Multi-criteria group decision-making approach to the modernization of hold baggage security screening system at an airport

The decisions on the modernization of a hold baggage screening system (HBSS) at an airport require taking into account multiple assessment criteria of the considered variants. These criteria are both objective - precisely quantifiable, and subjective - requiring descriptive assessment by experts. The purpose of this article was to make a multi-criteria assessment of variants of the modernization of the HBSS, considering various points of view of experts and the context of decisions made. Due to the existence of both the criteria described using linguistic variables and those dependent on complex random processes, both fuzzy inference methods and simulation methods based on microscale models were used. The developed method was implemented to assess the modernization variants for Katowice International Airport. The highest score resulting from the group decision-making was obtained by the modernization variant consisting in reducing the number of baggage control levels with the simultaneous increase in the number of people performing manual checks. If we consider a different decision-making process environment, the group's preferred variant changes. For example, for the scenario involving a significant increase in the size of the traffic being handled, the variant of doubling X-ray devices at the first level of control becomes the most advantageous. The change in the group preference, depending on the context of the decision-making situation, clearly indicates that this context must be taken into account in the decision-making process. The proposed method allows one not only to indicate the preferred variant in each scenario but also to numerically determine the strength of preferences for individual variants, which may facilitate making the right decision considering the chances for implementation of individual scenarios.