Airports face challenges with longer passenger walks after removing moving walkways

High maintenance costs are a significant factor in these decisions. Officials at Northwest Arkansas and other economic studies indicate that maintaining moving walkways can be costly. Olivia Tyler, spokesperson for Northwest Arkansas National Airport Regional Airport Authority stated: “When it was working, it would break down constantly. I can’t remember the last time it worked.”

A study conducted by German economics professors concluded that while moving walkways can enhance gate connectivity if installed correctly, their benefits diminish rapidly with extensive use throughout terminals. The study notes: “The positive impact of additional walkways diminishes rapidly, indicating that terminal operators do not need to equip large portions of their terminals with walkways to achieve significant improvements in gate connectivity."

Two years ago, Las Vegas' Harry Reid International Airport spent nearly three million dollars removing its moving walkways due to high maintenance costs. Local professor Dan Hub emphasized that effectiveness depends on passengers walking rather than standing still on these pathways.

KURU Footwear conducted a study analyzing airport walking distances and surveyed 800 people about their preferences and habits. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) has the longest measured walking distance at 2.16 miles between E Satellite gates and Terminal B.

DFW is one of five top airports with long walks; others include Washington Dulles International Airport (1.62 miles), George Bush Intercontinental Airport (1.52 miles), Denver International Airport, and John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Despite available transport options like Skylink at DFW or AeroTrain at Dulles to reduce walking distances between terminals or concourses respectively, many passengers express frustration over long walks. KURU's survey found that 40% of respondents were annoyed by lengthy walks to departure gates while only 36% preferred larger airports for travel convenience.