Passenger Choice Research Articles

Airport competition in Brazil’s northeast region

Aviation growth is mainly due to the integration between national and world economies in the global era. The capital’s airports of the Brazilian Northeast were managed by a federal public company and are currently being granted to private companies, which have the premise of expanding the number of passengers. The increase in number of passengers drives competition between airports, since they must have adequate infrastructure to contain the demand. The choice by the user for an airport can be evaluated based on factors such as access mode, air fares, availability of flights and airport infrastructure. This paper aims at evaluating the choice of passengers between two airports in the Northeast of Brazil since 2014 and how this choice has been changing over the years. The binomial logit model was used to obtain the probability of choosing between airports and to evaluate the most relevant factors. The results of the study presented that availability for direct flights, preference for airlines, access time, air fares and general satisfaction of the airport fluctuated in the choice of the two airports during the study period. By evaluating the likelihood of choice, subsidies are provided to improve services considered indispensable by passengers.

Analysis of Sustainable Transport Systems in Service of Selected SEA-EU Consortium Countries' Airports-A Pilot Case Study of Passenger Choices for Gdańsk Airport.

The article presents the results of a pilot study, namely a passenger survey on travel choices regarding commuting to the airport in one chosen location (Gdańsk, Poland). The study aimed at establishing which factors which influenced their travel time, assessment of travel time, choosing more or less sustainable transport mode, and also single-mode or multimodal travel. Research results show that choice of the means of transport influences travel time, that the highest travel times are generated by bus and car travel and that assessing the travel time as acceptable or not depends on travel time. However, the longer the travel time, the more likely was the passenger to accept it. What is more, it appeared that a few factors influence choosing a more sustainable transport mode: the purpose of the trip, the start of the trip to the airport, place of living, and job situation.

Vulnerability Analysis of Urban Rail Transit Network by Considering the Station Track Layout and Passenger Behavior

The vulnerability of an urban rail transit (URT) network is an index that reflects its ability to cope with risks. However, existing URT network vulnerability studies have paid less attention to station track layout and passenger choice behavior, both of which significantly affect the consequences of a disruption incident. In the present study, we first analyze an actual scenario of URT section disruption and passenger behavior during an incident. Then, we propose two section vulnerability indexes that quantitatively evaluate the effect of a URT section disruption from two aspects: detour delay and loss in passenger flow. To make the application scenario of this method more realistic, the track layout and depot location are taken into account. By considering the relationship between train routing and the sections, a concept of “dominant section” is put forward to make the calculation of the vulnerability indexes more efficient and can be used for a simultaneous multi-section-disruption scenario. Finally, a case study of the Beijing Subway network is provided. The results show that disruptions in only a few critical sections can significantly affect the URT network passenger flow. Disruption of only 3% of the sections can lead to 80% passenger-flow loss, which reflects the high vulnerability of URT networks. The method proposed in this paper can provide support for the evaluation of URT network performance.

Improvement of first-mile service based on passengers’ choice of travel mode

The first-mile service (FMS) refers to the modal choice for the first part of a commuting journey. A well-designed FMS can provide a seamless travel to access public transport services. This research was driven by the efficiency of different travel modes (e.g. taxi, shared bike, bus) in the FMS. Based on realistic travel experience, an expected utility model for each travel mode was developed. Then, a framework based on evolutionary game theory was designed to deal with the issue of passengers’ dynamic interactions during the FMS. Both infinite- and finite-population scenarios were considered. The simulation results showed that walking is the first choice for passengers in comfortable weather and taking a taxi is the first choice in adverse weather. After the implementation of effective strategies, passengers’ travel efficiency increases simultaneously. As such, effective strategies such as shared electric bikes, customised buses and taxi-sharing behaviour are encouraged in FMS planning.

