Domestic Routes Research Articles

Passenger airline choice behavior for domestic short-haul travel in South Korea

When the Seoul-Busan line of South Korea's high-speed rail system, dubbed the Korea Train Express (KTX), entered service in November 2010, it was expected that this line would compete with air transport services for short-haul domestic journeys. Therefore this is a study about passengers' choice behavior when traveling short-haul domestic routes in South Korea. It utilizes MNL and NL logit models with selected variables, and the data required for the analyses were gathered through Stated Preference (SP) Techniques. The main SP survey was conducted for three weeks at departure lounges in Incheon International Airport in May 2012. The results reveal that fare, access time and journey time are significantly important with respect to passenger choice. The results further indicate that business travelers are more willing to pay than non-business travelers to reduce access and journey time. It is also noteworthy that reducing access time is more important than reducing journey time for short-haul domestic travelers. The conclusion is that it is significantly important for airline planners or local authorities that want to increase their local market share to invest in relatively fast access modes.

Event Intervention이 일본, 중국 항공수요에 미치는 영향에 관한 연구

The purpose of this study is to anticipate the air travel demands over the period of 164 months, from January 1997 to August 2010 using ARIMA-Intervention modeling on the selected sample data. The sample data is composed of the number of the passengers who in the domestic route for Jeju route. In the analysis work of this study, the past events which are assumed to have affected the demands for the air travel routes to Jeju in different periods were used as the intervention variables. The impacts of such variables were reflected in the presupposed demand. The intervention variables used in this study are, respectively, the World Cup event in 2002 (from May to June), 2003 SARS outbreak (from April to May), Tsunami in January 2005, and the influenza outbreak from October to December 2009. The result of the above mentioned analysis revealed that the negative intervention events, like a global outbreak of an epidemic did have negative impact on the air travel demands in a risk aversion by the users of the aviation services. However, in case of the negative intervention events in limited area, where there are possible substituting destinations for the tourists, the impact was positive in terms of the air travel demands for substituting destinations due to the rational expectation of the users as they searched for other options. Also in this study, it was discovered that there is not a binding correlation between a nation wide mega-event, such as the World Cup games in 2002, and the increased air travel demands over a short-term period.

Market Share Instability In The U.S. Airline Industry

In this paper, we use Market Share Instability (MSI) as a measure of the intensity of competition among airlines on a route. Using a panel of 400 U.S. domestic routes over the 1987-1993 period, we try to explain variations in MSI. We find that MSI is higher in moderately concentrated routes and in routes that include a bankrupt carrier. Airport dominance increases MSI if the dominant airline faces small competitors. Finally, we show that MSI was lower in the early nineties than in the late eighties.

Analyzing Yearly Variation of the Air Passenger Travel Volume for Domestic Routes Connecting Major Airports in Korea

Analyzing Yearly Variation of the Air Passenger Travel Volume for Domestic Routes Connecting Major Airports in Korea

Estimation of vertical and horizontal distribution of takeoff and climb NOx emission for commercial aircraft

An investigation of takeoff and climb NOx emissions is reported for a twin-engine, narrow-body, short-to-medium haul commercial aircraft, B737-800. Ten randomly selected flights are considered for two independent domestic routes. The study is based on two approaches: actual flight data records and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) emission database. First, an empirical model is established in order to identify the relationship between fuel flow and a NOx emission index. Next, the NOx emissions are analyzed through the vertical air region and the horizontal distance from the runway. Averaged takeoff and climb NOx emissions for equal vertical regions for each route are found as 27.0kg and 24.8kg through the developed models for two routes, A and B, respectively. The results are also compared to those given in the ICAO database which utilizes standard takeoff and climb emission indices.

