IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jaitra/v128y2025ics0969699725001140.html

Effects of connection time on connected itineraries in Indian domestic aviation market

Author

Listed:
  • Farooq, Mustansir
  • Manoj, M.
  • Rao, K. Ramachandra

Abstract

Connected air itineraries are an integral part of air travel. There is a mixed perception among passengers regarding connections at an intermediate airport as they present a range of difficulties, such as the chances of missing a flight, and loosing or delaying of checked-in baggage. In addition, operational issues (long inter-terminal transfers, inadequate availability of intra-airport shuttle services, delays in baggage check-in, etc.) at the airports also cause inconvenience to passengers using connected itineraries. One of the critical backend procedures to provide uninterrupted and efficient air travel for passengers is the provision of minimum connection time (MCT) at an airport for an itinerary with a connection, which is vital for flight operations. There have been discussions on the amount of time spent for a connection, and the conventional belief that passengers favour short connection times is widespread among air travellers. This study aims to analyse this hypothesis for domestic air itineraries by using a revealed preference data collected in India. A multinomial logit (MNL) specification with correction for price endogeneity is adopted to model airline itinerary choice of passengers. A recursive method in MNL is used to dynamically create the utility function to handle large and varying alternatives. For alternative choice set generation, actual (real) alternatives available to passengers are used in the MNL model. A piecewise linear specification is used to address the non-linearity of the connection time for direct itineraries (includes a stop, with no plane change) and connected itineraries (includes a stop, with a plane change). Results reveal that there is a positive influence of connection time on utilities up to 120 min for connected itineraries. The connection time duration of 90–120 min for connected itineraries is found to provide maximum utility to flyers, balancing the need for sufficient time to navigate transitions such as security checks and gate changes, while minimizing the inconvenience of extended waiting periods. For direct itineraries a connection time beyond 35 min is found to reduce the utility substantially on direct itineraries. To understand the economic significance of the connection time, the willingness to pay estimates are evaluated and validated by estimating confidence intervals using Monte Carlo simulations using a truncated normal distribution. Findings reveal that flyers are willing to pay INR 14 (USD 0.16) per minute up to 90 min and INR 30 (USD 0.36) per minute for reductions beyond 120 min for connected itineraries. In contrast, for direct itineraries, passengers are willing to pay INR 2.8 (USD 0.03) per minute for layovers up to 35 min and INR 66 (USD 0.77) per minute for reductions beyond 35 min. This paper provides insights regarding the willingness to pay for each additional minute on a connection, thereby can help carriers to schedule their connections and provide adequate connection times for various airports based on the potential mix of air passengers.