Identifying the Importance of Criteria for Passenger Choice of Sustainable Travel by Train Using ARTIW and IHAMCI Methods

Nowadays, travelers can use different modes of transport, and they usually choose the most suitable and reliable mode available. The choice of one mode of transport as an alternative to another is subjective. It is usually built upon passenger attitude toward the advantages and disadvantages of using a particular mode. This article proposes analytical methods for and research results on passenger choices for sustainable train journeys as an alternative to traveling by bus. The rank averages of all criteria and their normalized subjective weights were calculated with reference to new linear (ARTIW-L) and nonlinear (ARTIW-N) methods of average rank transformation into weight. A correlation between sub-criteria rank averages and normalized weights is presented, based on the minimum number of passengers required to be interviewed to provide reliable results. The average ranks assigned by passengers to the evaluation sub-criteria and their global weights were used for determining and describing the most and least important key criteria by applying the inverse hierarchy for assessment of main criteria importance (IHAMCI) method. The analysis shows that the most important key criterion belonged to the sub-criteria characterizing economy, while the less important key criteria included ride comfort. The least important key criteria described safety and environmental protection, whose normalized subjective overall weights were the lowest. Rail transport authorities and companies involved in transporting passengers can make this mode of transport more attractive to people by giving priority to improving the services they provide to passengers.

Optimal Differential Pricing for Intercity High-Speed Railway Services with Time-Dependent Demand and Passenger Choice Behaviors under Capacity Constraints

Differential pricing of trains with different departure times caters to the taste heterogeneity of the time-dependent (departure time) demand and then improves the ticket revenue of railway enterprises. This paper studies optimal differential pricing for intercity high-speed railway services. The distribution features of the passenger demand regarding departure times are analyzed, and the time-dependent demand is formulated; a passenger assignment method considering departure periods and capacity constraints is constructed to evaluate the prices by simulating the ticket-booking process. Based on these, an optimization model is constructed with the aim of maximizing the ticket revenue and the decision variables for pricing train legs. A modified direct search simulated annealing algorithm is designed to solve the optimization model, and three random generation methods of new solutions are developed to search the solution space efficiently. Experimental analysis containing dozens of trains is performed on Wuhan-Shenzhen high-speed railway in China, and price solutions with different elastic demand coefficients ( ϕ ) are compared. The following results are found: (i) the optimization algorithm converges stably and efficiently and (ii) differentiation is shown in the price solutions, and the optimized ticket revenue is influenced greatly by ϕ , increasing by 7%–21%.

Passengers' travel behavior before and after the adjustment of regular bus collinear sections: A case study in the incipient phase of metro operation in Xiamen

Increasing Chinese cities are constructing the metro transit system, which is considered an effective way to reduce urban traffic congestion and meet the rapid growth of travel demand. However, the operation of a new metro line typically coincides with the adjustment or cancellation of regular bus routes along the metro corridor. This paper evaluates the impact of the introduction of a new metro system on the travel mode choice of passengers in the collinear segment. Through longitudinal analysis using the travel data of the same integrated circuit (IC) card owners collected before and after the opening of the metro line, we study how passengers’ travel behaviors changed under a dual traffic environment in which a new metro line has been opened and the collinear bus has been adjusted. In this study, we selected travel distance, travel time difference, whether traveling during peak hours, and the number of colinear stations as independent variables to build a binary logic regression to find out the probability of regular bus collinear segment passengers choosing the metro in the above circumstance. The logistic model shows that mode switching occurs at the highest rate when a regular bus line shares four collinear stations with the metro and declines when the collinear section becomes longer or shorter. Further, the research results indicate that passengers on the collinear sections are more inclined to choose buses during rush hour. This study provides new evidence to better help transit agencies coordinate existing bus services and the new metro system.

Airline choice model for international round-trip flights: The role of travelers’ satisfaction and personality traits

Air travelers' satisfaction with current airline options may have different effects on their decisions. We analyzed air passengers' demands for international round-trip flights using an Integrated Choice and Latent Variable (ICLV) model. Most research on airline choice has only included observable factors. To fill this gap, this study hypothesized that the airline choice process depends not only on a set of measurable factors but also on passenger satisfaction which, in turn, is influenced by travelers' personality traits. Structural equation modeling was used to construct the passengers' satisfaction to relate passengers' personality traits, airline characteristics, and passenger flight experiences with travelers' perceptions of air carrier services. The satisfaction was incorporated into the discrete choice (DC) model, which was used to evaluate travelers' airline choices for an international round-trip flight. Results indicated that passenger satisfaction with each airline service was associated with airlines’ utilities. Therefore, by incorporating traveler satisfaction into a DC model, air passenger choice behavior can be modeled more precisely. The average probability of correct predictions in the validation sample reflected the superior fit of the ICLV model. These findings highlighted the complex ways in which perceptions can influence airline choice and provided insight for targeted policy interventions.

