Reaching for Number
Age Distribution
 Aging of the population
 Just U.S. or foreign travelers also?
 Age groups have different needs
 Wheelchairs, companion restrooms or play areas
 Are there different concession and amenity needs by age
group?
 What is the travel frequency of each age group?
 Life cycle stage indicated by age groups, e.g., families,
retirees, etc.
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Gender
 As indicated in passenger surveys, the gender split at
SFO is balanced
 What’s the frequency of travel by gender?
 Are their travel reasons different?
 Are their shopping & dining needs different?
 Do we have the amenities that each may want/need?
 Which gender plans type of travel – business vs.
leisure?
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Ethnicity
 Bay Area is diverse, as are visitors passing through the
Airport
 Do ethnic groups require different amenities,
concessions, and food choices?
 Are there different requirements for wayfinding?
 What is the ethnic make up of the bay area region?
 What are the ethnicities of arriving and connecting
passengers?
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Education and the Traveler
 Education levels in the Bay Area are higher than the
State or the U.S.


Does level of school education equate to higher expectations
for air travelers?
Is there a correlation between school education levels a
passengers needs?
 Knowledge versus school education - does this impact
the amount of travel done by individuals?
 Knowledge versus school education - in what age groups
would this matter?
 Is education an independent segment ?
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Income and the Traveler
 Per capita income is substantially higher in the Bay
Area than in California or the U.S.
 Does higher income equate to higher expectations?
 What age groups are willing to spend more
disposable income on air travel?
 Is there a trend? More income/more travel? Older
travelers versus younger travelers?
 Is income an independent segment?
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Occupation and the Traveler
 Does occupation play a role in a travelers decisions?
 Do employers or employment sector s play a role in
travel decisions?

Many national and international employers
 Are there travel trends that may be impacted by
occupation?
 Is occupation an independent segment?
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Residency & International vs.
Domestic Travel
 During 2009 SFO’s enplanements were:
 78% domestic
 22% international
 According to SFO’s 2009 Customer survey, respondents
were:
 25% from the Bay Area
 29% from other California
 26% from other US States
 19% from foreign countries
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International Passengers at SFO
 International Passengers country of residency breakdown
in 2009 (SFO Survey)
 54% from Pacific Rim
 25% from Europe
 20% from The Americas
 2% from Africa and Middle East
Europe
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The Americas
54
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Africa and Middle East
Pacific Rim
2
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Bay Area Residents & International
Travel
 The Bay Area has the nation’s most diverse international
population
 35.7% of residents are foreign born, more than double the US
average.
 Asian-born residents are nearly 1/3 of San Francisco’s population
 San Francisco has three times as many foreign consulates (77) per
capita than Los Angeles.
 More than 30,000 foreign students study in Bay Area universities.
 Among large U.S. Metropolitan areas, San Francisco has the 2nd
highest propensity to travel internationally
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SFO is well situated to serve
international travelers
 SFO has 96.9% of the Bay Area Airport’s international
passenger market share
 SFO offers superior connectivity throughout North
America
 Nonstop service to 75 destinations covers nearly ¾ of the
US air travel market
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Are shifts in international travel trends
important to SFO?
 2010-2014 forecast predicts record total international arrivals to US.
 Arrivals will reach almost 72 million, an increase of 31% from 20092014.
 From 2009/2014 largest increases in visitor volume expected from:
 China (117%)
 Brazil (113%)
 India (92%)
 Australia (57%)
 Argentina (55%)
(U.S. Department of Commerce)
 How will this change SFO’s international passenger demographics?
 What will these passengers need/expect?
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Domestic Passengers at SFO
 In 2009 SFO had 28,903,104 domestic passengers
 62.2% of the Bay Area Airport market share
 Up 2.8% from 2008
 +6.1% change for last 6 months of 2009 vs. same period
2008
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Domestic Passengers at SFO
 Where are SFO’s domestic passengers flying to? Short haul vs. long
haul?
 SFO has added more low cost carriers to its domestic airline mix:
 AirTran
 JetBlue
 Southwest
 Virgin America
Does this affect
domestic passenger
demographics?
How do their needs and
expectations differ?
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Domestic Passengers at SFO
 The Bay Area economy’s impact on domestic passengers:
 The Bay Area’s role as center of technology development, resilient
tourism and convention market continue to support growth in
demand for air transportation.
 The Bay Area economy yielded approximately $475 billion in gross
regional product in 2006, roughly comparable in scale to the
national economy of Turkey, Belgium, Sweden, or Switzerland.*
 Bay Area is becoming the leading center of knowledge-based
industries, such as information technology, software,
biotechnology, “clean technology”, and digital media.
How does the Bay Area economy affect who is traveling to SFO?
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Bay Area Residents
 Population growth is a key factor influencing the demand for airline
travel.
 California is the most populous state in the nation
 18th in the rate of population growth between 2000 and 2008, based on
estimates by the U.S Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census.
 In 2008, the San Francisco CSA had a population of over 7.3 million and
was the second most populous CSA in California, after the Los AngelesLong Beach-Riverside CSA.
Will changes in the Bay Area population change who is using SFO?
What are the needs of Bay Area residents traveling to/from SFO?
How will ground transportation issues affect Bay Area passengers?
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Passengers travel for different reasons
 Business vs. Leisure
 Classic segment for airlines
 Are their needs at the airport really different?
 Business travelers – a declining share of travelers
 Dropped from 36% in 2004 to 24% in 2009
 In recovery stage, but corporations trimming travel spending

“Virtual trips” – will technology replace face-to-face
 Needs: frequency of flights, key destinations, productive
environment (wifi, charging stations, flight reliability)
 Work/life balance – business travelers also travel for leisure
 Leisure travelers – increasing segment, perhaps an impact of low
cost carriers
 In 2009, 24% on vacation and 24% visiting friends
 More flexible – really?
 Families
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How far are they going?
 Average distance traveled has declined 9% in three years
 Impact of low cost carriers on domestic traffic
 International passengers traveling slightly longer distances
 Short haul passengers
 Associated with lower spending rates
 Cost conscious
 Long haul passengers
 Correlation with more spending
 More stuff - bags, food, tech toys, etc.

Getting around can be harder, for both arrivals and departures
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O&D or Connecting at SFO
 Approximately 23% of passengers are connecting to
another flight
 A different stressor than O&D
 International to international issue between A&G, but
small segment
 Domestic connections between terminals difficult
 O&D has increased to 77% after years of holding at
73%
 Needs of inbound and outbound passengers very
different
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The Frequent Traveler
 Why do they keep coming back
 In 2009 survey, 20% of respondents made 3-6 trips
 What can we learn from them (LRA study)
 More familiar with surroundings, but security still an
issue
 Registered traveler – bring it back?
 Want friendlier service, but is it airlines or airport?
 Need for facilitation with airlines
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