Passenger Class Research Articles

Optimal Statistical Estimation and Dynamic Adaptive Control of Airline Seat Protection Levels for Several Nested Fare Classes under Parametric Uncertainty of Customer Demand Models

Assigning seats in the same compartment to different fare classes of passengers is a major problem of airline seat allocation. Airlines sell the same seat at different prices according to the time at which the reservation is made and other conditions. Thus the same seat can be sold at different prices. The problem is to find an optimal policy that maximizes total expected revenue. To solve the above problem, this paper presents the novel computational approach to optimization and dynamic adaptive prediction of airline seat protection levels for multiple nested fare classes of single-leg flights under parametric uncertainty. It is assumed that time T (before the flight is scheduled to depart) is divided into h periods, namely a full fare period and h-1 discounted fare periods. The fare structure is given. An airplane has a seat capacity of N. For the sake of simplicity, but without loss of generality, we consider (for illustration) the case of nonstop flight with two fare classes (business and economy). The proposed airline's inventory management policy is based on the use of the proposed computational models. These models emphasize pivotal quantities and ancillary statistics relevant for obtaining statistical predictive limits for anticipated quantities under parametric uncertainty and are applicable whenever the statistical problem is invariant under a group of transformations that acts transitively on the parameter space. The proposed technique is based on a probability transformation and pivotal quantity averaging. It is conceptually simple and easy to use. Finally, we give illustrative examples, where the proposed analytical methodology is illustrated in terms of the two-parameter exponential distribution. Applications to other log-location-scale distributions could follow directly.

Components of Electrical Power Systems in More and All-Electric Aircraft: A Review

Even though achieving carbon-free and reduced NOx emission transportation is a prevailing goal, the aviation industry is in its infancy to arrive at passenger class all-electric aircraft (AEA) properly operating over commercial missions. Challenges are mainly associated with the components of the aircraft electric power system (EPS). Considering today’s technologies, power electronics components are not capable to sustain tens of megawatts of required power during the takeoff and meet the aviation limits in terms of size, weight, and cost at the same time. The state-of-the-art electrochemical energy units (EEUs), including battery, fuel cell, and supercapacitor, cannot provide the 25–30-MW thrust power needed for the takeoff, and electrical circuit breakers (CBs) are not able to clear a fault in a large AEA propulsion system, and multimegawatt electric drives/motors can barely be found being able to provide 2–3-MW thrust power, so that they can be employed in a distributed propulsion architecture. Taking mentioned challenges into account, this article aims to tackle challenges associated with protection devices, EEUs, and electric machines in passenger class AEA and present promising solutions using an envisioned medium voltage direct current ±5-kV EPS for an AEA, all-electric NASA N3-X aircraft. Based on findings and discussions made through this article, the authors conclude that although technology advancements are essential in all research areas, high-voltage wide bandgap electrical CBs, Li-air and Li-S batteries with >1000-kW/kg specific power, and multimegawatt superconducting electric machines will turn a commercialized passenger class AEA into reality within the next 20–30 years.

Fairness-oriented train service design for urban rail transit cross-line operation

With the network operation in urban rail transit (URT), accessibility to the URT network increases markedly, leading to a growing transfer demand. As the URT system resource is equivalent to a bottleneck resource, it needs to be fairly allocated to transfer passengers (TP) and direct passengers (DP). Most existing studies focus on single line operation optimization but ignore the transfer demands of TPs. Cross-line operation (CO) has been verified as an efficient way to improve TP travel efficiency. This study focuses on the issue of passenger travel fairness with CO in the URT system. The concept of passenger effective travel time (ET) and ineffective travel time (IET) are proposed first. Based on the concept of α-fairness, the fairness of different classes of passengers was calculated through IET and ET. A mathematical model with decision variables of the turn-back station for CO and train frequency was constructed by analyzing the travel characteristics of passengers in two types of intersecting URT lines (“Y/T”-type and “X”-type) to minimize the passenger IET cost, fairness, and operation cost. Finally, the Changping Line and Line 8 in the Beijing URT system were considered as examples to verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach. The results indicate that from an overall perspective, CO can improve passenger travel fairness without increasing the IET cost for all passengers. Furthermore, considering the fairness of passenger travel may increase the operation costs. Study results contribute to a more fair URT system.

