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A Simulation Study of Aircraft Boarding Strategies

Author

Listed:
  • Hélio Moreira

    (School of Engineering, ISEP, Polytechnic of Porto, Rua Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida, 4249-015 Porto, Portugal)

  • Luís P. Ferreira

    (School of Engineering, ISEP, Polytechnic of Porto, Rua Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida, 4249-015 Porto, Portugal
    Associate Laboratory for Energy, Transports and Aerospace (LAETA-INEGI), 4200-465 Porto, Portugal)

  • Nuno O. Fernandes

    (Department of Industrial Engineering, Instituto Politécnico de Castelo Branco, Av. do Empresário, 6000-767 Castelo Branco, Portugal
    ALGORITMI Research Centre, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal)

  • Francisco J. G. Silva

    (School of Engineering, ISEP, Polytechnic of Porto, Rua Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida, 4249-015 Porto, Portugal
    Associate Laboratory for Energy, Transports and Aerospace (LAETA-INEGI), 4200-465 Porto, Portugal)

  • Ana L. Ramos

    (Competitiveness and Public Policies (GOVCOPP), Industrial Engineering and Tourism (DEGEIT), University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal)

  • Paulo Ávila

    (School of Engineering, ISEP, Polytechnic of Porto, Rua Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida, 4249-015 Porto, Portugal
    INESC TEC—Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores, Tecnologia e Ciência, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal)

Abstract

To ensure the safety of passengers concerning virus propagation, such as COVID-19, and keep the turnaround time at low levels, airlines should seek efficient aircraft boarding strategies in terms of both physical distancing and boarding times. This study seeks to analyze the impact of different boarding strategies in the context of the International Air Transport Association’s recommendations during the pandemic to reduce interference and physical contact between passengers in airplanes. Boarding strategies such as back-to-front , outside-in , reverse pyramid , blocks , Steffen , and modified optimal have been tested in this context. This study extends the previous literature using discrete event simulation to evaluate the impact of the occupation of the middle seat by family members only. This study also analyses the impact of having passengers carrying hand luggage and priority passengers on the performance of these strategies concerning boarding times. In general, the simulation results revealed a 15% improvement in boarding times when the reverse pyramid strategy is used compared to a random strategy, which essentially results from a reduction in the boarding interferences between passengers. The results also show that Steffen’s strategy is the best performing, while the blocks strategy results in the worst performance. This study has practical implications for airline companies concerning both operation efficiency and passenger safety.

Suggested Citation

  • Hélio Moreira & Luís P. Ferreira & Nuno O. Fernandes & Francisco J. G. Silva & Ana L. Ramos & Paulo Ávila, 2023. "A Simulation Study of Aircraft Boarding Strategies," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-13, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jmathe:v:11:y:2023:i:20:p:4288-:d:1259785
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Van Landeghem, H. & Beuselinck, A., 2002. "Reducing passenger boarding time in airplanes: A simulation based approach," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 142(2), pages 294-308, October.
    2. Nyquist, David C. & McFadden, Kathleen L., 2008. "A study of the airline boarding problem," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 14(4), pages 197-204.
    3. Michael Schultz & Jörg Fuchte, 2020. "Evaluation of Aircraft Boarding Scenarios Considering Reduced Transmissions Risks," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(13), pages 1-20, July.
    4. Steffen, Jason H., 2008. "Optimal boarding method for airline passengers," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 14(3), pages 146-150.
    5. Ren, Xinhui & Xu, Xiaobing, 2018. "Experimental analyses of airplane boarding based on interference classification," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 55-63.
    6. Mostafa Salari & R. John Milne & Lina Kattan, 2019. "Airplane boarding optimization considering reserved seats and passengers’ carry-on bags," OPSEARCH, Springer;Operational Research Society of India, vol. 56(3), pages 806-823, September.
    7. Camelia Delcea & Liviu-Adrian Cotfas & Nora Chiriță & Ionuț Nica, 2018. "A Two-Door Airplane Boarding Approach When Using Apron Buses," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-14, October.
    8. Vítor Silva & Luís Pinto Ferreira & Francisco J. G. Silva & Benny Tjahjono & Paulo Ávila, 2021. "Simulation-Based Decision Support System to Improve Material Flow of a Textile Company," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-11, March.
    9. Menkes H. L. van den Briel & J. René Villalobos & Gary L. Hogg & Tim Lindemann & Anthony V. Mulé, 2005. "America West Airlines Develops Efficient Boarding Strategies," Interfaces, INFORMS, vol. 35(3), pages 191-201, June.
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