NETWORK MODELS FOR SEAT ALLOCATION ON FLIGHTS

This paper examines the problem of proper (optimal) control over the seat allocation on flights. Given a heterogeneous fleet of aircraft types, multi-leg flights, a number of different passenger categories, and cancelations, an airline's objective is to devise an effective system which aids in setting the seat allocation targets for each category of passenger on each flight. This issue is analyzed by a number of authors in the context of economic, simulation based, probabilistic, and mathematical programming studies. We present an attempt to address this problem from the systems propsective emphasizing characteristics such as: passenger cancelations, multi-leg flights, and rolling tactical planning time horizon. Starting from a very simple network flow model for a single flight with a number of intermediate stops, a number of progressively complex models are presented. The airline flights and the seat allocation system are represented as a generalized network flow model (with gains/losses on arcs) with the objective of flow maximization (profit maximization). This modeling approach does not claim to replace the seat allocation approaches presented in Alstrup et al. (1985), Mayer (1976), Richter (1982), Simpson (1985a), and Wang (1983), but rather construct seat allocations utilizing some of those referenced schemes in a parameter setting mode for a large network model. The objective of this paper is not to report on computational experiments, but to present a modeling approach which seems to be promising, if somewhat speculative.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/01912615
• Corporate Authors:

  Pergamon Press, Incorporated

  Headington Hill Hall
  Oxford OX30BW,    
• Authors:
  • Dror, M
  • TRUDEAU, P
  • Ladany, S P
• Publication Date: 1988-8

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: p. 239-250
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Part B: Methodological
  • Volume: 22B
  • Issue Number: 4
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 0191-2615
  • Serial URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/01912615

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aircraft; Cost allocation; Mathematical models; Network analysis; Seats
• Uncontrolled Terms: Models; Network flows
• Old TRIS Terms: Allocations
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00475886
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Sep 30 1988 12:00AM