An application of the airport service quality model in South Africa

Passengers’ expectations of service quality at airports are becoming increasingly important as air traffic grows. This research investigated passengers’ perceptions of airport service quality at O.R. Tambo International Airport, South Africa. An existing model placing the concept of passenger expectations central to measuring an airport’s specific level of performance was applied. The results proved significant in terms of the investment made by the airport in staff training and highlighted areas for improvement. The results show that business travellers and leisure travellers have different opinions regarding the importance of services offered by airports and of the level of performance at ORTIA in particular. Significant differences also occur in the perceptions of frequent travellers and infrequent travellers.     

Identification model development for proactive response on irregular operations (IROPs)

The demand for air transportation service in Korea has been increasing rapidly, while the airport operation system has become even further advanced and complex. Accordingly, concerns regarding negative ripple effects, such as damage caused by flight delays or cancellations due to irregular operations (IROPs) of airports, have been amplifying. The IROPs is being newly defined, and guidelines for establishing a response system are being proposed in the U.S. and the U.K. However, studies in relation to preemptive and predictive responses aimed at minimizing the negative impacts, such as to analyze ripple effects generated after an incident, have not been sufficiently conducted. Accordingly, this study was conducted to analyze the ripple effects of IROPs according to severity and duration time, and to thus suggest a methodology to enable predictive response. The situation of IROPs was simulated and analyzed using the tower log data of 2015 from Jeju International Airport (CJU), Gimpo International Airport (GMP), and Gimhae International Airport (PUS) in Korea. The five-level classification for IROPs was then suggested using the K-means algorithm. The methodology suggested was verified for applicability to actual airport operation through scenario analysis. It is expected to serve as a framework for establishing the quantitative standards for goal setting with which airport operators solve the situation of IROPs.     

The relationship between airport image,national identity and passengers delight: A case study of the Malaysian low cost carrier terminal (LCCT)

This study examines the relationship between airport image and passengers delight in the context of a low cost carrier terminal in Malaysia. It also seeks to investigate the moderating effect of the airport's national identity on the predicted relationship between the two main constructs. The research, involving 200 passengers (foreign tourists), employed Hierarchical Moderated Regression as the main method of data analysis. The results revealed that there is a strong positive relationship between the airport image and passengers delight, and that national identity helps strengthen the relationship of the main effect.     

Processing passengers efficiently: An analysis of airport processing times for international passengers

With immense and growing pressure on stakeholders in international airport terminals to process passengers faster than previously, there is a great benefit to understanding which factors affect passenger processing times and in which situations. In addition, storing and analysing the collected data in batch is itself a difficult and time consuming task that could be made much simpler with sequential analysis. We aim to present a method for airport managers to discover which variables are important to understanding passenger processing times and identifying problematic passenger profiles without the need for high computational capacity and full historical datasets.In this paper we introduce Bayesian hierarchical models as a method of sequentially processing data, reducing computation time and obviating storage of large amounts of raw data. We use a range of exploratory models to identify which variables are important to predicting passenger processing time using a dataset from a day of operations at an international airport terminal, then compare a range of regression models. A Bayesian hierarchical regression model based on the model of best fit discovered through exploration is then applied to two subsets of data. We demonstrate that sequential updating based on daily data achieves similar results to batch processing based on full historical datasets and can therefore be used as an alternative in appropriate circumstances. Using the presented models, we find that the airline operating a flight is the most important variable to determining passenger processing time, followed by each passenger's age, sex and nationality. We demonstrate that in our dataset, the passenger profiles correlated with higher mean processing times overall were not the same as those passengers most problematic for meeting processing time targets.     

