Airport surface access is increasingly seen as a major problem not only in the UK but worldwide given its impact in terms of both traffic congestion and environmental degradation. In 1998 the UK Government published a White Paper entitled ‘A New Deal for Transport’ (DETR, 1998) in which it introduced the idea of Airport Transport Forums to be established by UK airports in order to set targets for the reduction in the proportion of journeys to/from the airport made by car based modes. In this working paper the authors critically assess the targets developed for achieving the objective of a greater use of public transport in making journeys to airports. Evidence is presented as to how UK airports have developed targets in order to respond to the Government’s initiative.