r R ec ur re nc e In te rv al 3/3/2011 71 17 14 4.0 Wet 9.9 10 0.71 7.0 1/23/2011 44 16 13 1.3 Dry 5.1 3.4 0.39 1.0 1/17/2011 34 12 11 1.1 Dry 4.2 2.7 0.38 0.9 12/11/2010 28 6 4 0.8 Wet 1.3 1.1 0.33 0.7 2/14/2011 23 3 2 0.6 Dry 0.9 0.8 0.45 1.3 12/22/2011 24 2 3 0.7 Dry 0.7 0.7 0.23 0.6 Table 7-3. Example summary of ATC runway closure and meteorological data for multiple winter storm events sorted by total event snowfall recurrence interval.

44 A Guidebook for Airport Winter Operations A less technical (and likely less accurate) alternative to modeling delays attributable to runway snow removal operations involves developing rough estimates using historical operations data. Aircraft delay data sources include, but are not limited to, the following: • FAA ATCT/Airport Operations Logs: FAA ATCT and/or airport operations logs often provide useful historical aircraft delay data resulting from snow removal operations. This data source is best suited for general aviation up to medium-sized airports with ATCTs. However, the quality of ATCT and airport operations records may vary by location. • U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S.DOT), Research and Innova- tive Technology Administration (RITA) TranStats On-Time Performance Database: The RITA Bureau of Transportation Statistics maintains an extensive database of data, including historical on-time performance data, reported by air carriers. The RITA TranStats On-Time Performance data table allows a user to filter data for a number of fields including time period (e.g., month), origin or destination airport, airline, departure and arrival delay minutes, and cause of delay (e.g., weather) to name a few. However, delay data is only recorded for delays that occur in excess of 15 minutes. Recent delays can be compared to snow removal operations logs to identify when snow removal operations contributed to the delay. TranStats data are complex and likely require staff training or external assistance to extract the desired information. The database is available at: http://www.transtats.bts.gov/Fields.asp?Table_ID=236. Despite the volume of delay data that may be available for historical flight operations, sort- ing through it to assemble data corresponding to winter storm events when runways were closed may be challenging. There may be no means to differentiate the cause of late-arriving aircraft. For example, a delay record coded as a non-extreme weather-related National Avia- tion System delay may have been attributable to weather occurring at the departure airport rather than the destination airport. Aircraft departure delays, if tracked by the airport or ATCT, may be difficult to attribute to runway closure time, as well. Departure delays are commonly attributable to circumstances within an airline’s control: ramp and centralized aircraft deicing operations congestion; inadequate coordination between airlines, deicing vendors, airport operations, and the ATCT; and missed deicer holdover times requiring repeated deicing. Understanding that there are limitations with using available data, a rough estimate of flight delays attributable to runway closures during winter event conditions can be prepared by building upon the three steps used in the example for preparing a runway closure dura- tion performance baseline. This process is best suited for hub airports and airports with substantial cargo traffic. It is less applicable to smaller airports where runway closures affect fewer flight operations. Similarly, airports without scheduled commercial service may find the approach of limited value because of the potential lack of delay data. (Note: this example process can also be used to support the estimation of SRE investment to reduce runway occupancy time as described in Chapter 13.) The additional steps for estimating flight delays include the following: 1. For each identified winter event during which runway closures were quantified, obtain and review the planned flight schedule for that date, and records of actual arrival and departure times. Estimate the number of delays associated with each closure. 2. Estimate the number of delays associated with each event and document in the spreadsheet as shown on Table 7-4.