Towards a decision-support tool for airport slot allocation: Application to Guarulhos (Sao Paulo,Brazil)

In the vast majority of airports where demand exceeds capacity, landing and take-off slots are allocated according to the process established by the Worldwide Slot Guidelines (WSG). An optimization-based decision-support tool is introduced in this paper to assist slot coordinators in the initial slot allocation – the most important stage of that process. The WSG comprises both primary and additional criteria to be taken into account by slot coordinators at this stage. Considering all additional criteria specified in the WSG, this tool generates, in an acceptable amount of time, alternative efficient slot allocations against which the coordinators can evaluate the solutions obtained through the heuristic methods they apply. The decision-support tool also offers solution analysis features, such as visualization, ranking, comparison of multiple optimal solutions, and comparison of solutions regarding important characteristics not reflected in the WSG additional criteria. The tool is being tested at one of the largest airports worldwide – Guarulhos (Sao Paulo, Brazil) – with results that clearly illustrate its usefulness in practice.     

Long-term evolution of airport networks: Optimization model and its application to the United States

In this article, we introduce an optimization model aimed to assist aviation authorities in their strategic decisions regarding the long-term expansion of a network of airports. The objective is to maximize total system throughput for a given budget taking into account the capacity of the airports and the impact of travel costs upon demand. The results that can be obtained through the application of the model are first illustrated for a hypothetical small-size network and then in a study regarding the evolution of the network of the principal airports of the United States.     

Implications of the ageing society and internationalisation for airport services: A perspective on passenger demand for personal space at airport terminals

“Per-passenger-space” has been used as one of the fundamental units of Level of Service (LOS) measurement to evaluate the capacity of airport terminals for passenger comfort and service satisfaction. This study addresses the questions of how air passengers perceive personal space as an airport service attribute, and how the territoriality of passengers is moderated by their age and cultural background. Participants were grouped depending on their age and nationality for a comparative study. The results from the Repertory Grid Technique (RGT) and open-ended questions supported the conclusion that passengers of different age and cultural backgrounds perceive personal space differently, and their service satisfaction would be partially affected by the availability of personal space within the airport terminal. These findings suggest a necessity for alternative LOS standards that are cost-effective and able to reflect changing age structure and cultural composition of air passengers.     

Airport location in multiple airport regions (MARs): The role of land and airside accessibility

This paper approaches the airport location problem as a function of accessibility considerations. First, a structural equation model is established to find the relationship between the size of an airport catchment area and its flight network scale. Landside and airside accessibilities are measured by the qualities and costs of surface transportation and flight networks. The two accessibilities are combined to form a regional air transportation accessibility profile, which can be used as a criterion to evaluate airport locations at a macro-planning level. Finally, the scenarios of airport locations in terms of small and large areas are analyzed using two regional case studies in China.     

Accountability and stakeholder engagement in the airport industry: An assessment of airports’ CSR reports

This study assesses the comprehensiveness and quality of corporate social responsibility reports published by airports. A content analysis rating system is built using the global reporting initiative guidelines. The findings indicate that corporate social responsibility reporting is not a common practice among international airports and where it is done, there is considerable variability in the disclosure practices.     

An exact algorithm for the multi-trip vehicle routing and scheduling problem of pickup and delivery of customers to the airport

Door-to-Door service of Pickup and Delivery of Customers to the Airport (D2PDCA) is a new service provided by certain Airline Ticket Sales Agencies (ATSAs) in China. This new service provides an attractive alternative way by picking up customer at this/her specified position and at any time he/she preferred and delivering to the airport more conveniently than airport shuttle and thus earn high customer service quality. Compared with the single-trip mode, the multi-trip mode of D2PDCA (MTM-D2PDCA) service can reduce travel distances, the number of vehicles required and the operating cost. To obtain the exact solution of the MTM-D2PDCA problem, we propose a novel, exact algorithm based on the trip-chain-oriented set-partitioning (TCO-SP) model, where a trip-chain represents multiple trips made by a specific vehicle. In the exact algorithm, we propose an improved label-correcting method to remove infeasible trip-chains quickly and thus speed the search process. Based on the feasible trip-chains, the MTM-D2PDCA problem is formulated as the novel TCO-SP model, which can be solved exactly by the optimization software CPLEX. In addition, we present several mathematical insights into the relationship between the number of trip-chains and the number of local optimal trips that are applicable in both theory and practice. Extensive experiments are conducted to illustrate the application of the model and demonstrate the cost savings of the MTM-D2PDCA mode over the single-trip mode and provide managerial insights into successfully operating a MTM-D2PDCA service.     