Conceptual Design of Boundary-Layer-Ingesting Aircraft Capturing Aeropropulsive Coupling

The impacts of boundary-layer ingestion on aircraft performance can be modeled using either a decoupled or a coupled approach. Several studies in literature have adopted the former, whereas some have shown differences between the two approaches for the performance analysis and design refinement of a sized aircraft. This study quantifies the consequences of ignoring aeropropulsive coupling at the aircraft sizing stage of conceptual design. To do so, a parametric and coupled aeropropulsive design methodology is used that leverages surrogate modeling to minimize the expense of computational fluid dynamics in generating estimates of the boundary-layer ingestion performance impacts. The method is applied to the design and analysis of two aircraft in the 150 passenger class, with different engine locations. Discrepancies in block fuel burn estimates, as large as 2.15%, were found to occur by ignoring aeropropulsive interactions.

Multiplicative effect modelling: the general case

Summary Generalized linear models, such as logistic regression, are widely used to model the association between a treatment and a binary outcome as a function of baseline covariates. However, the coefficients of a logistic regression model correspond to log odds ratios, while subject-matter scientists are often interested in relative risks. Although odds ratios are sometimes used to approximate relative risks, this approximation is appropriate only when the outcome of interest is rare for all levels of the covariates. Poisson regressions do measure multiplicative treatment effects including relative risks, but with a binary outcome not all combinations of parameters lead to fitted means that are between zero and one. Enforcing this constraint makes the parameters variation dependent, which is undesirable for modelling, estimation and computation. Focusing on the special case where the treatment is also binary, Richardson et al. (2017) proposed a novel binomial regression model that allows direct modelling of the relative risk. The model uses a log odds product nuisance model leading to variation-independent parameter spaces. Building on this we present general approaches to modelling the multiplicative effect of a continuous or categorical treatment on a binary outcome. Monte Carlo simulations demonstrate the desirable performance of our proposed methods. An analysis of the relationship between passenger class and survival for passengers on the Titanic further exemplifies our methods.

A multi-level weighted alarm security system for passenger and checked-baggage screening

Persistent and ever-changing threat of terrorism has led to the evolution of security systems in the air transportation industry. Passenger and checked-baggage screening prior to boarding an aircraft has become a priority for the airport security system. We propose a two-stage screening system by integrating the passenger prescreening and a multi-level checked-baggage screening. Based on the concept of the weighted k-out-of-n system, we introduce an integrated weighted alarm security screening system for a multi-level baggage screening system, where the system alarms when the total weight of its working levels is greater than a predefined system alarm threshold. To improve the security and efficiency of aviation systems, two optimization models are formulated to enhance the detection of possible threats in the passenger and baggage screening with consideration of the system life cycle cost. The optimal solutions of the threshold values are obtained for screening technologies and passenger classes to achieve the maximum security and efficiency. Numerical analysis is implemented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed two-stage screening system.

Ship wakes and their potential shoreline impact in Tampa Bay

Ship wakes generated by vessels moving through ecologically sensitive areas, or near poorly-protected infrastructure, can negatively impact these systems. This is especially true in regions hosting large seaports. Ship wakes in Tampa Bay, Florida, were calculated during two time periods using vessel movement data reported through the Automatic Identification System (AIS). The first period was for the years 2015–2017 using data from a government database. The second was during part of 2018 obtained by local monitoring. Only vessels operating at low Froude numbers were examined. Wake heights were estimated from each AIS record using an empirical equation and partitioned by functional vessel class. The largest estimated wakes were produced by the Passenger class. Cargo class vessels had the largest number of ships estimated to produce high wakes. Egmont Key, a long-eroding barrier island at the mouth of the Bay, was potentially subjected to the highest number of ship wakes and the highest cumulative wake energy. Differences in vessel representation in the two sets of AIS data yielded different distributions of wake energy by vessel class. Some strategies for managing wake energy are discussed.