Suggested Citation

  • Farooq, Mustansir & Manoj, M. & Rao, K. Ramachandra, 2025. "Effects of connection time on connected itineraries in Indian domestic aviation market," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jaitra:v:128:y:2025:i:c:s0969699725001140
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jairtraman.2025.102851
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969699725001140
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jairtraman.2025.102851?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Coldren, Gregory M. & Koppelman, Frank S. & Kasturirangan, Krishnan & Mukherjee, Amit, 2003. "Modeling aggregate air-travel itinerary shares: logit model development at a major US airline," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 9(6), pages 361-369.
    2. Coldren, Gregory M. & Koppelman, Frank S., 2005. "Modeling the competition among air-travel itinerary shares: GEV model development," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 39(4), pages 345-365, May.
    3. Diana, Tony, 2010. "`Discrete Choice Modelling and Air Travel Demand: Theory and Applications` by Laurie A. Garrow," Journal of Airport Management, Henry Stewart Publications, vol. 5(1), pages 88-89, September.
    4. Roucolle, Chantal & Seregina, Tatiana & Urdanoz, Miguel, 2020. "Measuring the development of airline networks: Comprehensive indicators," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 303-324.
    5. Herring, Jordan & Lurkin, Dr Virginie & Garrow, Dr Laurie A. & John-Paul Clarke, Dr & Bierlaire, Dr Michel, 2019. "Airline customers’ connection time preferences in domestic U.S. markets," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 1-1.
    6. Guillaume Burghouwt & Renato Redondi, 2013. "Connectivity in Air Transport Networks: An Assessment of Models and Applications," Journal of Transport Economics and Policy, University of Bath, vol. 47(1), pages 35-53, January.
    7. Brueckner, Jan K. & Czerny, Achim I. & Gaggero, Alberto A., 2021. "Airline mitigation of propagated delays via schedule buffers: Theory and empirics," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    8. Baumgarten, Patrick & Malina, Robert & Lange, Anne, 2014. "The impact of hubbing concentration on flight delays within airline networks: An empirical analysis of the US domestic market," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 103-114.
    9. Luttmann, Alexander, 2019. "Are passengers compensated for incurring an airport layover? Estimating the value of layover time in the U.S. airline industry," Economics of Transportation, Elsevier, vol. 17(C), pages 1-13.
    10. Hausman, Jerry & McFadden, Daniel, 1984. "Specification Tests for the Multinomial Logit Model," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 52(5), pages 1219-1240, September.
    11. Douglas Staiger & James H. Stock, 1997. "Instrumental Variables Regression with Weak Instruments," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 65(3), pages 557-586, May.
    12. Birolini, Sebastian & Antunes, António Pais & Cattaneo, Mattia & Malighetti, Paolo & Paleari, Stefano, 2021. "Integrated flight scheduling and fleet assignment with improved supply-demand interactions," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 162-180.
    13. Zhang, Linfeng & Hou, Meng & Liu, Yichen & Wang, Kun & Yang, Hangjun, 2022. "Measuring Beijing's international air connectivity and suggestions for improvement post COVID-19," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 132-143.
    14. Morlotti, Chiara & Birolini, Sebastian & Malighetti, Paolo & Redondi, Renato, 2023. "A latent class approach to estimate air travelers’ propensity toward connecting itineraries," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    15. Hao Yin & Elisabetta Cherchi, 2024. "Willingness to pay for automated taxis: a stated choice experiment to measure the impact of in-vehicle features and customer reviews," Transportation, Springer, vol. 51(1), pages 51-72, February.
    16. Redondi, Renato & Birolini, Sebastian & Morlotti, Chiara & Paleari, Stefano, 2021. "Connectivity measures and passengers’ behavior: Comparing conventional connectivity models to predict itinerary market shares," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    17. Munoz, Claudia & Laniado, Henry, 2021. "Airline choice model for international round-trip flights: The role of travelers’ satisfaction and personality traits," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    18. Jan Brueckner & Ricardo Flores-Fillol, 2007. "Airline Schedule Competition," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 30(3), pages 161-177, May.
    19. Zhu, Zhenran & Zhang, Anming & Zhang, Yahua & Huang, Zhibin & Xu, Shiteng, 2019. "Measuring air connectivity between China and Australia," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 359-370.
    20. Katz, Donald S. & Garrow, Laurie A., 2014. "Revenue and operational impacts of depeaking at U.S. hub airports," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 57-64.
    21. Ren, Junqiushi, 2020. "Fare impacts of Southwest Airlines: A comparison of nonstop and connecting flights," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    22. Shlomo Bekhor & Moshe Ben-Akiva & M. Ramming, 2006. "Evaluation of choice set generation algorithms for route choice models," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 144(1), pages 235-247, April.
    23. Lurkin, Virginie & Garrow, Laurie A. & Higgins, Matthew J. & Newman, Jeffrey P. & Schyns, Michael, 2017. "Accounting for price endogeneity in airline itinerary choice models: An application to Continental U.S. markets," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 228-246.
    24. Hess, Stephane & Palma, David, 2019. "Apollo: A flexible, powerful and customisable freeware package for choice model estimation and application," Journal of choice modelling, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 1-1.
