Using Disaggregated Socioeconomic Data in Air Passenger Demand Studies

TRB’s Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Research Report: 194: Using Disaggregated Socioeconomic Data in Air Passenger Demand Studies explores the potential benefits of using disaggregated socioeconomic data, such as regional household income distributions and air passenger and travel survey data, for air passenger demand studies.

Aviation demand is strongly correlated to socioeconomic activity, and analysts typically use aggregate socioeconomic data, such as gross regional product or average regional household income, to better understand current and potential future aviation demand.

Since the United States is experiencing significant and ongoing demographic trends there is a question as to whether traditional methods and data sources will adequately capture these trends or would more detailed, disaggregated socioeconomic data, or even nontraditional data provide more accurate results.

This report summarizes long-term socioeconomic trends, attempts to understand their potential impact, and provides guidance for incorporating disaggregated socioeconomic data into air passenger demand studies.

The following appendices to ACRP Research Report 194 are available online:
Appendix A: Detailed Survey of Past Analyses of Air Passenger Demand
Appendix B: Airport Industry Use of Socioeconomic Data for Air Passenger Demand Studies
Appendix C: Additional Material on Sources of Disaggregated Socioeconomic Data
Appendix D: Detailed Case Study Analysis Results
Appendix E: Background on Other Analytic Approaches