Significant variables currently influencing air travelers’ preference for domestic airlines in Nigeria

In recent years domestic airlines are improving their services, and the major airlines in Nigeria are ahead of others based on superior strategies; in fact, some airlines are not fully utilized, which affects their profitability, while others are highly utilized. Market dynamics and regulatory forces are the key variables that influence airline attributes, features, and developments, but this is most evident where each airline competes for passengers despite the different route choices and airports of departure. This study aimed to examine the significant variables that are currently influencing air travelers’ preference for domestic airlines in Nigeria. Primary data were obtained through systematic and random sampling of air passengers, and a questionnaire was employed for data analysis. In Lagos and Abuja airports, 757 and 682 questionnaires were administered respectively with 71.1% and 61.9% returned respectively. Regression analysis was utilized to analyze the primary data. The study found that time, safety, and fare are the most influencing factors determining passenger choice of domestic airlines in Nigeria. The current findings are crucial for policymaking, particularly during the phase of airline planning and management especially during the Covid-19 pandemic era that has challenged the economic buoyancy and the purchasing power of passengers.

A critical analysis of Bristol Airport's employee surface access habits: Developing strategic recommendations for reducing private vehicle usage

Bristol Airport is a regional airport based in the South West of England. It has plans to increase capacity from 10 to 12 million passengers per annum. The airport has planning obligations with North Somerset Council, which include obligations on air quality. One of the airport's challenges relates to surface access and reducing the use of single occupancy vehicles. This challenge is shared among most airports globally, many of whom have sought to pinpoint the factors influencing this usage. This research aimed to find the contributing factors affecting users at Bristol Airport with a particular focus on employees to make strategic recommendations. A mixed method approach, through the use of questionnaires and an employee specific focus group led to findings that indicated common factors among employees namely convenience and reliability as the main influences reducing the stress of travel. There were secondary factors such as cost, and family commitments, which was the main differentiator between employee and passenger choice factors as evidenced in the literature. The number of meaningful strategic interventions at Bristol was found to be limited. There is some evidence pointing to the potential popularity of airport employee incentive schemes such as the use of discounted hybrid cars. This would help reduce emissions but not single occupancy private vehicle usage. This research provides Bristol Airport with firm grounds to continue investigating the plethora of factors and possible sustainable strategies to meet their environment related planning obligations.

Analyzing heterogeneity in passenger satisfaction, loyalty, and complaints with air-rail integrated services

To increase the understanding of passenger choice of air-rail integrated services (ARIS), the present paper a) analyzes the profile of intermodal passengers by classifying them based on their socioeconomic and travel characteristics and (b) uncovers any heterogeneity in passenger satisfaction with ARIS among different passenger groups. Through collecting 1,345 passenger satisfaction questionnaires about ARIS, surveyed in Shijiazhuang, China, we first apply latent class clustering to classify passengers into three groups. Then, the key factors affecting passenger satisfaction and its subsequent effect on loyalty and complaints are identified using a partial least squares structural equation model. Finally, path heterogeneities in different passenger groups are explored using a multi-group analysis. The results show that the three passenger groups attach similar importance to ticket services, reliability, accessibility and comfort, while some noticeable differences in perception are identified in personalized services, information services, and connectivity.

Evacuation Behavior in a Subway Train Emergency: A Video-based Analysis

How do people behave in the seconds after they become aware they have been caught up in a real-life transport emergency? This paper presents the first micro-behavioral, video-based analysis of the behavior of passengers during a small explosion and subsequent fire on a subway train. We analyzed the behavior of 40 passengers present in the same carriage as the explosion. We documented the first action of the passengers following the onset of the emergency and described evidence of pro- and anti-social behavior. Passengers’ first actions varied widely. Moreover, anti-social behavior was rare and displays of pro-sociality were more common. In a quantitative analysis, we examined spatial clustering of running behavior and patterns in passenger exit choices. We found both homogeneity and heterogeneity in the running behavior and exiting choices of passengers. We discuss the implications of these findings for the mass emergency literature and for evacuation modeling.

