Bulletin 1: BEST PRACTICES-SURFACE ACCESS TO AIRPORTS 

INTRODUCTION

A primary goal of all modes of transportation is the safe and efficient movement of 

people and goods. Transportation is conducted through two basic facilities, terminals 

(nodes) and routes (segments). Airports are terminals that connect surface access 

segments with airway segments. To meet this role, airports must always be considered 

critical elements of the total transportation system. 

Airport sponsors and the FAA have been effective in coordinating individual airport 

surface access projects with transportation agencies, such as State Departments of 

Transportation (DOT) and transit operators. This bulletin will provide information to 

facilitate future coordination with surface transportation agencies. It will also identify 

current and future research in the planning and design of airport surface access facilities 

related to terminal curbside, access roads, and pedestrian walkways. 

The following topics are addressed herein: 

Section A: Use of PFC, AIP, and airport revenue for airport ground access 

projects 

Section B: Coordination of airport access needs with surface transportation 

agencies 

Section C: Summary of useful resource documents 

Section D: Research projects for airport surface access planning and design 

Bulletins on airport surface access best practices will be issued periodically as research 

studies are completed and additional information is gained from coordination with 

surface transportation agencies. 

The terms “surface access” and “ground access” are used interchangeably in this bulletin. 

“Surface access” is the more comprehensive term as it includes ground access and water 

access (i.e. ferry boats). However, the term “ground access” is used in other FAA 

guidance, and is used herein when referring to that guidance. For the purpose of this 

bulletin, ground access will include water access. 

This guidance is intended principally for FAA regional Airports divisions and Airport 

District Office staff. FAA regional or field offices should provide a copy of Section B 

(only) to all airport sponsors. The guidance of Section B should be discussed at the preplanning meetings for airport master plans. 

 
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SECTION A: USE OF PFC, AIP, AIRPORT REVENUE FOR 

AIRPORT GROUND ACCESS PROJECTS 

FAA regional Airport divisions and Airport District Offices should coordinate all 

substantial airport surface access projects with APP-500, and under certain 

circumstances, AAS-100. This includes all new or expanded rail lines, bus-ways, light 

rail lines, ferry terminals, transportation centers, and connections to interstate or 

interstate type highways, or other major surface arterials that provide access to an airport. 

1). Use of PFC Funds for Ground Access Projects 

FAA policy on the eligibility of airport ground access projects for PFC financial 

participation is contained on pages 6366-6371 of the Federal Register Notice dated 

February 10, 2004. This Federal Register Notice is appended to this bulletin.

Questions, please contact APP-500 (Airports Financial Assistance Division) 

2). Use of AIP Funds for Ground Access Projects 

Eligibility decisions often depend on the specifics of the project. This discussion 

provides general guidance. 

Current guidance on AIP eligibility for access roads is found in FAA Order 5100.38C, 

AIP Handbook, Paragraph 620.a. Current guidance on AIP eligibility for rapid transit 

systems is found in Paragraph 622 of the AIP Handbook. 

The Federal Register Notice of February 10, 2004 (see Appendix) should also be 

consulted for AIP eligibility of airport surface access projects. AIP eligibility for such 

projects conforms to that for PFC projects, except for those provisions (i.e. significant 

contribution) exclusive to the PFC program. 

In several recent PFC decisions based on AIP eligibility, the agency has approved 

applications for PFC funding of transit rail connections to airports where part of the 

facilities were off the airport but on right-of-way owned or controlled by the airport 

sponsor. These decisions relied more on the access road principles of Paragraph 620.a., 

than on the language of Paragraph 622. 

Also, the agency has made clear that when an on-airport project would have both airport 

and general use, PFC funding (again, relying on AIP eligibility) could not be used for any 

portion of the project, because the project was not for exclusive airport use. (March 1995 

ARP-1 letter to SFO on preliminary SFO BART station design.) 
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Longstanding agency guidance on eligibility does not permit AIP (or PFC) funding of 

ground access projects that: 

Are not located on airport property or on right-of-way owned or controlled by the 

airport; or 

Are intended for the use of both airport and non-airport passengers, regardless of the 

benefit to the airport. 

Questions, please contact APP-500. 

3). Use of Airport Revenue for Ground Access Projects

Guidance for the use of airport revenues on airport ground access transportation projects 

is provided in “Policies and Procedures Concerning the Use of Airport Revenue,” Section 

V.A. 9 (64 FR, 7718-7719, February 16, 1999). 