Planning of Indoor Femtocell Network for LTE 2300 MHz on Railways Carriages Using Radiowave Propagation Simulator 5.4

The indoor communication system is a system to solve the problem of weak signals received by placing a Femtocell Access Point (FAP) indoor area. The design of an indoor cellular communication network system is carried out using the Radiowave Propagation Simulator 5.4. The parameters observed were Received Signal Level (RSL) and Signal to Interface Ratio (SIR). The case study is the passenger carriage of the executive, business and economy passenger class. The research includes link budget calculations based on coverage and capacity by considering the type of train carriage material and train passenger capacity. The calculation results based on capacity obtained 1 FAP for executive and business class train passenger cars, while economy class train passenger cars obtained 2 FAP. The best scenario for executive class namely scenario 1A, the receiver gets average RSL of approximately -32.26 dBm and SIR of 0 dB. The best scenario for business class namely scenario 2A, the receiver gets average RSL of approximately -32.57 dBm and SIR of 0 dB. The best scenario for economy class namely scenario 3A, the receiver gets average RSL of approximately -29.80 dBm and the receiver gets average SIR of approximately 6.97 dB

Airplane cabin waste characterization: Knowing the waste for sustainable management and future recommendations

The aviation industry generates a significant amount of comingle waste. Nowadays, companies are making efforts to enhance waste management and reduce waste generation. In order to improve present practices and implement a proper waste management system, the quantities, materials, and typology of waste generated need to be studied. A total of 145 airplanes were analysed. We differentiated 5 strips of duration and identified 4 different generation sources within the cabin associated to the business and tourist passenger classes. We classified and characterized the waste into 20 different materials. Results provide a detailed, representative and adapted study of the catering waste generated in the aviation industry. The characterization, which allows distinguishing between manipulated and unmanipulated materials, aims at providing useful information to reduce the generation of waste. The analysis performed in the present study shows that the flying distance increases the waste generation, as more food is served. It also shows that organic matter, paper/cardboard and packaging are the dominant materials in the waste generated in flights. The results of the characterizations obtained allow making some recommendations. The use of bi-compartmentalized waste trolleys to separate on-board recyclable materials from the rest is desirable to obtain a clean recoverable waste stream. Supressing unpopular food from menus, identified analysing the leftovers, could also reduce the amount of waste generated. (This characterization study is part of the European project LIFE + Zero Cabin Waste.). Changes in the CE 1069/2009 regulation would allow more waste to be recycled instead of landfilled. Ultimately, the information obtained from this study will be used to design a more sustainable waste management system.

Sociological explanation and mixed methods: the example of the Titanic

The question of how and with what methods the social sciences should explain phenomena is fiercely contested. While several scholars have argued that mixed methods may help to improve sociological explanations, there is a lack of highly visible examples that show the added value of this methodology. The goal of this paper is to show that the case of the Titanic, and the question of who survived and for what reasons, can be seen as such an example. The Titanic tragedy is the most well-known maritime disaster of modern history, and the Titanic dataset is a widely used and first-rate example for the teaching of mono-method statistical explanation. We demonstrate that a mixed-method explanation is superior to a mono-method explanation in that it clarifies not only the relationships between variables, but also the mechanisms that led to the co-variations. Among the most important mechanisms, we find that the rule “women and children first” was interpreted differently by different actors, and that this, together with the fact that different classes of passengers had different levels of access to the boat deck, explains much of the gender/class differences in terms of survival that we can observe. We conclude by discussing the lessons that can be drawn from the example for sociological explanatory work more generally.