Winter Operations Baseline and Performance Targets 45 7.3 Document Cost Baseline The fiscal pressures facing every airport and stakeholder drive the need for financial account- ability and cost efficiency. This, in turn, drives the need to establish and document a cost baseline for current operations. Like the performance baseline, a cost baseline will help in the assessment of future changes to a winter operations program. The cost baseline should not only include the airport operator’s equipment and operating costs but also, where possible, airline and passenger delay costs driven by the airport operator’s winter operations performance. General consider- ations related to documenting these costs are described further in this section. 7.3.1 Airport Winter Operations Costs It is important to understand the cost of a current SRE fleet in terms that are relevant to the decision-making process, including decisions to replace equipment or invest in additional equipment. If airside and landside costs are currently tracked separately, keep the costs separate throughout the following process. Annualized Capital Cost For each piece of SRE, calculate the annualized capital cost as illustrated in Figure 7-1. Although no simple formula for establishing a lifetime cost will suffice for all cases, a combina- tion of past experience with similar equipment, peer input, and manufacturer data can be used. FAA established that the nor- mal useful life for SRE is about 10 years, although equipment can be maintained for longer periods (15). A simple spread- sheet can be used to track the aggregate annualized capital cost of the SRE fleet. Identify each piece of significant equipment in a column header, and then enter the annualized capital cost for each year of useful life in the rows below with each row signifying a year. As each piece of significant equipment is acquired or retired, update the spreadsheet to reflect the new Winter Event Date Average Event ATC Runway Closure Duration (min) Number of Event ATC Runway Closures Estimated Aircraft Delayed/ATC Runway Closure Event Duration Total Event Snowfall Average Event Intensity H ou rs R ec ur re nc e In te rv al Sn ow T yp e D ep th (i n. ) R ec ur re nc e In te rv al In ch es / H ou r R ec ur re nc e In te rv al 3/3/2011 71 17 12 14 4.0 Wet 9.9 10 0.71 7.0 1/23/2011 44 16 7 13 1.3 Dry 5.1 3.4 0.39 1.0 1/17/2011 34 12 6 11 1.1 Dry 4.2 2.7 0.38 0.9 12/11/2010 28 6 5 4 0.8 Wet 1.3 1.1 0.33 0.7 2/14/2011 23 3 4 2 0.6 Dry 0.9 0.8 0.45 1.3 12/22/2011 24 2 4 3 0.7 Dry 0.7 0.7 0.23 0.6 Table 7-4. Example summary of ATC runway closure, estimated aircraft delay, and meteorological data for multiple winter storm events sorted by total event snowfall recurrence interval. Source: Gresham, Smith and Partners

46 A Guidebook for Airport Winter Operations fleet make-up. For any given year, the current annualized capital cost of all the significant SRE can be found by totaling across all entries in the row representing the year of interest. Annual Operations and Maintenance Cost Because the number and duration of winter events in any given winter season is variable, and SRE is used only intermittently, actual annual SRE usage can vary substantially year to year. Likewise, the annual cost of operating and maintaining the SRE will vary. Thus, multiple years of operating cost data are needed (up to 10 years is ideal) to develop a reasonable annual average estimate. However, these costs should reflect the current winter operations program. Operations and maintenance costs may include: • Wages and benefits (full-time and seasonal hourly employees); • Meals, if provided; • Lodging, if provided; • Fuel, oils, and lubricants; • Routine consumables (e.g., filters, wipers, etc.); • Periodic replacement parts (e.g., broom cassettes, plow moldboard cutting edges, tires, etc.); • Chemical deicers and sand; and • Contractor snow removal and/or melting. Equivalent Annual Cost Equivalent annual cost will facilitate a comparison of air- port winter operations baseline costs to costs for proposed changes in equipment or tactics. It may also facilitate the estimation of potential benefits. The method of calculating equivalent annual cost is shown in Figure 7-2. Figure 7-1. Example calculation of annualized capital cost. BEST PRACTICE—Computerized Maintenance Management System Airport operators should utilize a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) or procure and operate fleet management computer software. Computerized systems streamline main- tenance activities on a per-vehicle basis. The use of vehicle mileage or engine hours as the primary consideration for vehicle replacement is no longer cost effective. Actual maintenance and repair costs provide far better justification when determining whether or not to keep or replace a vehicle. Figure 7-2. Calculation of equivalent annual cost.

