Terminals are a critical piece of the airport system, they must efficiently transition passengers between ground services and their awaiting flights. To accomplish that goal, terminals host a number of functions including:
- Passenger ticketing
- Baggage check-in and retrieval
- Security checking
- Holding areas for departing and connecting passengers waiting at gates to board aircraft
- Areas for "meters and greeters"
- Convenience areas for passengers so they can dine or shop
- Circulation space allowing passengers to move from gate to gate and elsewhere in the terminal
- Ground access connections, including rental car service, shuttle buses and connections to local transit.
These important functions must be designed with the airside reality in mind - especially where the landside and airside meet, at the gates. Terminals are designed to accommodate aircraft in and out of the gate areas as effectively and efficiently as possible, and provide space for ramp towers that control the movements of aircraft in the terminal area. The seamless integration of ground transportation services is another critical terminal component, which ideally provides a variety of transportation options (private auto, taxi, buses, rail, etc..) for arriving and departing passengers.
