Trends and Research in the Decision Sciences: Best Papers from the 2014 Annual Conference

23. A Review of Heuristic and Optimal Aircraft Boarding Strategies in the U.S. Airline Industry

—Ching-Chung Kuo, Professor of Operations Management, University of North Texas

Abstract

This paper aims to survey the plane boarding strategies currently adopted by major airlines in the United States. Each of these heuristic procedures is explained and graphically illustrated. Following a review of three new boarding methods, we present a zero-one linear program for finding the optimal grouping of passengers with assigned seats to get on an aircraft so that the total amount of time required for aisle and seat interferences is minimized. Some realities on plane boarding are discussed as well. We conclude by highlighting the contributions of this ...