This book studies air cargo capacity control problems. The focus is on analyzing decision models with intuitive optimal decisions as well as on developing efficient heuristics and bounds. Three different models are studied: First, a model for steering the availability of cargo space on single legs. Second, a model that simultaneously optimizes the availability of both seats and cargo capacity. Third, a decision model that controls the availability of cargo capacity on a network of flights.
A major problem arising in airline alliances is to design allocation mechanisms determining how the revenue of a product should be shared among the airlines. The nucleolus is a concept of cooperative game theory that provides solutions for allocating the cost or benefit of a cooperation. This work provides fair revenue proportions for the airline alliances based on the nucleolus, which assumes a centralized decision making system. The proposed mechanism is used as a benchmark to evaluate the fairness of the revenue sharing mechanisms, where the alliance partners behave selfishly. Additionally, a new selfish revenue allocation rule is developed that improves the performance of the existing methods.
This book revises the well-known capacity control problem in revenue management from the perspective of a risk-averse decision-maker. Modelling an expected utility maximizing decision maker, the problem is formulated as a risk-sensitive Markov decision process. Special emphasis is put on the existence of structured optimal policies. Numerical examples illustrate the results.
Revenue management (RM) has emerged as one of the most important new business practices in recent times. This book is the first comprehensive reference book to be published in the field of RM. It unifies the field, drawing from industry sources as well as relevant research from disparate disciplines, as well as documenting industry practices and implementation details. Successful hardcover version published in April 2004.
This book proposes capacity options as a flexible alternative air cargo contract type, and illustrates how capacity can be priced through option contracts. The analysis is accomplished by means of an analytical multivariate optimization model under price and demand uncertainty. A case study using data from a leading German carrier illustrates the financial potential. Finally, the author shows how capacity-option contracts integrate into the context of air cargo revenue management.
This book reviews Operations Research theory, applications and practice in seven major areas of airline planning and operations. In each area, a team of academic and industry experts provides an overview of the business and technical landscape, a view of current best practices, a summary of open research questions and suggestions for relevant future research. There are several common themes in current airline Operations Research efforts. First is a growing focus on the customer in terms of: 1) what they want; 2) what they are willing to pay for services; and 3) how they are impacted by planning, marketing and operational decisions. Second, as algorithms improve and computing power increases, the scope of modeling applications expands, often re-integrating processes that had been broken into smaller parts in order to solve them in the past. Finally, there is a growing awareness of the uncertainty in many airline planning and operational processes and decisions. Airlines now recognize the need to develop ‘robust’ solutions that effectively cover many possible outcomes, not just the best case, “blue sky” scenario. Individual chapters cover: Customer Modeling methodologies, including current and emerging applications. Airline Planning and Schedule Development, with a look at many remaining open research questions. Revenue Management, including a view of current business and technical landscapes, as well as suggested areas for future research. Airline Distribution -- a comprehensive overview of this newly emerging area. Crew Management Information Systems, including a review of recent algorithmic advances, as well as the development of information systems that facilitate the integration of crew management modeling with airline planning and operations. Airline Operations, with consideration of recent advances and successes in solving the airline operations problem. Air Traffic Flow Management, including the modeling environment and opportunities for both Air Traffic Flow Management and the airlines.
Achieving state-of-the-art excellence and attaining the cost reductions associated with outstanding logistics efforts is an obvious gain in terms of competitive edge and profitability. As logistics tools evolve in comprehensiveness and complexity, and the use of these new tools becomes more pervasive, maintaining a position of leadership in logisti
Extensively revised and updated edition of the bestselling textbook, provides an overview of recent global airline industry evolution and future challenges Examines the perspectives of the many stakeholders in the global airline industry, including airlines, airports, air traffic services, governments, labor unions, in addition to passengers Describes how these different players have contributed to the evolution of competition in the global airline industry, and the implications for its future evolution Includes many facets of the airline industry not covered elsewhere in any single book, for example, safety and security, labor relations and environmental impacts of aviation Highlights recent developments such as changing airline business models, growth of emerging airlines, plans for modernizing air traffic management, and opportunities offered by new information technologies for ticket distribution Provides detailed data on airline performance and economics updated through 2013
“There is no strategic investment that has a higher return than investing in good pricing, and the text by Gallego and Topaloghu provides the best technical treatment of pricing strategy and tactics available.” Preston McAfee, the J. Stanley Johnson Professor, California Institute of Technology and Chief Economist and Corp VP, Microsoft. “The book by Gallego and Topaloglu provides a fresh, up-to-date and in depth treatment of revenue management and pricing. It fills an important gap as it covers not only traditional revenue management topics also new and important topics such as revenue management under customer choice as well as pricing under competition and online learning. The book can be used for different audiences that range from advanced undergraduate students to masters and PhD students. It provides an in-depth treatment covering recent state of the art topics in an interesting and innovative way. I highly recommend it." Professor Georgia Perakis, the William F. Pounds Professor of Operations Research and Operations Management at the Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts. “This book is an important and timely addition to the pricing analytics literature by two authors who have made major contributions to the field. It covers traditional revenue management as well as assortment optimization and dynamic pricing. The comprehensive treatment of choice models in each application is particularly welcome. It is mathematically rigorous but accessible to students at the advanced undergraduate or graduate levels with a rich set of exercises at the end of each chapter. This book is highly recommended for Masters or PhD level courses on the topic and is a necessity for researchers with an interest in the field.” Robert L. Phillips, Director of Pricing Research at Amazon “At last, a serious and comprehensive treatment of modern revenue management and assortment optimization integrated with choice modeling. In this book, Gallego and Topaloglu provide the underlying model derivations together with a wide range of applications and examples; all of these facets will better equip students for handling real-world problems. For mathematically inclined researchers and practitioners, it will doubtless prove to be thought-provoking and an invaluable reference.” Richard Ratliff, Research Scientist at Sabre “This book, written by two of the leading researchers in the area, brings together in one place most of the recent research on revenue management and pricing analytics. New industries (ride sharing, cloud computing, restaurants) and new developments in the airline and hotel industries make this book very timely and relevant, and will serve as a critical reference for researchers.” Professor Kalyan Talluri, the Munjal Chair in Global Business and Operations, Imperial College, London, UK.
Operations research techniques are extremely important tools for planning airline operations. However, much of the technical literature on airline optimization models is highly specialized and accessible only to a limited audience. Allied to this there is a concern among the operations research community that the materials offered in OR courses at MBA or senior undergraduate business level are too abstract, outdated, and at times irrelevant to today's fast and dynamic airline industry. This book demystifies the operations and scheduling environment, presenting simplified and easy-to-understand models, applied to straightforward and practical examples. After introducing the key issues confronting operations and scheduling within airlines, Airline Operations and Scheduling goes on to provide an objective review of the various optimization models adopted in practice. Each model provides airlines with efficient solutions to a range of scenarios, and is accompanied by case studies similar to those experienced by commercial airlines. Using unique source material and combining interviews with alumni working at operations and scheduling departments of various airlines, this solution-orientated approach has been used on many courses with outstanding feedback. As well as having been comprehensively updated, this second edition of Airline Operations and Scheduling adds new chapters on fuel management systems, baggage handling, aircraft maintenance planning and aircraft boarding strategies. The readership includes graduate and undergraduate business, management, transportation, and engineering students; airlines training and acquainting new recruits with operations planning and scheduling processes; general aviation, flight school, International Air Transport Association (IATA), and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) training course instructors; executive jet, chartered flight, air-cargo and package delivery companies, and airline consultants.