Premium cabin capacity sharing strategies: airline RM insights

This paper explores revenue management strategies for premium cabin capacity sharing, that is, accepting additional bookings in economy fare classes when some premium cabin seats are expected to remain empty. Two heuristics are presented and tested to evaluate the impacts of premium cabin capacity sharing on airline revenues and loads. These RM strategies are tested using the Passenger Origin Destination Simulation (PODS), which replicates the interactions between airline revenue management systems and passenger choice of airline itineraries, fare types and service offerings. Based on the simulations, the methodologies proposed can generate total revenue gains of up to 1.1%. However, two caveats are identified: first, losses in the revenue captured from premium fare classes are likely to be experienced due to displacement by economy fare class passengers. Second, premium cabin capacity sharing should only be implemented in the final stages of the booking process; otherwise, the sharing heuristics can result in revenue losses for the airline.

Dynamic pricing of ancillary services based on passenger choice behavior

Based on passenger choice behavior, a dynamic pricing mechanism of ancillary services has been brought up for analysis in this paper. With the analysis of the passenger choice behavior of ancillary services, this study (1) analyzed the pricing of ancillary services from airlines' websites, (2) launched a survey to investigate passengers’ characteristics and preferences, (3) applied the binary logistic model to analyze passenger choice of ancillary services, and integrated into the dynamic pricing model of ancillary services. The optimal prices can be obtained at the maximum of the revenue. Based on the historical data of a Chinese domestic flight, the optimal prices of ancillary services for different types of passengers can be obtained at the maximum revenue of ancillary services, with a 74.4% increase of revenue. This paper not only created a general pricing model for improving the ancillary revenue but also provided theoretical support for ancillary pricing. The model with enough data can be dynamically applied to various flights and ancillary services.

Game with a random second player and its application to the problem of optimal fare choice

The choice of the optimal strategy for a significant number of applied problems can be formalized as a game theory problem, even in conditions of incomplete information. The article deals with a hierarchical game with a random second player, in which the first player chooses a deterministic solution, and the second player is represented by a set of decision makers. The strategies of the players that ensure the Stackelberg equilibrium are studied. The strategy of the second player is formalized as a probabilistic solution to an optimization problem with an objective function depending on a continuously distributed random parameter. In many cases, the choice of optimal strategies takes place in conditions when there are many decision makers, and each of them chooses a decision based on his (her) criterion. The mathematical formalization of such problems leads to the study of probabilistic solutions to problems with an objective function depending on a random parameter. In particular, probabilistic solutions are used for mathematical describing the passenger's choice of a mode of transport. The problem of optimal fare choice for a new route based on a probabilistic model of passenger preferences is considered. In this formalization, the carrier that sets the fare is treated as the first player; the set of passengers is treated as the second player. The second player's strategy is formalized as a probabilistic solution to an optimization problem with a random objective function. A model example is considered.

Bus passenger path choices after consulting ubiquitous real-time information

Ubiquitous real-time passenger information (URTPI) enables public transport (PT) users to make better travel choices at both pre-trip and en-route stages. A significant amount of URTPI usage is evident in the existing literature. This study investigates the impact of URTPI on bus passenger path choice. To this end, a bus passenger survey was conducted in the City of Edinburgh, UK, and a total of 1645 completed responses were collected. More than half of the survey participants used at least one source of ubiquitous information. The survey results reveal that about 55% of the URTPI users changed at least one aspect of their trip. Changing the time of departure from the start and boarding time are the two most popular actions taken by bus passengers after consulting URTPI. Passengers’ decisions are influenced by information on bus arrival time, bus route, and walking distance. The study demonstrates the potential impact of the change in passenger choices on PT demand distribution. We find that the demand distribution for bus runs could potentially be changed by 17% and for bus lines by 15%. The overall network demand distribution could be affected in 42% of cases as a result of consulting URTPI. This study advocates that transport planners and operators should take the potential impact of URTPI into account to make better predictions of PT demand distribution.