For airports that have received Federal assistance, revenues generated by the airport may 

be used only for the capital or operating costs of: (A) the airport; (B) the local airport 

system; or (C) other local facilities owned or operated by the airport owner or operator, 

and directly and substantially related to the air transportation of passengers or property. 

(49 USC §47107(b), § 47133) 

Ground access facilities that are an integral part of an airport capital project could be 

covered by (A) as a capital cost of the airport. All other ground access facilities, 

especially if located off airport property, would need to meet (C)—capital and operating 

cost of facilities owned or operated by the airport owner and substantially and directly 

related to the air transportation of passengers or property. This is a somewhat different 

standard than the one applied to PFC eligibility, which requires that the facilities be 

exclusively for airport use. The purpose of this requirement is to ensure that local 

governments do not impose a “hidden tax” on air travel, by diverting airport-generated 

revenues to non-airport related municipal uses. 

Policy guidance. The FAA’s final policy on use of airport revenue, issued in February 

1999, affirms that airport revenue may be used for capital and operating costs of transit 

system and ground access facilities owned or operated by the airport and directly and 

substantially related to the air transportation of passengers or property. The policy 

effectively tracks the language of the legislative guidance and does not provide additional 

detail or explanation. 

In October 1996, the FAA issued a letter to the City of San Francisco advising that 

airport revenue could be used for specific structures and equipment of the planned BART 

station at San Francisco International Airport (SFO). Approved use of airport revenue 

was limited to actual costs of on-airport facilities that were to be used exclusively by 
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airport passengers. However, limitation of the approval to on-airport facilities 

constructed solely for airport purposes was based on the limits of the request received, 

rather than on an agency interpretation of the limits of eligibility. 

Airport revenue has been used in limited circumstances for portions of other airport 

transit rail stations, but only for on-airport facilities that clearly fall within the statutory 

guidance. 

In 1999, the FAA approved the use of airport revenue for a portion of the Portland 

International Airport light rail project. (Revenue in this case was in the form of value 

received by the airport from a contribution of construction of a part of the light rail 

system by Bechtel.) 

In 2000, the FAA approved an apportioned contribution of airport revenue for the 

Hiawatha Corridor Light Rail System in Minneapolis. The system served the airport 

through two on-airport stations, but also served non-airport passengers between the 

downtown area and the Mall of America. The airport contribution was allowed in 

proportion to projected airport use in relation to total use of the parts of the system on 

airport property. 

Accordingly, actual decisions to date support the following principles of interpreting the 

basic statutory guidance: 

The portion of a ground access project that is on the airport, is designed and 

constructed exclusively for airport use, and is integrated into the airport terminal 

complex may be considered a “capital project of the airport,” as in the 

incorporation of the BART station in the SFO international terminal building. 

All other ground access facilities would be evaluated against the requirement that 

they be facilities “owned or operated by the airport owner or operator and directly 

and substantially related to the air transportation of passengers or property.” 

“Owned” means that the airport owner or operator holds legal title to the facilities 

for which airport revenue is used. 

“Operated” means that the local or state government or authority that owns or 

operates the airport is legally responsible for the operation of the ground access 

facility (e.g., transit system), and operates the facility either with its own 

employees or through a management contract with a private firm or other public 

agency. Subsidy of the local transit system is not considered “operation” of the 

system by the airport. 

 “Directly and substantially related to the air transportation of passengers,” as 

applied to a ground access project, means that the project: 

Is intended primarily for the use of airport passengers (air passengers, 
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airport employees, airport visitors), i.e., it is designed and constructed for 

ground transportation to the airport; and is projected to be used primarily 

by airport passengers. 

The use of airport funds for a project that would be used to some degree by nonairport passengers is permitted, but is limited in two ways: 

Airport funds cannot be used for portions of the project that are not necessary 

for the purpose of serving airport passengers. 

Airport funds must be prorated to airport use. I.e., for portions of the project 

used by both airport and non-airport passengers, airport funds to be used for 

the project cannot exceed a portion of total project funding greater than the 

projected percentage of total use of the project by airport passengers. 

If an on-airport ground access project is designed and constructed for the 

exclusive use of airport passengers and does not have a general transportation 

function, the incidental use of the facility by non-airport passengers does not 

require proration of the airport contribution. 

