Terms Used In Aviation

Lots A-G

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport

Common Terms Used by Aviation Planners

LAND SIDE

It is the area leading to and from the terminal,

and contains most support services.

TERMINAL

An airport building that contains ticket

counters and is where the airline gates are

located. The terminal is where passengers

transfer between ground transportation and

the facilities that allow them to board and

disembark from airplanes.

AIR SIDE

Also known as the ‘secure side,’ it is the area

where aircraft move between the runways and

the terminal building.

1 Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airport_terminal

Best U.S.

Domestic Airport

13.9

Million

Passengers in

2017

11.5%

Increase in

passengers from

2016

ABIA

Fast Facts

Aircraft Fleet Mix

The existing and future aircraft (e.g. airplanes

and helicopters) that airlines and private pilots at

ABIA will use over the next 20 years. There are

two types of commercial airplanes: widebody and

narrowbody. Widebody aircraft, like the Boeing

777-200, can carry up to 280 passengers, while

narrowbody airplanes like the Airbus 321, can carry

anywhere from 99 to 191 passengers. Regional jets

are also part of the aircraft ﬂeet mix.

Airline Hub Airport

An airport that serves as a connection to get

passengers to their ﬁnal destination (domestic

and international). In Texas, Dallas/Ft Worth

International Airport and Bush Intercontinental

airports are considered hub airports.

Airport Demand/Capacity & Delay

Planners use complex models to determine the

need for future terminal and runway facilities. The

models anticipate future needs and delays based on

annual, peak month and peak hour demands.

Airport Layout Plan (ALP)

A planning tool that shows existing facilities and

planned development at an airport, it shows

boundaries and how proposed improvements

would look like. The FAA must approve an ALP

before any construction can begin.

Catchment Area or Airport Service

Area (ASA)

The area from which potential passengers

come. Twenty-one counties are within in the

catchment area for ABIA. The primary catchment

area is comprised of the ﬁve counties including:

Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Travis and Williamson.

The secondary catchment area includes 16 more

counties next to the ﬁve major counties that

ABIA serves.

Consolidated Rental Car Facility

(CONRAC)

Is an area that houses several rental car agencies,

which is proven to lessen trafﬁc around the airport and

increase efﬁciency in services.

Curbfront

The area in front of the terminal building where private

and commercial vehicles are able to drop off or pick up

pedestrians.

Enplaned Passenger

This term is widely used in the aviation industry and is

deﬁned as a ‘passenger boarding a plane at a particular

airport.’ Tracking enplaned passengers is the most

important air trafﬁc measurement because the majority

of airport revenues are generated directly or indirectly

from enplaned passengers.

General Aviation (GA)

All private (non-commercial) ﬂights usually ﬂown using

a smaller aircraft. GA activity at ABIA has been steadily

declining since 2002, with service for these aircraft going

to the smaller regional airports.

Ground Transportation Center (GTC)

A central area from which travelers are picked up or

can choose a ground transportation method. Ground

transportation services include buses, taxis, rideshares

and trains.

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

One or more counties next to each other that have a

high degree of social and economic integration.

In the ABIA 2040 Master Plan, the MSA is made up

of the Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Travis and Williamson

counties.

Million Annual Passengers (MAP)

The unit of measurement used to describe the growth

and volume of enplaned passengers at

US and international airports.

Origin and Destination (O&D) Airport

An airport that serves passengers who ﬂy into or out of

the airport as the ending or starting point. ABIA

is considered an O&D airport.

Planning Activity Level (PAL)

Aviation demand levels that will trigger the need for the

expansion or improvement of a speciﬁc airport facility.

These triggers might be based on peak hour passenger

counts, aircraft operations or cargo sizes. By using

PALs, the airport can keep an eye on growth trends and

expand the airport as needed.

Remain Over Night (RON)

Aircraft that are parked at the gate overnight for

maintenance or cleaning. Then number of additional

RON gates needed due to ABIA’s expansion is included in

the 2040 Master Plan.