Date of Award:

12-2025

Document Type:

Dissertation

Degree Name:

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department:

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Committee Chair(s)

Patrick A. Singleton

Committee

Patrick A. Singleton

Committee

Sarah Grajdura

Committee

Ziqi Song

Committee

Ryan Dupont

Committee

Brenna Gomer

Committee

Ryan Bosworth

Abstract

Getting to the airport is often one of the most stressful parts of a trip, especially for people who live far from the airport. In the United States, many travelers live more than an hour’s drive from a major airport, and their choices such as driving, using public transit, or paying for ride-hailing can be time-consuming, expensive, and inconvenient. A new technology, Electric Air Taxis (EATs), is being developed as a potential solution. These small, battery-powered aircraft could offer faster, cleaner, and more direct connections to airports. However, the success of EATs depends not only on the technology itself but also on whether people are willing to use them, how they compare with existing travel options, and how policymakers plan for them.

This dissertation investigates the feasibility, public acceptance, and demand potential of Electric Air Taxis for long-distance airport trips. Using surveys of over 1,000 air travelers and advanced forecasting methodology, the research explores how travelers perceive EATs, how they make choices between EATs and other travel modes, and who is most likely to adopt this technology as it becomes available. The work is organized around five main objectives: understanding public perceptions, analyzing trade-offs in travel decisions, connecting adoption with individual innovativeness, identifying patterns across early, majority and late adopters, and testing future policy scenarios in a regional case study.

The findings show that intention to use EAT is shaped by travelers’ attitudes toward the service, their perceptions of ease of use and usefulness for airport trips, the influence of people around them, as well as by characteristics of EATs such as compatibility with lifestyles, observability of benefits, and opportunities to try the service before committing. Travelers greatly value saving time, often considering faster trips worth paying more for. At the same time, the ease of using EATs and the level of trust people have in the service strongly influence whether they would choose them. Interestingly, the idea of fully autonomous travel was viewed negatively, with the strongest concern reported for EATs.

Not everyone will adopt EATs at the same pace. This study first validated the well-known Diffusion of Innovation theory in the context of airport travel and observed clear differences among adoption groups. Early adopters valued EATs primarily for their time savings, relative advantage, and visibility to others. The majority emphasized compatibility with their lifestyle and reliable performance when choosing a mode. Laggards, by contrast, remained highly sensitive to cost and were skeptical about ease of use and the trialability of EATs. Recognizing these differences is essential for designing strategies that encourage widespread adoption.

The research also includes a case study of Northern Utah, focusing on trips from Cache County to Salt Lake City International Airport. By combining real-world travel data with survey results, the study forecasts future demand under different scenarios. Results suggest that EATs could capture a meaningful share of airport trips if priced competitively and if vertiports (takeoff and landing sites) are strategically located. However, the analysis also raises equity concerns: EATs may primarily benefit higher-income travelers, while shifts in demand could reduce public transit ridership, affecting those who rely on it most.

In summary, this dissertation makes both theoretical and practical contributions. It combines behavioral theories of technology adoption with advanced transportation models to better understand how people might adopt EATs. It also provides policymakers, planners, and industry leaders with evidence-based insights for designing services, setting policies, and addressing challenges. Furthermore, by identifying which groups are most likely to use EAT, what conditions encourage them, and what concerns may hold them back, this research provides practical guidance for planning and integrating EATs into the future of airport travel.

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