Multiple product qualities in monopoly: Sailing the RMS Titanic into the economics classroom

ABSTRACTIn this pedagogical contribution the authors extend the traditional three-class tariff employed in the French passenger railway system with the more resonant story of the service quality variations associated with the three passenger classes of the ill-fated RMS Titanic. In doing so, they provide economics instructors with an opportunity to integrate the well-known motion picture Titanic (Cameron and Landau 1997) into the teaching of economics. This article provides instructors with resources that can be used to link historical and modern travel examples of price discrimination in order for students to reach a “deeper understanding of course concepts” (Salemi 2002, 725).

Marketing Ocean Travel: Cunard and the White Star Line, 1910–1940

The Cunard shipping line regarded itself as the premier provider of transatlantic passenger transport. As the structure of society on both sides of the Atlantic changed between 1910 and 1940 the company sought to maintain its market amongst the richest of society whilst attracting new passengers from the emerging middle class. Accordingly, Cunard adjusted its marketing in advertisements, brochures, promotional films and ship designs. Two passenger classes, the well-established First Class and the new Tourist Third Class are used to show how the company used all these media to both influence potential passengers' travel decisions and to reassure them of a safe, comfortable voyage in surroundings appropriate to their status, tastes and expectations.

Cartel Organization, Price Discrimination and the Trans-Atlantic Passage, 1899-1911

This paper studies the operation of trans-Atlantic passenger shipping cartels during the period 1899-1911 and its effects on passenger traffic. We systematically document and categorize cartel agreements on the basis of key aspects of internal organization. Then, we exploit the variation in internal organization across markets and over time to investigate whether any specific organizational aspects were more effective in reducing flows from competitive levels. We find some evidence that the assessment of fines for violations of the agreement enhanced collusion, but no evidence that the posting of bonds (to guarantee the fines) or the formation of pooling arrangements had any incremental effect. We also take advantage of the richness of the data on passenger flows to show that collusion had a smaller effect on first and second-class passenger flows relative to third class service. Finally, we provide estimates of consumer substitution across passenger classes due to collusion and show that such substitution was small but non-negligible, especially during periods of normal cartel operation. Our study has broader implications for the theory of collusion, and on how collusion affects the quality, rather than the quantity, of products purchased by consumers.

Noblesse oblige? Determinants of survival in a life-and-death situation

This paper explores what determines the survival of people in a life-and-death situation. The sinking of the Titanic allows us to inquire whether pro-social behavior matters in such extreme situations. This event can be considered a quasi-natural experiment. The empirical results suggest that social norms such as ‘women and children first’ persevered during such an event. Women of reproductive age and crew members had a higher probability of survival. Passenger class, fitness, group size, and cultural background also mattered.

Assessing the benefits of integrated en-route transit information systems and time-varying transit pricing systems in a congested transit network

This paper proposes a model for assessing the effects of the integrated implementation of en-route transit information systems (ETIS) and time-varying transit pricing systems (TTPS). The proposed model reveals the interaction between ETIS and TTPS, and the potential benefit of the joint implementation. There are two classes of passengers: those equipped and those unequipped with ETIS. It is assumed that unequipped passengers make their travel choices according to stochastic dynamic user optimal principles, with equipped passengers having a lower perception variation of travel cost due to the availability of better information. A bi-level program is formulated to model the integrated effects on passengers’ departure time choice behavior, route choice behavior, transit network performance, and transit operators’ revenue. The lower level is a multi-class stochastic dynamic transit assignment model. The combined system total cost and operators’ benefits under varied transit conditions are investigated with a numerical example.

Noblesse Oblige? Determinants of Survival in a Life and Death Situation

This paper explored the determinants of survival in a life and death situation created by an external and unpredictable shock. We are interested to see whether pro-social behaviour matters in such extreme situations. We therefore focus on the sinking of the RMS Titanic as a quasi-natural experiment do provide behavioural evidence which is rare in such a controlled and life threatening event. The empirical results support that social norm such as and children first survive in such an environment. We also observe that women of reproductive age have a higher probability of surviving among women. On the other hand, we observe that crew members used their information advantage and their better access to resources (e.g. lifeboats) to generate a higher probability of surviving. The paper also finds that passenger class, fitness, group size, and cultural background matter.

