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How Airports Can Reduce Passenger Stress During Construction

Construction can disrupt familiar airport routes. Phase-by-phase planning, consistent signs, current maps, accessible alternatives, and staff assistance help passengers stay oriented.

By Bettesworth Construction Team 8 min read
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Airports can make construction less stressful by planning passenger routes and communication into every work phase: preserve a continuous wayfinding chain, explain current changes in plain language, keep maps and updates current, design accessible alternatives, and make staff assistance easy to find. These steps reduce uncertainty and help passengers reach their destinations; the available guidance and airport examples do not quantify how much any one measure reduces stress.

Why construction makes airport wayfinding harder

Airport construction can change several parts of a journey at once. A familiar entrance may close; check-in counters may move; a corridor, elevator, or curb zone may be unavailable. Passengers must then make decisions in unfamiliar surroundings, often while keeping track of a flight, luggage, companions, or a connection. A detour that seems obvious on a project plan can be difficult to follow from a traveler’s actual starting point.

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The operational goal is not simply to post more signs. It is to help people understand where they are, what has changed, and how to reach the next destination. The Federal Aviation Administration’s Advisory Circular 150/5360-12F describes passenger frustration from difficult wayfinding as a source of stress. Its guidance is qualitative, not a measured estimate of stress reduction. Airports should therefore describe the expected benefit in practical terms—less uncertainty, fewer broken routes, and clearer access to help—rather than promise a numerical improvement.

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Plan the passenger journey for each construction phase

Construction plans are commonly organized around work areas and schedules. Passenger communication should be organized around the journey people need to make. Before each phase begins, trace the trip from the likely arrival point to the final destination, including curb or parking, terminal entry, check-in, security, connections, and boarding. For arriving passengers, consider the path from the gate through baggage claim and onward transportation as well.

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For each stage, identify what remains open, what changes, and where a passenger must make a decision. Include the route between decision points, not just a list of open doors or facilities. A passenger who is told that an entrance is closed still needs to know which entrance to use instead and how to get from there to the intended destination.

Build a phase-by-phase route inventory

  • List affected entrances, doors, corridors, elevators, escalators, check-in areas, curb zones, and other destinations.
  • Map the passenger route before and after the change, including the points where existing directions no longer apply.
  • Identify an accessible alternative when a usual route is interrupted, and make sure it leads to the same destination without relying on an unannounced workaround.
  • Record the effective dates or phase, any expected timing, and the places where passengers can get current information.

This inventory gives construction, operations, accessibility, communications, and frontline teams a shared description of the passenger impact. It also helps the airport publish changes by location and phase rather than making travelers interpret a construction schedule or project map for themselves.

Keep the wayfinding chain continuous

A passenger should not have to guess what to do after following a sign to a closed corridor. Temporary directions need to begin before the familiar route changes, appear at each consequential decision point, and continue until the passenger reaches the destination or reconnects with permanent signs. The FAA’s Advisory Circular 150/5360-12F puts the principle plainly: “Plan carefully to make sure the wayfinding chain is not broken during construction.” The circular is dated September 26, 2013, and is advisory guidance; check its current status before using it for compliance decisions.

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Temporary signs should use the airport’s established destination names and, where possible, its existing visual conventions. If permanent signs say “Ground Transportation,” a temporary sign should not switch to an unfamiliar label for the same place. Consistent wording, colors, and graphics make it easier to connect a temporary instruction with the rest of the airport’s directions.

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On roadway approaches, directions should reach drivers early enough to choose the correct route. Where construction affects access, point toward relevant destinations such as the terminal, parking, rental-car return, or airport exit. Inside the terminal, place signs where people must decide which way to go, rather than only beside the construction barrier. When a route changes again in a later phase, revise or remove outdated directions promptly.

After the work is complete, assess the new permanent signing. A temporary detour can reveal confusing junctions or gaps in the established system, but its signs should not be left in place as an unreviewed substitute for a finished wayfinding plan.

Tell passengers what is changing and where to get updates

Passengers need information they can act on: the affected location, the route or entrance to use instead, when the change applies, and where to check for updates. A central construction page can serve as the dependable starting point, provided it is easy to find and reflects the current phase. Include a last-updated date, affected routes and entrances, accessible alternatives, and a map or link to one.

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If paths change, the map needs to change with them. A general terminal map that does not show the current detour may add confusion instead of resolving it. Denver International Airport (DEN) advises passengers to check its website before traveling, follow posted signs, use its interactive map because paths can change, and ask an airport employee or ambassador for help. Its construction information also covers changing terminal access and facilities such as ticketing locations, restrooms, and elevators. Those details are operational and time-sensitive, so travelers should verify them on DEN’s current page.

