T.F. Green Airport Improvement Program - FEIS Chapters - PVD

T.F. Green Airport Improvement ProgramEnvironmental Impact Statement and Final Section 4(f) EvaluationThe runway utility analysis considers service to non-stop West Coast markets by the B737-700, B737-800, A319, andA320 aircraft, which is consistent with the detailed fleet mix forecast. Following standard industry practices, aconservative approach was utilized, which analyzed the least performing variant (engine type and wingletconfiguration) to ensure the greatest flexibility to airlines. Although the least performing variant of the B737-700 andB737-800 aircraft types do not exist in the fleets of the airlines that currently operate out of T.F. Green Airport they arestill considered in this analysis because they are still in production, available for purchase or lease, or used by otherair carriers. Therefore, the least performing variants of these two aircraft types could be used by an air carrier toconduct non-stop West Coast service from T.F. Green Airport in the future. The analysis also considers payloadreductions of belly cargo before any passenger and baggage payload reductions. According to discussions withseveral airlines operating at T.F. Green Airport, 123 if payload reductions are required, belly cargo would be the firstcategory of payload to be removed from the aircraft to meet payload capacity. However, if additional payloadreductions are necessary beyond cargo payload reductions, passengers and baggage must be removed.The maximum number of additional passengers that could be accommodated on non-stop West Coast service withAlternatives B1 (9,350 foot runway), Alternatives B2 and B4 (8,700 foot runway), and Alternative B3 South(8,300 foot runway) is provided in Table 3-6. With 9,350 feet of available runway length, some belly cargo payloadwould need to be reduced but no passenger payload reductions would be needed. A maximum total of 9 millionpassengers could be accommodated between 2015 and 2025 with a 9,350 foot runway. A runway length of8,700 feet would result in a maximum annual payload reduction of approximately 64,400 passengers, and couldaccommodate a maximum total of 4.5 million to 8.3 million additional passengers through 2025 (Alternative B4would be implemented five years earlier than Alternative B2). Alternative B3 South, with a runway length of8,300 feet, would result in a maximum annual payload reduction of 120,050 passengers and could accommodate amaximum of 7.7 million passengers through 2025. The difference in maximum annual payload reductions betweenthe 8,700-foot runway alternatives and Alternative B3 South is approximately 55,000 passengers. Passengerpayload penalties could result in a maximum of approximately $13.7 million 124 in lost airline revenue alone 125 peryear for Alternative B3 South when compared to the 8,700-foot runway alternatives (when implemented).FAA cannot predict how much of a passenger payload reduction an air carrier would be willing to toleratewhile starting non-stop West Coast service; therefore this data does not consider an airline decision to not startthe non-stop service due to passenger payload reductions. If airlines decide not to provide non-stop West Coastservice from T.F. Green Airport because a maximum of approximately 120,050 passengers could not beaccommodated annually (compared to all additional passengers possible), then Alternative B3 South would notenhance the efficiency of the New England Regional Airport System as much as Alternative B4, which is part ofthe purpose and need for the proposed Airport Improvement Program.123 Airport Station Manager – Southwest Airlines. Telephone Interview. April 10, 2006. Airport Station Manager – United Airlines. Telephone Interview. April 13, 2006.124 The affect of the non-stop West Coast flights on airline revenue has not been evaluated for T.F. Green Airport’s existing West Coast connecting flights. However,as the passenger levels of T.F. Green Airport to Las Vegas flights demonstrates non-stop service would more likely increase total passenger level to the WestCoast and therefore airline revenue.125 Data provided in this paragraph represents the Incremental Build Alternative Forecast, which applies to both the 2004 aviation activity forecast and the revised2009 aviation activity forecast. Average U.S. airline system passenger revenue per available seat mile (PRASM) for 2008 ($0.107) and the average distancebetween T.F. Green and West Coast destinations (2,300 nm) was applied to total passenger reductions required for each runway length. The PRASM data wasobtained from the MIT's Airline Data Project (www.web.mit.edu/airlinedata/www/Revenue&Related.html), which sources US DOT Form 41 via BTS, Schedule T2and P12. These figures do not include lost revenue to the Airport from concessions, automobile parking, or Passenger Facility Charges (PFCs).Chapter 3 – Alternatives Analysis 3-26 July 2011\\mawatr\ev\09228.00\reports\FEIS_Final_July_2011\PVD_CH03_Alternatives_JUL_2011.doc