    25. Hensher, David A. & Stopher, Peter R. & Louviere, Jordan J., 2001. "An exploratory analysis of the effect of numbers of choice sets in designed choice experiments: an airline choice application," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 7(6), pages 373-379.
    26. Lesgourgues, Augustin & Malavolti, Estelle, 2023. "Social cost of airline delays: Assessment by the use of revenue management data," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    27. Augustin Lesgourgues & Estelle Malavolti, 2023. "Social cost of airline delays: Assessment by the use of revenue management data," Post-Print hal-04198597, HAL.
    28. Newman, Jeffrey P. & Lurkin, Virginie & Garrow, Laurie A., 2018. "Computational methods for estimating multinomial, nested, and cross-nested logit models that account for semi-aggregate data," Journal of choice modelling, Elsevier, vol. 26(C), pages 28-40.
    29. Lurkin, Virginie & Garrow, Laurie A. & Higgins, Matthew J. & Newman, Jeffrey P. & Schyns, Michael, 2018. "Modeling competition among airline itineraries," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 157-172.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Redondi, Renato & Birolini, Sebastian & Morlotti, Chiara & Paleari, Stefano, 2021. "Connectivity measures and passengers’ behavior: Comparing conventional connectivity models to predict itinerary market shares," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    2. Morlotti, Chiara & Birolini, Sebastian & Malighetti, Paolo & Redondi, Renato, 2023. "A latent class approach to estimate air travelers’ propensity toward connecting itineraries," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    3. Abdelghany, Ahmed & Guzhva, Vitaly S., 2022. "Exploratory analysis of air travel demand stimulation in first-time served markets," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    4. Lurkin, Virginie & Garrow, Laurie A. & Higgins, Matthew J. & Newman, Jeffrey P. & Schyns, Michael, 2018. "Modeling competition among airline itineraries," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 157-172.
    5. Evangelinos, Christos & Tscharaktschiew, Stefan & Obermeyer, Andy, 2025. "Quantifying an Airline's brand Image: The Ryanair disutility effect," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    6. Cho, Woohyun & Windle, Robert J. & Dresner, Martin E., 2017. "The impact of operational exposure and value-of-time on customer choice: Evidence from the airline industry," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 455-471.
    7. Kölker, Katrin & Lütjens, Klaus & Gollnick, Volker, 2024. "Analyzing global passenger flows based on choice modeling in the air transportation system," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    8. Fukushi, Mitsuyoshi & Delgado, Felipe & Raveau, Sebastián, 2024. "Impact of omitted variable and simultaneous estimation endogeneity in choice-based revenue management systems," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    9. Fukushi, Mitsuyoshi & Delgado, Felipe & Raveau, Sebastián & Santos, Bruno F., 2022. "CHAIRS: A choice-based air transport simulator applied to airline competition and revenue management," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 155(C), pages 297-315.
    10. Lurkin, Virginie & Garrow, Laurie A. & Higgins, Matthew J. & Newman, Jeffrey P. & Schyns, Michael, 2017. "Accounting for price endogeneity in airline itinerary choice models: An application to Continental U.S. markets," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 228-246.
    11. Wandelt, Sebastian & Signori, Andrea & Chang, Shuming & Wang, Shuang & Du, Zhuoming & Sun, Xiaoqian, 2025. "Unleashing the potential of operations research in air transport: A review of applications, methods, and challenges," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 124(C).
    12. Gunay, Gurkan & Gokasar, Ilgin, 2021. "Market segmentation analysis for airport access mode choice modeling with mixed logit," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    13. Wang, Jianda & Wu, Xiangru & Yang, Senmiao & Wang, Kun & Fu, Xiaowen, 2025. "Navigating green routes: How does air connectivity influence environmental information disclosure quality?," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    14. Birolini, Sebastian & Cattaneo, Mattia & Malighetti, Paolo & Morlotti, Chiara, 2020. "Integrated origin-based demand modeling for air transportation," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).
    15. Lesgourgues, Augustin & Malavolti, Estelle, 2023. "Social cost of airline delays: Assessment by the use of revenue management data," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    16. Salas, Patricio & De la Fuente, Rodrigo & Astroza, Sebastian & Carrasco, Juan Antonio, 2025. "Analysis of attribute importance in multinomial logit models using Shapley values-based methods," Journal of choice modelling, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    17. Yang, Huijuan & Buire, Clara & Delahaye, Daniel & Le, Meilong, 2024. "A heuristic-based multi-objective flight schedule generation framework for airline connectivity optimisation in bank structure: An empirical study on Air China in Chengdu," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    18. Birolini, Sebastian & Antunes, António Pais & Cattaneo, Mattia & Malighetti, Paolo & Paleari, Stefano, 2021. "Integrated flight scheduling and fleet assignment with improved supply-demand interactions," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 162-180.
    19. Wen, Chieh-Hua & Huang, Chia-Jung & Fu, Chiang, 2020. "Incorporating continuous representation of preferences for flight departure times into stated itinerary choice modeling," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 10-20.
    20. Wandelt, Sebastian & Wang, Shuang & Chen, Xinyue & Zheng, Changhong & Chang, Shuming & Sun, Xiaoqian, 2025. "Network structures in air transportation: A comprehensive review of applications and challenges," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jaitra:v:128:y:2025:i:c:s0969699725001140. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-air-transport-management/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.