William Rankin, Ph.D.

Adjunct Faculty | College of Aeronautics | Florida Tech

Melbourne, FL, UNITED STATES

Dr. Rankin's research focuses on airport management and security and runway safety.

Areas of Expertise (8)

Airport Planning and Development

Snow Removal Operations

Airport Logistics

Airport Security

Airport Management

Airport and Airline Operations at Airports

Airport Leasing and Administration

Airport Certification

About

Dr. William Rankin teaches courses directly related to his professional background and education, including upper division courses in airport operations, aviation security, advanced aviation research and advanced aviation management.

He also teaches airport management and transportation logistics at the University of Technology Panama's College of Aeronautics, and teaches at the University of Phoenix College of Business.

Dr. Rankin’s scholarly activity includes over 20 refereed journal publications, one book, two chapters in a book, and numerous refereed and non-refereed presentations. His scholarly works have been cited in Europe, Australia, Asia, South America and North America.

Dr. Rankin has also served as an airport management expert witness for several law firms and has testified in numerous airport litigation actions.

Research Focus (1)

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Dr. Rankin's primary research focus is on Multi-Airport Logistics Systems (MLS). This research compares the performance of cargo and passenger transport modes in U.S. MLSs. Other research explores terrorist attacks affecting airports and airlines, and runway incursions in the U.S. airports system.

Media Assets

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Media Appearances (5)

Holiday air travel: Experts say come prepared and early for flights in the coming week

FOX 35 Orlando

2022-06-28

"We’re trying to get back into a situation where we have enough pilots to meet the current demand," said Dr. William Rankin, a Florida Institute of Technology Professor in Airport Management.

Think Airport Crowds Are Bad Now? Wait ’Til Summer

Wired

2022-05-24

Staffing cuts at airlines and airports, and among government security agents for air travel, have been unprecedented, largely due to the steep drop in demand for flights in 2020 and 2021 as Americans stayed home. There’s no telling how long it will take to staff back up, says William Rankin, a professor of airport management at the Florida Institute of Technology. The closest we’ve seen to this situation was after the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001.

Airlines suspend numerous flights from CVG, with several returning in June

Cincinnati Enquirer

2020-05-20

William Rankin, an associate professor of Aviation Management at the Florida Institute of Technology and former airport manager of 29 years, said the formula airports use to calculate how they use their planes and where they plan routes is complex, and the COVID-19 pandemic has created unforeseen complications with their calculations.

How getting picked up from the airport became such a congested mess

Vox

2019-11-04

“People are going to have to understand that as airports get busier and busier, they’re going to become less convenient, especially the larger airports,” says William Rankin, a professor at the Florida Institute of Technology with 29 years of airport management experience.

You’re Right. You’re Spending More Time Sitting on That Plane.

New York Times

2019-09-17

“Airports are constrained by capacity,” said William Rankin, associate professor of airport management at the College of Aeronautics at the Florida Institute of Technology.