Winter Operations Baseline and Performance Targets 47 7.3.2 Airline Delay Costs While unavoidable to a certain extent, aircraft flight delays present real costs to airlines, com- mercial and private operators, traveling passengers, and the U.S. economy. The U.S. Travel Asso- ciation, a national, non-profit organization representing all components of the travel industry, determined that every hour a flight is delayed costs the U.S. economy an average of $3,300 in passenger-related economic activity (16). The FAA Office of IP&A estimated fiscal year (FY) 2014 average hourly aircraft direct operating costs for passenger and cargo air carriers, as well as general aviation aircraft. These costs are summarized in Table 7-5. The term “block hour” used in the table is an hourly increment of “block time.” Block time is synonymous with the following regulatory definition of “flight time” which states, “. . . time that commences when an aircraft moves under its own power for the purpose of flight and ends when the aircraft comes to rest after landing” (17). The average total block hour costs for the applicable aircraft type can be used to quantify the runway closure delay costs to airlines, aircraft owners, and the passengers. However, these data may overestimate or underestimate actual costs depending upon if the aircraft delay was at-gate, taxi- out, in-flight, on-approach, or taxi-in. In-flight delays are most costly due to fuel burn, followed by ground and gate delays. Determining when to apply the variable cost types presented in Table 7-5 may be difficult, except for departure delays for which airborne hour costs would not apply. Delay costs can also be overestimated or underestimated depending upon the size of the air- craft. The costs presented in Table 7-5 represent averages for many of the aircraft in use. To iden- tify more specific cost data for airlines and their aircraft, airports can access the RITA TranStats database, which provides Form 41 financial data containing information on large certified U.S. air carriers including balance sheet, cash flow, employment, income statement, fuel cost and con- sumption, aircraft operating expenses, and operating expenses. These data are available at: http:// www.transtats.bts.gov/Tables.asp?DB_ID=135&DB_Name=Air%20Carrier%20Financial% 20Reports%20%28Form%2041%20Financial%20Data%29&DB_Short_Name=Air%20 Carrier%20Financial. The TranStats data can be used to calculate aircraft block time costs in dollars per aircraft per unit time. However, like the on-time performance data described earlier, filtering, extracting, and manipulating data from the database can be labor intensive. However, much of this work has already been done through the Airline Data Project (ADP) established by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Global Airline Industry Program. The ADP is available online at: http://web.mit.edu/airlinedata/www/default.html. The ADP provides downloadable spreadsheet summaries of airline-reported Form 41 financial data that calculate total annual block time costs, among other items. Spreadsheets are available for major domestic carriers at no cost, and the block time cost data are subtotaled by one of FY 2014 $ Variable Cost Fixed Cost per Block Hour Total Cost Per Block HourPer Airborne Hour Per Ground Hour Per Gate Hour Per Block Hour Air Carrier—Passenger $4,456 $2,148 $1,443 $4,103 $857 $4,959 Air Carrier—Cargo $8,597 $4,149 $2,798 $8,038 $1,964 $10,001 General Aviation $729 $351 $234 $659 $909 $1,567 Source: FAA Office of IP&A Table 7-5. FY 2014 average hourly variable and fixed aircraft direct operating costs (1 ).

48 A Guidebook for Airport Winter Operations three pre-defined aircraft fleet categories including small narrow-body aircraft, large narrow- body aircraft, and wide-body aircraft. Use the ADP spreadsheets to calculate an airport-specific weighted block hour cost based on the individual carriers and aircraft fleet mix serving the airport. Table 7-6 illustrates the variability of passenger air carrier block hour costs by airline and aircraft category. Aircraft delay costs can be estimated for the data previously illustrated in Table 7-4. (Note: this example process can also be used to support estimating the benefits of SRE investment to reduce runway occupancy time as described in Chapter 13.) To estimate aircraft delay cost, the following example builds on Table 7-4 and includes the following additional steps: 1. Use the average passenger air carrier block hour time, or calculate an airport-specific block time cost per hour as the cost basis for generating an aircraft delay cost. Convert the block time cost per hour to block time cost per minute by dividing by 60. 2. Calculate the total delay cost per aircraft, total event delay cost per ATC runway closure, and total delay cost per event (see Table 7-7). 3. Associate the delay costs per event with the event meteorological and recurrence interval data (see Table 7-8). Airline Total Cost Per Block Hour (FY2013 $) Small Narrow-Body Large Narrow-Body Wide-Body Alaska $5,003 $4,130 – American $4,689 $5,048 $9,231 Delta $5,066 $5,285 $9,048 Frontier $4,035 N/A N/A Jet Blue $4,141 N/A N/A Midwest $1,380 N/A N/A Southwest $4,035 $4,054 N/A United $4,797 $5,235 $10,686 US Airways $4,395 $4,559 $8,465 Data Source: MIT Global Airline Industry Program ADP Table 7-6. 2013 airline block hour costs by aircraft category (18 ). Winter Event Date Average Event ATC Runway Closure Duration (min) Number of Event ATC Runway Closures Estimated Aircraft Delayed / ATC Runway Closure Weighted Average Aircraft Block Time Cost / Minute Total Delay Cost / Aircraft Total Event Delay Cost / ATC Runway Closure Total Event Delay Cost 3/3/2011 71 17 12 $74.39 $5,282 $62,500 $1,062,500 1/23/2011 44 16 7 $74.39 $3,273 $24,003 $384,051 1/17/2011 34 12 6 $74.39 $2,529 $14,332 $171,990 12/11/2010 28 6 5 $74.39 $2,083 $9,720 $58,322 2/14/2011 23 3 4 $74.39 $1,711 $6,559 $19,676 12/22/2011 24 2 4 $74.39 $1,785 $7,141 $14,283 Table 7-7. Example summary of ATC runway closure duration, estimated aircraft delay per runway closure, and associated aircraft delay cost data.