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Write a useful construction notice

Use short, concrete sentences and familiar destination names. A notice should answer the questions in the order a traveler is likely to need them:

  1. What is changing? Name the closure, relocation, or restricted area.
  2. Where and when? Give the affected location and the dates or phase, with a qualification if the schedule may shift.
  3. What should passengers do? State the alternative entrance, route, or transportation area in terms passengers can recognize.
  4. How can they check the route? Provide the current map or construction information page and explain how to get updates.
  5. Where can they get personal help? Identify an ambassador, customer-service desk, or other staffed assistance point.

DEN’s March 26, 2026 announcement about raised crosswalk work in commercial ground-transportation areas illustrates this approach. It described project phases, passenger redirections between terminal sides, signs inside and outside the terminal, staff availability, and real-time updates, while noting that schedules could change. The example shows how an airport can explain operational impacts; it is not an evaluation proving a particular reduction in stress.

Make human help easy to locate

Signs and maps cannot anticipate every passenger’s situation. Some people need directions to a specific counter, help navigating with luggage, or an explanation of how a detour affects a connection. Identify where passengers can find an airport ambassador, customer-service agent, or other staff member. If assistance is available only at certain points, show those points on the map and make them visible in notices.

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Frontline employees need consistent, phase-specific directions too. Give staff the same current route information used for signs and web updates, and tell them what to do when a route changes or a passenger’s needs do not fit the standard detour. A staff member should not have to improvise a route through a work area or send someone on a circuitous path because the information was not updated.

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Build accessibility into routes and information

Accessible wayfinding is part of the route plan, not an optional note to add after a detour is designed. When a usual passage, elevator, or curbside path closes, determine how passengers who rely on that route can reach the same destination. Temporary obstructions also need to be detectable, and directions should communicate the alternate route in ways that do not assume every passenger can use the same format.

Use a mix of visual, audio, and digital information where feasible. An audio announcement alone may not reach a passenger who cannot hear it; a visual notice alone may not work for someone who cannot see it. The 2026 ICAO working paper FALP/14-WP/23, “Enhancing Accessibility in Passenger Information and Navigation for Persons with Disabilities,” identifies gaps in accessible wayfinding and warns about relying on single-format audio information. It is a proposal, not an adopted ICAO standard.

Wayfinding can also be supported by more than signs. Canadian Transportation Agency guidance discusses features such as tactile markings, color contrast, patterns, architectural layout, acoustics, and lighting, and recommends considering wayfinding during the design of new construction and renovations. The code’s legal applicability depends on jurisdiction; airports should check the requirements that apply to their location rather than treating it as a universal rule.

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Choose interventions using practical criteria

When an airport must prioritize limited time or resources, compare proposed measures against the passenger problems they are meant to solve. These criteria are a decision aid, not a validated scoring model.

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Criterion Question for the project team What to check
Route continuity Can a passenger follow an understandable path from the current location to the destination? Check each decision point and ensure directions continue beyond the initial detour.
Update speed Can the sign, map, or message be revised when the construction stage changes? Assign responsibility for updating each information channel and removing obsolete directions.
Accessibility Can passengers with different access needs use the route and receive the information? Review the physical alternative and the visual, audio, and digital formats used to explain it.
Access to assistance Can passengers find a person when directions do not answer their question? Identify staffed help points and ensure employees have the same current route information.

FAA signing guidance, the ICAO working paper, and Canadian accessibility guidance support the underlying wayfinding and accessibility considerations. They do not establish a universal formula for ranking projects or a guaranteed result for any single intervention.

Use evidence without overstating results

Clear routes, current information, accessible alternatives, and visible staff assistance are supported practices in aviation guidance and airport examples. The cited sources do not provide a controlled comparison showing the percentage by which airport construction signs, maps, or staff support reduce passenger stress. That distinction matters: an airport can explain why a measure is intended to help without presenting an unmeasured outcome as a proven statistic.

The UK Department for Transport’s Aviation Accessibility Task and Finish Group report, published July 16, 2025, says the group collated 168 suggestions and assessed criteria including feasibility, implementation timeframes, and potential impact on passenger experience. The figure counts suggestions considered; it is not a count of effective interventions and does not measure a stress-reduction rate.

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What passengers can do during airport construction

Passengers can reduce the chance of being surprised by checking the airport’s current construction information before leaving for the airport, especially if they use a familiar entrance or curbside area. Once there, follow current posted signs rather than relying on memory of a previous visit. Use the airport’s current map when paths have changed, and ask an employee or ambassador if the route is unclear. A map or notice may change as work progresses, so information from an earlier trip may no longer describe the route.

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