Considerations for Temporal Aggregation: Applications to the US In-Flight Survey Data

Abstract

Data collection and analysis continue to be important for the travel industry to be aware of and responsive to their markets. One of the important limitations with most tourism data is that the number of interviews available can be too small to allow conclusions to be reached with the confidence desired. Many times, data are temporally aggregated to reach sufficient sample size. However, studies have shown that temporal aggregation does not always bring about plausible estimates. Thus, it is necessary to consider the pros and cons of temporal aggregation when one wants to put data aggregation into practice. The main objective of this article is to examine the considerations necessary to successfully apply temporal data aggregation within the context of the US In-Flight Survey (IFS) data. This article raises and addresses important issues related to temporal data aggregation from several perspectives.