Winter Operations Baseline and Performance Targets 49 7.3.3 Passenger Delay Costs FAA IP&A also estimated the FY 2014 average value of a delayed business traveler’s time to be $63.00 per hour, and a delayed personal traveler’s time to be $35.10 (1). These values can be manipulated in a similar manner as described for aircraft block time cost per hour to estimate a cost per winter event and event recurrence interval. 7.4 Define Target Threshold Winter-Event Conditions After performance and cost baseline data have been compiled and associated with past winter- event conditions, convene the SICC, including air carrier stakeholders, to assess past performance (see Chapter 12) under varying winter-event conditions. The SICC should then establish target threshold winter-event conditions that define the desired maximum winter operations perfor- mance capabilities of the airport operator. Target threshold winter-event conditions represent a set of specific, measurable meteorological conditions beyond which an airport operator’s capabilities to maintain a pre-established operating condition (e.g., keeping all runways open) will be exceeded. Multiple target threshold winter-event conditions may be set for increasingly severe weather condi- tions (e.g., maintaining two active runways during 5-year recurrence hourly-snowfall intensity, and maintaining one active runway under 10-year recurrence hourly-snowfall intensity). Defining the threshold winter-event conditions that exceed an airport operator’s capabilities to achieve established performance objectives is a fact-driven process. It is based on the cur- rent capabilities and practices of the winter operations team (e.g., runway clearance times) and the winter-event recurrence intervals for key meteorological conditions (e.g., total event snow depth or average hourly-snowfall intensity) as described in Chapter 5. The acceptability of these capabilities and the associated operational implications and outcomes as the best an airport can do is a risk-based decision for the airport operator and its stakeholders and one that should be considered before setting performance targets. It is essential that all stakeholders agree on what is acceptable so that no single entity is served at the expense of the others. Once defined, threshold winter-event conditions can provide reference points for establishing or raising winter operations performance goals and objectives. Defined threshold winter-event Table 7-8. Example summary of ATC runway closure, aircraft delay cost, and meteorological data for multiple winter storm events sorted by total event snowfall recurrence interval. Winter Event Date Average Event ATC Runway Closure Duration (min) Number of Event ATC Runway Closures Total Event Delay Cost Event Duration Total Event Snowfall Average Event Intensity H ou rs R ec ur re nc e In te rv al Sn ow T yp e D ep th (i n. ) R ec ur re nc e In te rv al In ch es / H ou r R ec ur re nc e In te rv al 3/3/2011 71 17 $1,062,500 14 4.0 Wet 9.9 10 0.71 7.0 1/23/2011 44 16 $384,051 13 1.3 Dry 5.1 3.4 0.39 1.0 1/17/2011 34 12 $171,990 11 1.1 Dry 4.2 2.7 0.38 0.9 12/11/2010 28 6 $58,322 4 0.8 Wet 1.3 1.1 0.33 0.7 2/14/2011 23 3 $19,676 2 0.6 Dry 0.9 0.8 0.45 1.3 12/22/2011 24 2 $14,283 3 0.7 Dry 0.7 0.7 0.23 0.6

50 A Guidebook for Airport Winter Operations conditions can also facilitate a shared understanding of the investment in infrastructure, equip- ment, staff, and operating procedures required to achieve performance goals. 7.5 Set Performance Targets Use performance and cost baseline data and defined threshold winter storm event conditions to identify long-term and interim performance targets for each established API and performance measure, as described in Chapter 6. Long-term targets should be set first. They should align with established performance goals and supporting objectives and be representative of the airport operator’s and airport stakeholders’ collective desired outcomes. Once long-term targets are set, establish interim targets and dates by working backward from the long-term target date toward present day (12, p. 77). Interim targets should reflect a realistic rate of performance improve- ment. The number of interim targets to be set is dependent upon what is being measured. For example, interim targets for APIs that measure seasonal performance should be set annually, while APIs measuring winter event performance may be set monthly or on a per-event basis. If current performance data are not available for an API, an airport should establish a reason- able estimate for its long-term and interim performance targets, which should then be revisited as new data are collected to determine if the targets require adjustment.

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TRB’s Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Report 123: A Guidebook for Airport Winter Operations provides direction to airport facilities as they prepare for, operate during, and recover from disruptive winter events. The report also provides tips for managing the overall passenger experience and provides guidance on the levels of investment needed to implement an effective winter operations program.

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