Grounded aircraft: An airfield operations perspective of the challenges of resuming flights post COVID

The global COVID pandemic, national lockdowns and unprecedented decline in passenger demand worldwide has led to airlines cancelling services, furloughing staff, applying for financial support and placing aircraft into temporary storage. However, with finite space available, and up to two-thirds of the world's total passenger fleet grounded for an indeterminate period of time, airlines have been forced to park their aircraft in unusual places, sometimes at airports they do not normally serve and in volumes never normally experienced. The aim of this paper is to investigate the extent of grounded aircraft at UK airports and explore the challenges, from an airfield operations perspective, of resuming flights post-COVID.     

An evaluation of the transport to employment (T2E) scheme in Highland Scotland using social return on investment (SROI)

This paper presents findings from an evaluation of transport to employment (T2E) in rural Highland Scotland. T2E is a centrally co-ordinated shared transport service which provides access to workplace, training and childcare where no alternative transport is available. The paper assesses the social as well as economic impacts on the local community through social return on investment (SROI) analysis. Measurable social benefits were found to outweigh the investment by 3:1 suggesting the concept to be a viable solution in a climate where public transport options are limited and typically restricted by low density and dispersed populations and challenging conditions for delivery.     

A new model of luggage storage time while boarding an airplane: An experimental test

The boarding process is on the critical path of the turn-around. Reduction in boarding time can benefit airline carriers and airports and improve passenger satisfaction. However, aisle interference caused by passengers placing their luggage during boarding is a key factor leading to cabin congestion and low boarding efficiency. Therefore, the storage time for the carry-on luggage and its influencing factors is analyzed in this study. An experiment was conducted in a B737-800 model (1/3 size) to explore the factors effecting the time of luggage storage, and a new effective model of luggage storage time is proposed through a significance test and data fitting. The results show that the age of passengers, the type and quantity of luggage, and the existing luggage in the luggage bin have a significant impact on the luggage storage time; the rule of the variation in luggage placing time is similar between young adult passengers and middle aged passengers; the impact of the existing luggage in the overhead bin on the luggage storage time shows a stable trend in the initial period, but with the quantity of the luggage increasing to a certain point, the luggage storage time begins to increase sharply, which is known as a “jump”; and the luggage type has a great influence on the threshold value of jump. The results of the study can provide a reference for airlines to manage cabin luggage to improve boarding efficiency and improve passenger experience.     

The impact of airport fees on fares for the leisure air travel market: The case of Spain

Panel data is used to determine the incidence of airport fees on fares in the Spanish leisure market airlines. We also study its structure through an empirical specification of a pricing and demand equation system. The results show the existence of market power, strategic behavior and density economics. We also demonstrate that airlines pass all the airport fees onto customers by increasing fares. Furthermore, we find that the behavior of airlines in routes with the presence of low cost carriers do not differ from other routes.     

Easing the adoption of agent-based modelling (ABM) in tourism research

Agent-based modelling (ABM) is an emerging approach in tourism research. Despite the natural fit between theories of tourism as a complex, interconnected system, and the generative approach supported in ABM, there has been only limited integration within mainstream tourism research. This research letter reports on a recent gathering of tourism ABM researchers to define the main challenges that face the adoption of ABM in tourism research. These include technical, communications, and novelty issues. In response to these challenges, three potential strategies to ease adoption are outlined: education, awareness, and interdisciplinary teams. These findings are framed as a call for increased attention to the fit of ABM within tourism research, and a framework for negotiating constraints to adoption of this technology.     

