Peak Pricing for Runway and Gate Capacity Management

Growing demand for air travel and increasing schedule peaking are placing sustained pressure on runway and gate capacity at major U.S. airports. At many facilities, peak-period demand, rather than total daily activity, is the primary driver of operational inefficiency and capital expansion needs. Existing airport rate-setting frameworks are primarily designed for cost recovery and generally do not provide incentives for airlines to shift operations outside peak periods or optimize gate utilization. While differentiated landing charges, time-of-day pricing, and gate utilization fees have been used internationally, their applicability within the United States is uncertain because of federal grant assurances, revenue-use requirements, anti-discrimination standards, and airline use and lease agreements. The objective of this research is to develop a comprehensive report on congestion pricing mechanisms applicable to runway and gate capacity management at U.S. airports. The research will evaluate pricing mechanisms used at selected international airports, assess their regulatory permissibility under U.S. law and policy, examine potential impacts on airline behavior and airport operations, identify alternative approaches to managing peak demand, and provide practical implementation guidance and decision-support tools for airport sponsors considering airside congestion pricing strategies.

• Record URL:
  • http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=6098
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Contract to a Performing Organization has not yet been awarded.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Proposed
• Funding: $550,000.00
• Contract Numbers:

  Project 03-85

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Federal Aviation Administration

  800 Independence Avenue, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20591
• Managing Organizations:

  Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP)

  Transportation Research Board
  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Project Managers:

  Murthy, Krishna

• Start Date: 20260831
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: Airport Cooperative Research Program

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Airport capacity; Airport operations; Congestion pricing; Policy, legislation and regulation; Pricing; Travel demand management
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Finance; Operations and Traffic Management; Planning and Forecasting; Terminals and Facilities;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 02001519
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
• Contract Numbers: Project 03-85
• Files: TRB, RIP
• Created Date: Sep 1 2026 11:59AM