Welcome Reception 

18th Floor @ DoubleTree by Hilton Santiago - Vitacura

Registration desk open (collect badges, etc.)

18th Floor @ DoubleTree by Hilton Santiago - Vitacura

Welcome

Joint session SSP + Crew

Keynote Address

Joint session SSP + Crew

Mr. Hernan Pasman, Chief Operations Officer, Latam Airlines Group

Coffee break

2nd Floor

Astoria C

Technical Presentation: Fleet Assignment under Spill Demand

Mohand AIT ALAMARA, Air France

Given a flight schedule and a set of aircraft configuration, the fleet assignment purpose is to determine which type of aircraft should fly each scheduled flight. The proposed model aims to maximize the total revenue depending on flight features (duration, frequency , passenger unconstrained demand) and aircraft type characteristics (fleet size, cabine capacity, operational costs , freight revenue , preferential assignments). The passenger revenue computation is based on the spill model. It computes an estimated passenger traffic on a route / cabine level, given an unconstrained demand , a seat capacity and a demand distribution parameter. The non-linear shape of the spill function makes the assignment problem very hard to compute. We propose a MIP formulation of the fleet assignment problem that overcomes the non-linear spill complexity. In addition , we prensent an entension of this model in order to adjust the schedule to a fleet size evolution.

2nd Floor Astoria B

Lunch - 2nd Floor Astoria B

Technical Presentation: Validating the Current Practice of Airlines Block Time Estimation: Can We Do Better?

Ahmed Abdelghany, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

This research presents a modeling framework to provide a solution to the airlines' scheduled block time (SBT) design problem. The framework implements a novel data-driven optimization model that considers reliability measures at both the flight and the schedule levels. The framework enables airlines’ schedule planners to examine the relationship between the allocated SBT for each flight and the aggregate schedule reliability and make informed decisions regarding the trade-off between schedule reliability and operational costs. The efficacy of the proposed framework is examined using the schedules of two major U.S. airlines. Experiments are conducted to evaluate the model's effectiveness. In these experiments, the SBT estimated by the model is compared against the SBT provided by the airline for each flight in the schedule. In addition, both the estimated SBT and the SBT provided by the airline are compared against the Actual Block Time (ABT) recorded for all flights in the schedule. Results confirm that there is a room of improving airlines' current practice of block time estimation.

Technical Presentation: Modeling the Global Fleet Assignment to Analyze the Attractiveness and Potential Operating Scenarios of Future Climate-Friendly Aircraft Designs

Markus Kühlen and Klaus Lütjens, German Aerospace Center (DLR)

We present a mixed-integer optimization approach to model the fleet assignment in the global air transportation system. Within the objective function of the optimization, cost and revenue aspects are covered by modeling the direct operating costs and the perceived attractiveness of transport offerings from a passenger’s point of view. The optimization constraints consider, among others, airport capacities, aircraft payload–range performances, and available take-off and landing field lengths. We calibrate the global fleet assignment model with historic fleet and flight schedule data of the period 2010-2019. Finally, we apply the model to analyze the attractiveness and potential operating scenarios of future narrow-body aircraft designs with different climate-friendly propulsion architectures (power-to-liquid, liquid hydrogen and hybrid-electric).

Technical Presentation: Divide and Concur?

Tomas Larsson, Jeppesen

Airlines operate in a complex environment. We cannot absorb all complexity as it is, so we find ways to reduce complexity. We divide our own operation into expert areas, and we aggregate the world around us into groups. Optimization is a powerful tool to master complexity, but the optimizers are designed to master one expert area, like scheduling or crew planning. By extending the competence of the optimizers to have some overlap with adjacent areas, they can accept greater complexity. This presentation provides an example from integration between scheduling and crew planning, where we quantify the value generated when the capacity of scheduling to increase its capacity to absorb crew complexity is increased.

Coffee break

Airline Update - Delta Air Lines

Technical Presentation: The Impact of Network Forecasting Accuracy on Airline Network Planning and Strategic Decisions

Reza Baharnemati and Rajesh Vijayagopal, Amadeus | Kaori Bray, Southwest Airlines

Airline network forecasting is a crucial process for airlines to optimize their network planning and strategic decisions. However, forecasting accuracy is often affected by various factors such as demand uncertainty, market dynamics, operational disruptions, and external shocks. We propose a framework to measure the sensitivity of optimal schedules to changes in forecasted demand and revenue. We use historical data from a major US airline to compare the forecasted and actual network performance indicators such as passenger demand, revenue, load factor, and profitability. We also illustrate how the airline could influence different levels of forecasting accuracy, the optimal network design, and strategic choices of the airline by incorporating additional data sources in the forecasting process. We find that forecasting accuracy has a significant effect on the airline's network planning and strategic decisions and that improving forecasting accuracy can lead to substantial benefits for the airline. We also discuss the implications of our findings for airline network forecasting and planning practice and suggest directions for future research.

2nd Floor

Astoria C

Technical Presentation: The Impact of Non-Stop Flights between U.S. and African Countries on Local Trade and Socio Economics Factors

Soheil Sibdari, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

We use international air-service historical data combined with economic, tourism, and trade data sets to examine the impact of non-stop Trans-Atlantic flights between the U.S. and selected African countries on local trade. We use quarterly data between 2009 and 2019, collected from public and private resources and use a panel regression method to conduct and illustrate our results. The outcome of this research helps policy makers, commercial airlines, and international organizations to make better capacity investment and route planning. 

SSP Keynote Address

Martin St. George, Chief Commercial Officer, LATAM Airlines Group Mr. Martin St. George joined LATAM Airlines Group in 2020 as Chief Commercial Officer after a 30+ year career in the airline industry in both North America and Europe. Prior to joining LATAM, he operated an airline strategy consulting practice, where he served airline and travel-industry clients in the United States, the Caribbean and Europe, including a role as interim Chief Commercial Officer at Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA. From 2006 to 2019, he worked for JetBlue Airways, filling roles in marketing, network and ultimately serving as Chief Commercial Officer at JetBlue. Mr. St. George holds a degree in Civil Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Coffee break

Sponsor Presentation - Amadeus

Technical Presentation: Network Schedule Planning Policy Evaluation with Digital Twin Operation & Optimization

Suki S. Ng, Cathay Pacific Airways

Schedule planning is a composite of science and experience, where operating strategies, business assumptions and business outlooks are often converted into various levels of planning assumptions and cascaded to multitude of short, medium and long term planning. Looking from execution perspective, there are two weak links in this process, namely operational dynamics and change in risk perception, requiring airlines to frequently tune its policy implementation and yield to suboptimal policy design. In Cathay Pacific, we have adopted an optimization driven simulation strategy to allow quick experimentation of scheduling policies in digital environment. Assumption validity, decision effectiveness, risk exposures and cost implications in operational environments are thoroughly tested and evaluated, enabling a systematic evaluation and profiling on policy parameters, providing a comprehensive capability to plan and experiment new way of work in the post-pandemic era.

Networking Event - Viñamar vineyard tour

Networking Dinner - Viñamar vineyard restaurant

Planned to end at around 22:00