A DECISION-SUPPORT FRAMEWORK FOR AIRLINE FLIGHT CANCELLATIONS AND DELAYS

Aircraft shortages occasionally occur during day-to-day airline operat ion due to factors such as unfavorable weather conditions, mechanical problems, and delays in the schedule of incoming flights. Flight contr ollers need to respond to such shortages on a real-time basis by delay ing or cancelling flights, swapping aircraft among scheduled flights, or requesting the usage of surplus aircraft. The choices undertaken ai m at minimizing the losses incurred while retaining an operable flight schedule. In this paper, we represent two network models for aiding f light controllers in this complex decision environment. The models rep resent an attempt at conceptualizing this important and relatively uns tudied problem, and form the basis for an evolving decision support sy stem at United Airlines.