Research on Vehicle Routing Optimization Based on Improved Ant Colony Algorithm

This paper analyzes the domestic and international logistics distribution route optimization problem and the research status of ant colony algorithm, illustrates the problems existing in the logistics distribution now. It reflects the necessity to research on the vehicle routing optimization problem. In order to increasing the ant colony algorithm’s convergence speed and avoiding to fall into local optimum, we improve the pheromone evaporation coefficient and visibility to optimize the searching ability, which can avoid premature convergence and stagnation.

Low Cost Carriers in China and its Contribution to Passenger Traffic Flow

The gradual liberalization of China's air transport sector led to the launch of some new private airlines and low-cost carriers (LCCs) in the mid-2000s. However, the large population and geographic market do not necessarily mean that a favorable environment is ensured for the growth of these new airlines. The domestic market is still dominated by the three state-owned carriers that have access to government aid whenever they are in trouble. Despite the less favorable environment, China's only low-cost carrier, Spring Airlines, has managed to grow and has achieved limited success. The presence of Spring Airlines on a domestic route has contributed to an increase in passenger volume by 23%, holding other factors constant. This study also finds that when the jet fuel price increases by one dollar per gallon, the number of passengers carried will drop by 6%. The tourism and economic benefits brought about by LCCs should be the driving forces for change in air transport policies in China.

Exploring the limits of dissolved organic matter fluorescence for determining seawater sources and ballast water exchange on the US Pacific coast

To minimize the risk of biological invasions associated with commercial shipping, vessels are required to conduct ballast water exchange (BWE)≥200 nautical miles offshore when arriving in the US from foreign ports, and some states require coastal BWE≥50 miles offshore along domestic routes. Previous research suggests that the intensity of fluorescent dissolved organic matter (fDOM) can be used to verify whether BWE was implemented. This study examined seasonal and spatial variability of fDOM in Pacific rim ports and the adjacent seas, using the North American coast as a model system to test whether regional fluorescence intensity thresholds consistently distinguish port sites from coastal and oceanic sites at increasing distances from shore. Over 2000 samples from major port systems on the US Pacific coast and along offshore (perpendicular) and alongshore (parallel) transects were analyzed. Overall, humic fDOM fluorescence intensity (C3*=370/494nm) effectively discriminated port versus oceanic sites located further than 100miles from shore, but discriminated only a subset of coastal versus oceanic sources within the northeastern Pacific. Data from additional global ports are needed to predict the frequency of false positive or false negative ballast source determinations using fDOM for foreign vessel traffic.

Do carriers abuse the slot system to inhibit airport capacity usage? Evidence from the US experience

This paper examines whether carriers using the US slot-constrained airports have hoarded underutilized slots by abusing the slot system. Regression analyses of the US domestic route data show that there is potential evidence that carriers have hoarded slots at LaGuardia and O'Hare. Even at National and Kennedy, hoarding behaviors are suspected on the shorter routes. The results suggest that it would be desirable to modify the slot system to reduce its vulnerability to hoarding behaviors by carriers.

