Airports and Cities in Networks by Maurits Schaafsma - Article Example

Airports and Cities in Networks By Maurits Schaafsma, 2003 Summary Maurits Schaafsma’s article “Airports and Cities in Networks” describes a shift in development brought about by the evolution of the airline industry and the airports that form their transportation networks. The discussion is divided into four parts: First, Schaafsma describes how deregulation has changed the airline industry by consolidating or eliminating many smaller or economically-unviable airlines on the one hand, and providing opportunities for new entrants on the other. Next, he explains how the more competitive environment after deregulation has changed airline business practises to develop the “hub and spoke” route network model. In the third part, the functional aspects of airports in terms of moving planes and people are briefly described. Finally, the evolution of airports as ‘places’ is discussed, both in terms of the features of the airports themselves and in the urban development they attract to the areas around them. The changes in the airline industry have occurred more rapidly in the US than in Europe, following the deregulation of the US industry in 1978 which permitted open competition among the airlines. As a result, many new airlines entered the market, while some of the oldest and less-competitive airlines such as Pan Am, TWA, and Eastern went out of business. In order to remain profitable in the competitive new environment, airlines began shifting their operations from a model in which many cities were connected directly to all, or almost all, of the other cities in an airline’s network to a “hub and spoke” model, in which cities are connected to a single, strategically-located “hub” airport, from which passengers make connections to other cities located along the “spokes.” This allows the airlines to operate more efficiently by using fewer, larger planes with higher capacity between high-density airports (such as from one “hub” to another), and smaller, more economical planes for less-crowded routes (such as between a “hub” and a “spoke” destination). To further increase efficient use of capacity – presumably, since the rationale is not actually explained – the airlines also formed “alliances,” concentrating their operations in a few key strategic locations. The location of hub airports does not necessarily correspond to traditional geography. Some very large and important cities such as New York, London, Los Angeles, Tokyo, and Hong Kong are not generally used as hub locations, but are considered OD (origin/destination) cities. Hub airports have developed, it seems, according to operational logic along major air travel pathways and according to the usefulness presented by the airport facilities themselves. Thus centrally-located Frankfurt, for example, is a very large hub in Germany, while the capital Berlin is of comparatively minor importance from the airlines’ perspective. Likewise Los Angeles and New York, the two largest cities in North America, are not hub locations while Detroit and Atlanta, located along the continent’s natural north-south and east-west air travel axes, are major hubs. The functional design of the airports themselves is evolving to better meet the needs of the airlines and the variety of customers they serve. The traditional airport design is one of a linear terminal or even a collection of terminals adjacent to one or two parallel runways laid out in the direction of the prevailing wind, with a cross-wind runway sometimes included. Newer, hub-friendly airport design considers future expansion and is configured for moving aircraft and passenger traffic efficiently. Typical design features described are multiple pairs of prevailing-wind and cross-wind runways, with centrally-sited terminal facilities laid out in a hub arrangement; the aircraft can access the terminal from all sides, while passengers enter through a single central area in which most services are concentrated, and can disperse to the boarding areas without leaving the terminal building. The final part of the article describes the development of airports as “new cities,” with respect to both the services and features that are built into the airport terminals themselves and the planned communities being developed around the airports. Improvements in terminal facilities and connections to nearby shopping, entertainment, and lodging help to make airports more attractive to travelling customers. In the areas around airports, businesses that both cater to travellers or otherwise rely on air travel – freight forwarders, e-commerce fulfilment businesses, and perishable-goods manufacturers and distributors are a few of the examples given – as well as general business and housing projects are being actively developed. Analysis & Criticism The significant omission of Schaafsma’s otherwise detailed discussion is a clear definition of airline alliances. Schaafsma asserts that the airport hub concept, and with it, urban, economic, and social development are intimately connected to and dependent on the airline alliances, but he does not explain exactly what an alliance, or how alliances are developed, or what effects changes in the alliances have on the airport hub concept. For example, one of the most-publicised recent airline mergers was between the United States’ Delta and Northwest airlines, which at the time the article was written were members of two different alliances. (Sky Team and Wings, respectively; see Table 6, p. 32) Obviously Schaafsma could not analyse something that had not happened yet, but he does at least briefly mention how deregulation caused a consolidation in the airline industry and that more of the same was expected, so changes in the airline roster at any particular airport would not have been an unknown factor to him. Using the contemporary Delta/Northwest example, what effect does the merger have on the alliances? Is Delta (which has essentially absorbed Northwest) now also a member of the Wings alliance, or has Wings lost a key member while Delta’s membership in Sky Team has just become larger? More importantly, what are the ramifications of these changes to the development of the hub airports and cities involved, in this case Atlanta, Detroit, and Minneapolis? Given the importance Schaafsma attaches to the patronage of alliances at hub airports, discussing a similar scenario even hypothetically would have added much to support his points and increase the readers’ understanding. The most interesting part of the article is the description of the development of airport communities as “new cities.” There seems to be a general, concerted effort among the airport industry, particular where it involves newer airports, to present the airports as not just pass-through points in a travel route, but as destinations in their own right. The development of business and residential communities in the areas immediately surrounding airports is also an important part of the concept. Most contemporary business travellers can attest to the designed convenience of the new airport “cities;” in Minneapolis, for example, it is actually possible to arrive from some distant place, conduct business, occupy a hotel room, enjoy a variety of meals, and entertain oneself with shopping and other diversions without ever venturing farther than walking distance from the boarding gate, or actually even venturing out-of-doors. While the criticism of these new developments as “cities without a place” is noted, the implication is that there is rapid shift occurring in the concentration of social and economic importance. A city like Denver, to use an example cited in the article, is relatively isolated geographically, not at all as historically or culturally significant as a city like New York with older connections – such as an extensive port – to the rest of the world. Yet thanks to the development of a modern hub airport, Denver’s importance is increasing rapidly, and most of that power is not even focused on the centre of Denver itself, but in the outlying area surrounding the airport. While it might be helpful to revisit this subject again with the perspective of the changes of the seven years that have passed since Schaafsma’s article was written, as it is the reader is left with the distinct impression that the map of the world is being redrawn, and will look very different in the future than it does now. Read More