The Journal of Air Traffic Control · 1999 · 17 citations · 2 references
Public HealthEconomicsTransportation PlanningCapacity PlanningTransportTransportationAir TransportAviation TransportationGrowth TheoryTransportation EconomicsTransportation ModelsTransportation SystemsAir Cargo TransportationAir Transport EconomicsAir Transport NetworksAir Transportation NetworksTransportation CapacityTransportation Capacity AnalysisTransportation Capacity PlanningTransportation Demand
It has been asserted that the US is approaching a crisis in Air Transportation system capacity [Minneta, 1997]. This appears to be a credible assertion as one observes the increasing load factors on commercial airliners and the increase in airport crowds and delays. A review of Department of Transportation statistics [DOT, 1998] over the last 40 years sheds some light on why the hub and spoke air transportation system is running out of capacity. Figures 1 and 2 show the relative growth for both passenger and cargo transportation for several modes, compared to their levels in 1960, relative to growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP). You can see that in both cases, the air mode has grown four to seven times faster than GDP or any other mode of transportation. This type of unconstrained growth cannot be sustained forever without a paradigm shift.
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