Questions, contact AAS-400 (Airport Compliance Division) 

SECTION B: COORDINATION OF AIRPORT ACCESS NEEDS 

WITH SURFACE TRANSPORTATION AGENCIES 

The guidance below is based on discussions between APP-400 and surface transportation 

agencies. These agencies included the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), 

Federal Transit Administration (FTA), a State DOT, a Metropolitan Planning 

Organization (MPO), and a Regional Planning Commission. Additional coordination 

was not felt to be necessary since the guidance is broad in nature and based on standard 

planning practices. Considerable additional coordination would be required to capture all 

of the nuances of the 50 state DOTs, the hundreds of MPOs, the hundreds of transit 

operators and the thousands of regional planning bodies. 
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1). Airport Sponsor Participation in MPO Meetings 

Airport users place considerable demand on local roads, intersections, highways and 

transit systems. When these surface access facilities become stressed, it can result in 

impacts to the traveling public as well as airport-related businesses and employees. In 

urbanized areas, regular participation by airport officials in technical committee meetings 

of the MPO related to transportation planning is important. Participation in MPO 

activities allows off-airport surface access and land use needs of the airport to be 

presented to those officials that can address the needs within the context of the regional 

transportation system. Participation also allows airport officials to educate the 

community on the benefits of the airport and helps build support for worthwhile airfield 

and landside development. Intermediate and long-range (10-20 years) airport plans 

should be included in the MPO long-range transportation plans (which by regulation, 

must cover a minimum of 20 years) so that land use, surface access and air quality budget 

requirements can be accommodated. MPO addresses can be found at: 

http://www.planning.dot.gov/overview.asp

Airports in less populated regions may not have an MPO for the area. In these cases, the 

State Department of Transportation (DOT) or a local planning entity are responsible for 

transportation planning and project development. The airport should contact the State 

DOT for information on technical committee meetings. State DOT addresses can be 

found at: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/webstate.htm

Airport sponsors should also meet regularly with the local State DOT field offices and 

the State DOT aviation offices to discuss surface transportation activities they may have 

planned and their potential effect on the airport. At times a planned transportation 

project could be modified to accommodate an airport need without cost to the airport 

sponsor. 

2). Prioritization of Surface Transportation Projects by Surface 

Transportation Agencies 

Frequently an airport has off-airport surface transportation needs that cannot be funded 

by AIP, PFC or airport revenue. Project needs vary from the ordinary such as signage, 

intersection improvements, and roadway maintenance, to substantial new bus or rail 

systems and additional highway lanes. Many of these projects can be funded through 

FHWA and/or FTA surface transportation monies allocated or apportioned to State DOTs 

and public transportation operators. There is strong competition for this money and 

projects must achieve local consensus to be considered for funding. Transportation 

investment decisions under these programs principally are the responsibility of State and 
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local officials, not FHWA or FTA. 

FHWA and FTA have established a number of transportation planning and programming 

processes for documentation, coordination and prioritization of surface transportation 

projects. These processes are used for state and local decisions on the use of FHWA and 

FTA funds. The processes that airport officials should be familiar with are: 

• Metropolitan Long-Range Transportation Plan: Shows significant transportation 

development in a metropolitan area for a 20+-year period. Major rail, bus, and 

highway access projects to airports should be included in the long-range 

transportation plan. 

• Transportation Improvement Program (TIP): Listing of priority transit, roadway, 

bikeway and other surface transportation projects prepared by an MPO for its area 

of jurisdiction. The TIP is for a four-year period and is updated at least every 

four years. The TIP is similar in function to an individual airport Capital 

Improvement Plan. 

• Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP): A STIP is prepared for 

each state. It is a compilation of the individual MPO TIPs and State DOT 

projects for areas outside the jurisdiction of an MPO. The STIP and TIP are 

authorizations to seek funding but not an obligation to fund. The STIP is similar 

in function to the FAA regional office Airport Capital Improvement Plan. 

For additional information on the Long-Range Transportation Plan, TIP and STIP, please 

refer to: 

• “ Citizens Guide to Transportation Decision Making” at: 

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/citizen

• “Title 23, Part 450-Planning Assistance Standards”-Highways at: 

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/legsregs/legislat.html

 Click on Highway Related Regulations 

• “TIP-A Guide for Municipal Officials, Special Interest Groups, and Citizens. 

http://www.dvrpc.org

Click on “TIP Quicklinks,” then “TIP,” and finally “TIP Guide.” 

The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, the MPO for the Philadelphia 

Region, prepared the document “TIP-A Guide for Municipal Officials, ...” State DOTs 

and MPOs in other parts of the U.S. may have similar documents. 

3). Coordination of Airport Access Needs With Surface Transportation 

Agencies 

Airport officials should use existing methods and channels to coordinate surface 

transportation needs with federal, state and local transportation agencies, if such 
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coordination is successful, appropriate and legal. Otherwise, airport officials should 

consult with the State DOT field office, the local transit operator, MPO or local planning 

body to determine: 

• Jurisdictional agency for requested project(s) 

• Data and analysis needed to justify project(s) 

• How the long-range transportation plan, TIP and STIP processes work, including 

how projects are prioritized 

• Funding options 

State aviation agencies should be consulted to determine willingness to support project 

entry into the TIP/STIP or long-range transportation plan. 

