Last Mile in General Aviation—Courtesy Vehicles and Other Forms of Ground Transportation (2020)

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8 A survey questionnaire was developed for this study by the research team with consultation of the project panel to gather information on how general aviation airports maintain connec- tivity between the airport and the community. Airports were asked about their use of a variety of commercial and public transit options as well as any TNCs or other private arrangements. Furthermore, the survey also focused on the process that airports use to acquire, check out, insure, and maintain courtesy vehicles. This chapter summarizes the information on the survey respondents and other information gained in the survey. Demographic Data of Survey Respondents The survey data include responses from 39 general aviation airports, including five partial responses. Both completed and partial responses were used for analytical interpretation of the results where applicable. Eight case examples were selected that describe effective or innova- tive practices that airports are using to provide ground transportation services. Many of these interviews explored practices to overcome particular barriers to implementation of these services. These case studies are discussed in detail in Chapter 5. Airport ownership among the respondent general aviation airports varied (Figure 2). The majority of the airports’ ownership was by a city (59 percent), county (15.4 percent), and airport authority (10.3 percent). Others were owned by a state, city/county, or city/airport authority governance structure (Survey Question 3). The approximate population range of the areas served by respondent airports varied (Fig- ure 3). According to survey responses (Survey Question 4), the majority of airports were located in areas with less than 20,000 people. Respondents from all four FAA general aviation asset categories (Figure 4) were included in the report primarily from local (21 responses) and basic (6 responses) categories (Appendix A). States and FAA Regions Airport respondents included in the study were composed of representation from 24 different states and all nine FAA regions (Tables 1–2). The research team placed emphasis on obtaining responses from a wide geographical area sampling of airports, all of which were general aviation airports. The diversity of response in airport governance, location, NPIAS general aviation category, and asset role with an antici- pated high likelihood of providing information on a range of ground transportation modes was given a greater weight of importance than obtaining a high overall response rate. The majority of airports contacted responded to the survey. C H A P T E R 2 Survey Demographics

Survey Demographics 9 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 6.0 23.0 0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0 City and Airport Authority City and County State Airport Authority County City Figure 2. Forms of governance of respondent airports. (Source: AirportAdmin, LLC, Survey Results.) 7.0 3.0 8.0 7.0 7.0 6.0 1.0 0.0 2.0 4.0 6.0 8.0 10.0 100,000 + 50,000 - 100,000 20,000 - 50,000 10,000 - 20,000 5,000 - 10,000 2,000 - 5,000 Less than 2,000 Figure 3. Population range of respondent airports. (Source: AirportAdmin, LLC, Survey Results.) 4.0 8.0 21.0 6.0 0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0 National Regional Local Basic Figure 4. FAA asset role categorization of respondents. (Source: AirportAdmin, LLC, Survey Results.)

10 Last Mile in General Aviation—Courtesy Vehicles and Other Forms of Ground Transportation Findings The survey questionnaire developed for this study concentrated on gathering information regarding modes of ground transportation at general aviation airports. The survey instrument collected data on respondent basic airport information, types of ground transportation used, user needs, and how any partnering arrangements are managed. The findings on ground trans- portation at general aviation airports are summarized in Chapter 3. Courtesy vehicles at an airport are a specialized mode of ground transportation at an airport. These vehicles are typically provided internal to the airport and not as an external commercial transportation provider such as a car rental company. Providing this type of ground transportation is common at small airports and sometimes the only mode available. The survey collected data specific to courtesy vehicles at general aviation airports. These findings are summarized in Chapter 4. FAA Region No. of Respondents Alaskan 4 Central 3 Eastern 1 Great Lakes 11 New England 2 Northwest Mountain 5 Southern 6 Southwest 3 Western-Pacific 4 Table 1. FAA regions of airport respondents. (Source: AirportAdmin, LLC, Survey Results.) State AL AK AZ CA CO FL IN IA KY MD MI MN MO MT ND NE NH NM OK OR TN TX VT WI No. of Respondents 1 4 3 1 2 2 1 2 1 1 3 3 1 2 1 2 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 Table 2. Summary of states of airport respondents. (Source: AirportAdmin, LLC, Survey Results.)