CURRENT SUPPLY CHAINS OF CABBAGE IN LAO PDR

Domestic and export supply chains for cabbages produced in Pakxong District, Champasak Province, the leading production area in Lao PDR, were mapped through on-site visits and key informant interviews. The domestic supply chain route from Pakxong to the capital city of Vientiane (750 km distance or 14 hours travel) involved farmers and collectors in Pakxong and wholesalers and retailers in Vientiane. Farmers transported unpacked cabbages to the collectors’ house using tractor-driven cart. Cabbages were then trimmed, packed in 20 kg plastic bags, and transported to Vientiane by public bus. The wholesalers brought the cabbages to Nongteng Vegetable Wholesale Market for disposal to retailers. On the other hand, the export supply chain route from Pakxong to Ubon Lathsathani Province, Thailand (about 190 km distance or 4 hours travel) involved farmers and collectors in Pakxong and Thai collectors who were also wholesalers and retailers. Untrimmed and unpacked cabbages were loaded to collectors’ trucks at six tons per load for transport to Songmaek Market, a border trading center at the Lao side of the Lao-Thai border. The Thai collectors bought the cabbages, which were then trimmed, packed in 10-kg plastic bags, and transported in 10-wheeler trucks or pick-up cars to their shops at Chaleansy Market in Ubon Lathsathani. Upon arrival, cabbages were re-trimmed before retail or re-packed in 7-kg plastic bags for disposal to other wholesalers and retailers in the market and other provinces. Asymmetry in product price along the chain was very pronounced; in the domestic supply chain, the collectors’ selling price to wholesalers was almost three times higher than farmgate price (0.08 USD/kg) due to the high transport cost while in the export supply chain, the Thai collectors’ selling price (0.32 USD/kg) was more than three-fold higher than the farmgate price (0.072 USD/kg) and collectors’ selling price (0.09 USD/kg) due to the added value of trimming, packing and transport. Product losses also contributed to price changes along the chain, except for losses incurred by farmers (30-34% in both chains). In the domestic supply chain, wholesalers incurred much higher loss (9.6%) than collectors (3%) and retailers (3-5%). In the export supply chain, Thai collectors had higher loss (14%) than the Lao collectors (8%). Major causes of loss in both chains were physical damage and bacterial soft rot, which could be effectively addressed through appropriate technical interventions.

Discounts and Public Service Obligations in the Airline Market: Lessons from Spain

We examine the impact of the universal service policy that was applied to the Spanish airline market during the period 2001–2009. Our analysis shows that routes that benefit from price discounts that were granted by the government to island residents enjoy higher demand than the rest of the country’s domestic routes. However, the lower elasticity of demand of these routes allows airlines to set higher prices. We also find that airlines that operate inter-island routes on which their services are regulated by price caps and frequency floors charge lower prices and schedule higher flight frequencies than is the case on unregulated routes. Overall, our analysis suggests that price discounts for island residents help guarantee the profitability of routes that are regulated by public service obligations.

Tabulated decision aids and airfare pricing

When people shop for airline tickets, the effort-demanding cognitive process of assessing alternative travel dates may have significant effects on consumer decisions. With the advent of the Internet, consumers are gaining access to a growing number of alternative flights. Decision support tools can assist consumers in their search for travel dates and price combinations. Airline carriers have started offering such tools to support flexible travel-date searches on their websites. In this research, we analyze the economic effects of such tools. We hypothesize that these tools directly affect airline carriers’ pricing schemes. As airline carriers display more alternatives on a flexible date search, price variation and number of price changes are expected to decrease, and the average price is expected to increase. We empirically test our hypotheses using airfares from a wide range of US domestic routes. The results broadly support our hypotheses.

The hidden information content of price movements

Dynamic patterns of prices in different markets may motivate (strategic) consumers, who could be monitoring price movements over time, to game vendors. Do past price movements carry information about the probability and magnitude of future price drops? Conducting empirical work in the airline industry on near 1000 US domestic routes, we find that some price-metrics carry information about future price swings: these variables can assist in predicting the likelihood and magnitude of price drops. These price-metrics yield significantly different signals which also vary as the prediction horizon changes.

Fund Raising by Indian Companies in 2010 - Clear Domination of Domestic Sources

As Indian economy is firmly on the growth track, the Indian corporates are aggressively pursuing the equity fund raising to finance their projects and the expansion activity. The calendar year 2010 has seen busy activity in terms of equity fund raising by Indian corporates through the domestic routes (of IPOs, FPOs, QIPs). However, the activity on the international routes (of FCCBs, ADRs and GDRs) has been subdued.The dometic fund raising has been clearly dominating and also indicates that the Indian market has significantly matured to cater to the needs of the Indian corporate.