Models of crisis management: an evaluation of their value for strategic planning in the international travel industry

Tourism is particularly prone to external shocks, which by their nature are unpredictable and need to be addressed through effective crisis management processes. The paper reviews the literature relating to crisis management in tourism and identifies and briefly critiques several models that have been developed to help managers in their strategic planning for such contingencies. The terrorist attacks of ‘9/11’ are used as an exemplar of the type of external shock that can lead to crisis if travel industry managers fail to take immediate and decisive action. This paper discusses the reactions of leading UK based tour operators to the terrorist attacks and a case study is presented to examine the reaction of a particular company to ‘9/11’ and to review the ‘turnaround’ strategies used. The crisis management process model is compared and contrasted with the steps actually undertaken at the company. It is evident that there are wider lessons for the travel industry including the need to: integrate crisis management with strategic planning processes, prepare detailed contingency plans, define decisional roles and responsibilities, and to retain a degree of flexibility. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A conceptual evaluation framework for organisational safety culture: An empirical study of Taipei Songshan Airport

This study included three phases. The first phase was to establish an evaluation hierarchy framework for organisational safety culture in accordance with the fuzzy Delphi method (FDM) and including expert perspectives. The second phase involved evaluating weight and rankings in order of importance using a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process. In the third phase, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the Scheffe multiple comparison test were used to compare the different evaluation constructs and criteria of the airport's various internal safety management units. The study results demonstrated that Taipei Songshan Airport's general management units believed that ‘Safety Supervision’, ‘Safety-oriented Working Environment’ and ‘System of Incentives and Penalties’ should be considered implementation priorities to improve overall performance in the airport organisational safety culture. In addition, the ANOVA results revealed significant differences among the airport's management units with respect not only to the personal dimension, including ‘Safety Values’, ‘Safety Evaluation Standards’ and ‘Safety Management Updates’, but also to the situational dimension, such as ‘Safety Communication and Commitment’ and ‘Injury Rate’.     

A Cournot model for analysing the effects of an open skies agreement

In the last decades there has been a gradual liberalisation of international air transport markets through the implementation of open skies agreements which seek the deregulation of the air transport industry and consequently the functioning of the market in a freer way. The objective of this work is to study the effects of an open skies agreement in order to understand if the airlines and the consumers will benefit after the market deregulation. With this purpose, we develop a Cournot model to compare the initial situation (without agreement) and the situation after the implementation of the open skies agreement.Based on the model developed we conclude that after market liberalisation the prices on international market segments where competition increases should decline, thus benefiting consumers. Regarding the incumbent airlines in the market, an open skies agreement should jeopardize the airlines that fail to operate new routes, leading to decreased profits.     

Travel using managed lanes: An application of a stated choice model for Houston,Texas

Managed lane (ML) travel adds flexibility, but also complexity, to travel choices. Stated choice models (SCMs) are often used for modeling complex transportation choices such as these in an effort to predict demand for these travel options. The design methods for SCMs have evolved from simple orthogonal designs to more sophisticated designs such as D-efficient design that can increase efficiency in estimation. We used three different survey design strategies to produce the stated preference portion of surveys, which were used to elicit travel choices for a sample of Houston travelers. Apart from the D-efficient design we also used random and adaptive random designs to generate attribute levels. There were observable differences in choice behavior depending on what design strategy was used. These differences appear to influence estimates of the value of travel time savings (VTTS) obtained from the random parameter logit (RPL) models estimated using these data. This, in turn, would greatly impact the percentage of travelers predicted to use the MLs.The adaptive random strategy was superior to the other design methods in several categories, and it had similar efficiency to the D-efficient design. However, the mean of VTTS estimate obtained from a D-efficient design was closer to what is typically found in the literature. The difference was considerable and could greatly influence traffic and revenue estimates for the MLs, illustrating the importance of the survey design strategy.     

A robust hybrid decision model for evaluation and selection of the strategic alliance partner in the airline industry

Owing to the cut throat competition and economic uncertainty in the market, airlines are focusing on strategic alliances for satisfying customer needs, especially in the current time which is dominated by global integration, demanding customer and fast changing technologies. This strategy is widely adopted by airlines. However, the selection of strategic alliance partner is a very decisive decision, and this selection process engrosses a number of complex processes which is result of compound reflection of associated various factors. In addition, the decision makers may be inconsistent in their views and preferences, arising due to imperfect information or intrinsic conflict between various departments. This paper presents a model based approach of an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) for evaluation of criteria and fuzzy technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution (FTOPSIS) for the selection of strategic alliance partner. A case of Indian airline industry demonstrates the application of the proposed approach. Eventually, robustness of the model is demonstrated by sensitivity analysis.