Noblesse Oblige? Determinants of Survival in a Life and Death Situation

This paper explored the determinants of survival in a life and death situation created by an external and unpredictable shock. We are interested to see whether pro-social behaviour matters in such extreme situations. We therefore focus on the sinking of the RMS Titanic as a quasi-natural experiment do provide behavioural evidence which is rare in such a controlled and life threatening event. The empirical results support that social norm such as i?½women and children firsti?½ survive in such an environment. We also observe that women of reproductive age have a higher probability of surviving among women. On the other hand, we observe that crew members used their information advantage and their better access to resources (e.g. lifeboats) to generate a higher probability of surviving. The paper also finds that passenger class, fitness, group size, and cultural background matter.

The nutritional value and health issues of in‐flight meals offered by Greek airlines – a preliminary study

AbstractRecent data suggest that frequent flying may contribute to the prevalence of obesity. Frequent flyers are prone to excessive energy consumption and decreased physical activity. The aim of the present study was to determine the nutritional value of in‐flight meals. On 12 flights of two major Greek airlines, meals were collected in‐flight and weighed on the ground. Flight duration and destination, as well as passenger class, were recorded. Meals were analyzed using United States Department of Agriculture Food Search for Windows SR18. Analysis showed that menus were high in energy, fat and sodium, with international meals having the highest energy and fat content of all. The two airline companies provided meals with different energy and mineral content, as well as the majority of the vitamins examined. Passengers should aim to consume only half of the meals offered, in order to keep their energy balance. Menus of high nutritional value and low energy content might not necessarily be expensive for airlines, but would certainly provide a strong feeling of care and support for individual passengers and their health.

JAXA高揚力形態半裁模型の空力特性について

This paper presents basic aerodynamics and stall characteristics of the high-lift configuration aircraft model JSM (JAXA Standard Model). During research process of developing high-lift system design method, wind tunnel testing at JAXA 6.5m by 5.5m low-speed wind tunnel and Navier-Stokes computation on unstructured hybrid mesh were performed for a realistic configuration aircraft model equipped with high-lift devices, fuselage, nacelle-pylon, slat tracks and Flap Track Fairings (FTF), which was assumed 100 passenger class modern commercial transport aircraft. The testing and the computation aimed to understand flow physics and then to obtain some guidelines for designing a high performance high-lift system. As a result of the testing, Reynolds number effects within linear region and stall region were observed. Analysis of static pressure distribution and flow visualization gave the knowledge to understand the aerodynamic performance. CFD could capture the whole characteristics of basic aerodynamics and clarify flow mechanism which governs stall characteristics even for complicated geometry and its flow field. This collaborative work between wind tunnel testing and CFD is advantageous for improving or has improved the aerodynamic performance.

소형 위그선 개념 설계

This paper presents the primary conceptual design results of twenty-passenger class Wing-In-Ground(WIG) effect craft. As a first step, top level requirements were proposed and principal dimensions were determined. Maximum speed in ground effect condition is 150 km/h with two tons payload including passengers. Total weight is estimated as 8.5 tons with 2 tons of thrust. Hull and airfoil sections were designed and self propulsion tests were performed by radio controlled model. Two planing hull forms with the transom stern were proposed and towing tests were performed. The resistance and running attitude were measured and the feasibility is checked for the prototype hull form of the twenty-passenger class WIG craft. The free running tests show the stable smooth running attitude at designed speed. Also this radio controlled model can take off around 0.15 meter wave height. It can be said that the top level requirement for the twenty passenger class WIG ship is satisfied successfully. The design optimization to increase the transport efficiency and safety will be performed in the near future.