 

Some off-airport surface access projects, such as signage improvements, may not need to 

be specifically included in the TIP/STIP. Contact the appropriate field office of the State 

DOT to determine jurisdiction for such projects. 

4). Summary 

Airport officials should: 

• Regularly participate in MPO technical meetings related to transportation and 

land use 

• Regularly meet with local State DOT field offices and State DOT aviation offices 

to discuss planned surface transportation activities 

• Educate the community on the importance of the airport (establish stakeholder 

coordination process) 

• Obtain local support for airport access (and airfield) projects 

• Ensure that airport master plan and state/regional aviation system plans identify 

surface access needs 

• Understand and participate in the development of the region’s long range 

transportation plan, TIP and the STIP 

• Know what justification and data needed to support an off-airport access project 

• Work with the State DOT, MPO and transit operator to get worthwhile offairport access projects on the TIP or long-range transportation plan 

• Work with the State DOT and transit operator to get projects on STIP 

implemented 

Questions, please contact APP-400 (Airports Planning and Environmental Division) 
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 SECTION C: SUMMARY OF USEFUL RESOURCE DOCUMENTS 

The documents noted below are dated, yet they contain certain relevant material that may 

be useful to airport sponsors in planning for surface access improvements. TCRP Report 

83 is being updated under the Airport Cooperative Research Program. 

1). “Intermodal Ground Access to Airports: A Planning Guide” 

DOT/FAA/PP96-3; FHWA and FAA, December 1996 

Limited copies available from APP-400 (FAA Airport Planning and Environmental 

Division) 

Copies also available from the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, 

Virginia 

The report contains the following information that may be useful in surface access 

planning for airports: 

• Performance measures-Chapter 3 

• Data collection and surveys-Chapter 4 

• Patterns and demands-Chapter 5 

• Access road signage-pages 106-108 

• Parking alternatives-pages 123-129 

• Airport access services (i.e. taxi)-tables 6.4-2, 6.4-3 and 6.4-4 

2). “Improving Public Transportation Access to Large Airports” 

 Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Report 62, FTA/TRB, 2000 

 

Copies available from the Transportation Research Board; National Research 

Council; 2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W.; Washington, D.C. 20418 

The report contains the following information that may be useful in surface access 

planning for airports: 

• Lessons learned from successful rail access systems-page 6 and Chapter 5 

• New and emerging technologies-pages 6-7 and Chapter 6 

• Defining the airport ground access market-pages 45, 46 

• Airport ground access passenger survey techniques-pages 48-54 

3). “Strategies for Improving Public Transportation Access to Large Airports” 

Transit Cooperative Research Program Report 83, FTA/TRB, June 2006 
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The report can be viewed at: http://trb.org/publications/tcrp/tcrp_rpt_83a.pdf 

Copies available from TRB at the address noted under item C2), above 

The report contains the following information that may be useful in surface access 

planning for airports: 

• Improving public mode share for employees-Chapter 4 

• Strategies for improving the management of airport ground access servicesChapter 5 

• Getting intermodal information to the customer-Chapter 7 

Questions, please contact APP-400 (Airports Planning and Environmental Division) 

SECTION D: RESEARCH PROJECTS FOR AIRPORT SURFACE 

ACCESS PLANNING AND DESIGN 

1). “A Guide For Assessing Airport Curbside Operations And Terminal Area

Roadways”-Airport Cooperative Research Project-TRB and FAA 

Approved project that is expected to be complete mid-year 2008. 

Objective: Develop a guide to analyze the operation of the airport curbside and terminal 

area roadways. 

2). “New Concepts For Airport Terminal Landside”-Airport Cooperative Research 

Project-TRB and FAA 

Approved project that is expected to be complete mid-year 2008. 

Objective: Develop new concepts that will stimulate design innovation for terminal 

landside facilities at large and medium-hub airports. Intent is to improve passenger 

accessibility and level of service between ground transportation and the secure part of the 

terminal. 

3). “Case Studies Of Successful Airport Intermodal Projects.”-FAA Technical 

Center-Phase 1 

Phase 1 of the project will start in 2006. Final product expected by the end of 2007. 

Additional case studies (i.e. Phase 2) may be funded based on the findings of Phase 1. 

Questions, please contact APP-400 (Airports Planning and Environmental Division)