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Operational Planning - Airlines .. Computers work

Operational Planning

The computer that handles the reservation affairs of the airline can perform many routine administrative tasks, without any additional cost, such as organizing the movement of aircraft, crew service schedules, catering and other operational affairs. Although these tasks may be completed satisfactorily by traditional manual means, the computer system has two important advantages. The computer can find the least expensive way to achieve the required flight schedules. It was assumed that several ways to achieve the desired purpose

(Context statement card for the process of booking a confirmed multiple flights using a credit card)

And calculates the cost of each one, which requires strenuous effort and a long time by manual means. The computer can respond quickly to emergency situations, such as the illness of a crew member, or the breakdown of one of the aircraft. The computer quickly prepares modified programs for the crews and aircraft, based on the information stored in it, and communicates them to those concerned without delay via the communication system.

The computer performs most of its operational tasks by printing the required lists and schedules on the printer, either at the headquarters or in the operations organization office, to be distributed to those who work according to them. The following paragraphs detail these lists and schedules.

The flight attendant crew and the passengers’ reception staff at the departure airport need a passenger list. The computer prepares this list by referring to the confirmed reservation list for that flight. If the passenger list is to be completely correct, the names of the passengers are entered into the computer, via the touch panel, when they are received at the airport. The list includes

(Contextual statement for inquiring about vacant places for a specific flight and on specific dates (to the left) The passenger list issued by the computer (below).

(Provisioning schedule issued by the computer)

Then the names of the passengers who booked at the last minute and do not include the names of those who are absent from attendance. The correct list is necessary in the event of an accident or any unexpected event that requires contacting the relatives of the passengers. The list includes, in addition to the names of the passengers and their flight details, information of interest to the flight crew such as the presence of children or disabled persons or others who may need special care.

The computer prepares catering lists for all those concerned with preparing the aircraft for its flight, such as those in charge of food services, fuel filling, warehouse keepers, and others. The amount of provisions required varies according to the number of passengers and their special nutritional requirements. The type of aircraft, the flight time and route. The amount of fuel needed varies depending on the flight time, distance and weather conditions. The aircraft carries as much cargo as the amount of fuel and the weight of the passengers and their luggage allow.

The computer periodically prepares aircraft movement instructions, which detail each flight that the aircraft will make in the near future, the names of the crew members for each flight, and all the inspection and maintenance that the aircraft needs during this period. The computer provides information about all maintenance work carried out on the aircraft, and repairs to faults that may be revealed by periodic inspections. The computer keeps a record of the serviceability of each aircraft, which is referred to when calculating the company's general expenses and when evaluating the company's equipment of aircraft, devices, facilities, etc. If the aircraft crew service schedules change for any reason, the computer adjusts the crew members for each flight as necessary. If any aircraft stops working suddenly for any reason, the computer can quickly determine the possibility of replacing it with another aircraft, even from another distant base of the company's bases.

(Aircraft movement instructions issued by the computer).

(Individual instructions (to the right) and the distribution of crews before and after the flight).

The computer prepares the crew duty schedules in two formats. One lists the entire crew for each flight, and the other shows the work schedules of each of the company's flight crew members for the coming weeks, and each member is informed accordingly. In preparing these duty schedules, the computer takes into account flight schedules, regulations regarding the working hours of pilots and other flight crew, training periods, vacations, resignations, and other anticipated events that affect the availability of crews at a given time. Unforeseen events, such as illness and accident injuries, are quickly addressed by the computer, which may allow the airline to reduce the number of its reserve crews. Sometimes crew members may have to take a wasted flight in which they are transferred at the company's expense to where their actual work appears. The computer minimizes these wasted flights as much as possible by arranging the duty schedules so that each crew can start their new work wherever they are.

(Example of aircraft movement optimization)

Aircraft are required to be allocated to carry out a specified flight program. While this purpose can be achieved using different numbers of aircraft, as shown in the three cases below, it is clear that the third case is preferred because it requires the least number of aircraft. It has been assumed that the type of aircraft is the same for all flights and that preparing the aircraft for take-off again after landing takes an hour.

(Context diagram for aircraft movement optimization (left).

The context diagram on the opposite page shows a program for optimizing aircraft movement. The figure on page 74 shows three examples of aircraft allocation to achieve a specific flight program, in which it has been assumed that all flights require the same type of aircraft and that preparing the aircraft for the next flight takes at least an hour. The computer follows similar programs when preparing flight programs and aircraft movement instructions that enable it to achieve the required program with the available aircraft at the lowest possible cost. It may allow the available aircraft to move empty to where they are needed.

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