Implications of wild dog ecology on the sylvatic and domestic life cycle of Neospora caninum in Australia

Neospora caninum is transmitted either transplacentally or horizontally by ingestion of tissue cysts present in tissues or oocysts shed by dogs. Neosporosis is a significant disease, causing cattle abortion at 5-7 months of pregnancy. Infected cows may remain infective for life transmitting the infection in several consecutive or non-consecutive pregnancies. A great deal is known about the epidemiology of neosporosis, although only limited information is available on the main routes of horizontal transmission. In Australia, the presence of the dingo as the top-order predator suggests a potential sylvatic route of transmission between dingoes and as yet unknown native wildlife in addition to the domestic route via dogs with access to infected tissue on farms. This review article critically evaluates the overlap between the domestic and sylvatic routes, taking into account canine ecology, and summarises current understanding of the transmission of N. caninum to provide a foundation for epidemiologists, farmers and conservation biologists dealing with neosporosis and wild dog control programs.

船体運動データを用いた船上運航支援システムに関する基礎的研究

In the design of a ship, the sailing performances of the ship in waves are carefully surveyed for wide points of views, for example stability, seakeeping and so on. The results of the surveys are given to the ship as a stability booklet and other detailed documents. Navigator, however, usually operate their ships in rough seas on the basis of own skill obtained in long experience. In the real navigating situation in very severe rough seas, it is sometimes difficult for navigators to use such detailed materials mentioned above for safety navigation. Therefore, it is important and helpful to develop some tools to monitor the ship motions and seas on board automatically and to report dangerous situation to navigator.As the first stage of developing such a onboard navigating assistant system for supporting decision making of navigators, the authors proposed a simple and practical method to identify height, frequency and direction of encounter waves. This method is based on the comparison between response function database and measured ship motions. To confirm the accuracy of this method, experiments using a ferry model in tank and a real passenger/vehicle ferry operated in a Japanese domestic route are carried out in the present paper. Both of them showed a good agreement in accuracy between the obtained wave characteristics by the system and the observed ones.

The environmental effects of airline carbon emissions taxation in the US

This study investigates how air traffic emissions taxes may impact carbon emissions in the US. The magnitude of emissions savings in the US domestic airline industry that would result from lower demand for air travel as taxes are levied and air fares increase is estimated. At the same time, the air-automobile substitution effect is considered and it is argued that some air travelers may divert to automobiles, thus increasing automobile carbon emissions. Both the analysis of the aggregate US domestic airline industry and the study of a sample of US domestic route markets indicate that potentially sizeable increases in automobile traffic and related emissions may substantially reduce the environmental benefits of air travel carbon emissions taxes. In some instances, carbon emissions may even increase in short-haul markets. Sensitivity analyses are performed to demonstrate the robustness of these findings.

Weekend effect in airfare pricing

Internet traffic during weekends is lighter than at weekdays, allowing airlines to adopt a distinctive pricing policy during the weekend. By analyzing the daily airfares for 1000 US domestic routes, this study tests whether a weekend effect exists in the level and dispersion of airfares. It finds a strong weekend effect for airfare dispersion, but not for price level. This suggests that different arrival timing of online consumers during the weekdays motivate airlines to adopt a distinctive pricing mechanism during weekends, by offering occasional discounts while maintaining the same fare level on average.

The carbon emissions of selected airlines and aircraft types in three geographic markets

Various carbon calculators developed by airlines and carbon offset companies have become available since the environmental impact of the air transport industry started to receive strong attention. This paper details a prototype methodology for carbon calculation emission levels in the three air transport markets; the UK domestic routes, the intra-EU routes serving UK and the North Atlantic routes that enables the assessment of key environmental performance differences between air carriers whereas they would be measured as identical using the often used DEFRA-type measurement approach. The results show differences in airlines' strategies such as aircraft type used, load factors and seat configurations.

Border effects for domestic and international Canadian passenger air travel

An augmented gravity model of passenger air travel between five Canadian airports and destinations within and without of Canada reveals a substantial border effect. After controlling for GDP, populations and distance, the number of seats offered on domestic routes is about six times the number on international flights. This result is consistent with the border effects found in studies of international merchandise trade.