Modeling and Implications of Airport Ground Egress Mode Choice

Mode choice of airport ground access has been covered by several studies, but there is a lack of research in the case of airport ground egress; that is, mode choices of inbound passengers for ground trips from the airport to the city center. This study aimed to cover this gap by modeling the ground egress mode choice of passengers, employing mixed logit and comparing it with the multinomial logit model. The data for this research was collected at Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen International Airport (SAW) in 2015. Analyses included six modes, namely automobile, pick-up, public transit, taxi, shuttle and public transit (SP), and shuttle and taxi (ST). An important outcome was that a mixed logit model with error components outperformed the multinomial logit model. Results showed that significant variables affecting the ground egress mode choice included the income of the passenger, the cost of a ground trip from the airport, auto ownership status, number of luggage and trip purpose. Passengers are less constrained by ground travel time in their airport egress trips than in their airport access trips. By this, a significant finding was that prioritizing egress trip cost over travel time affected the mode choice.

Multiperspective Bus Route Planning in a Stackelberg Game Framework

Bus route planning is a challenging task due to multiple perspective interactions among passengers, service providers, and government agencies. This paper presents a multidimensional Stackelberg-game-based framework and mathematical model to best trade off the decisions of multiple stakeholders that previous literature rarely captures, i.e., governments, service providers, and passengers, in planning a new bus route or adjusting an existing one. The proposed model features a bilevel structure with the upper level reflecting the perspective of government agencies in subsidy allocation and the lower level representing the decisions of service providers in dispatching frequency and bus fleet size design. The bilevel model is framed as a Stackelberg game where government agencies take the role of “leader” and service providers take the role of “follower” with social costs and profits set as payoffs, respectively. This Stackelberg-game-based framework can reflect the decision sequence of both participants as well as their competition or collaboration relationship in planning a bus route. The impact of such decisions on the mode and route choices of passengers is captured by a Nested Logit model. A partition-based bisection algorithm is developed to solve the proposed model. Results from a case study in Shanghai validate the effectiveness and performance of the proposed model and algorithm.

Mapping causalities of airline dynamics in long-haul air transport markets

The introduction of low-cost air transport services to short-haul routes has significantly shaped the structure of this market segment. Recent research investigates and discusses the transferability of the low-cost carrier business model to long-haul routes and identifies respective challenges such as lower cost advantages over the competing full-service network business model. Our paper complements the existing research with a review of airline dynamics in long-haul air transport markets and the subsequent development of a causal loop diagram of the transatlantic air transport market using systems thinking. The objective of this paper is to provide an overview of specific characteristics regarding airline operations in the transatlantic air transport market to investigate the market potential of long-haul low-cost carriers competing with full-service network carriers in this market. We implement these characteristics in a causal loop diagram which comprises the most important elements of and causalities within the long-haul air transport market that affect the development of these elements. These include the generation of transatlantic air transport demand, passenger choice, and airline ticket price and fleet development. The causal loop diagram serves as a framework for qualitative investigation of the market potential of long-haul low-cost services. The paper proves systems thinking to be a feasible approach to map causalities based on knowledge from scientific literature.

Customized bus route design with pickup and delivery and time windows: Model, case study and comparative analysis

The customized bus (CB) is an emerging type of public transportation system, which not only provides a flexible and reliable demand-responsive service, but also reduces the usage of private car to alleviate traffic congestion in metropolitan cities. The customized bus route design problem (CBRDP) is a crucial procedure in the CB service system designing. In this work, we develop a new type of problem scenario: Multi-Trip Multi-Pickup and Delivery Problem with Time Windows, to describe CBRDP by simultaneously optimizing the operating cost and passenger profit, where excess travel time is introduced to estimate passenger extra cost compared with taxi service, and each vehicle is allowed to perform multiple trips for operational cost savings. To solve this problem, a constructive two-stage heuristic algorithm is presented to obtain the Pareto solution. Taking a benchmark problem and Beijing commuting corridor as case studies, we calculate and compare the monetary and travel costs of CB with other travel modes, and quantitatively confirm that the CB can be a cost-effective choice for passengers.