Thermal Comfort and Passenger Responses in Airports

Airport terminals are transient indoor environments that cause unique thermal perceptions in passengers due to significant differences in how they navigate an airport. Passengers are limited in the adaptive strategies that they can employ in response to the environment. To address their thermal discomfort passengers can decide to add or remove layers of clothing worn when arriving at the airport, or relocate to a different location within in the airport. This study aims to 1) measure indoor environmental effects on thermal perception at a major Canadian airport, 2) quantify passenger relocation and adjustment of clothing, and 3) identify patterns of thermal perceptions at times when passengers have relocated or adjusted clothing. The behaviour of the passengers is studied through visual observations and questionnaires accounting for the relocation of passengers and change of clothing layers given the different temperatures experienced at the gates. Findings from the study provide insight into passenger responses to thermal comfort and sources of thermal discomfort in airports- spaces with very dynamic and unique occupant experiences. These insights include distinct variance in thermal preferences between dwell times, the impact of thermal sensations on clothing adjustments, and the impact of thermal comfort on the relocation of passengers as adaptive strategies towards their thermal perceptions.