A model to optimize the airport terminal departure operations

Abstract The rapid increase in passenger traffic on the one hand and the slow expansion of airport capacity on the other have over the years limited the airport's capability to maintain satisfactory service to the customer. The main objectives of airport operators are the cost effectiveness and the customer satisfaction. These two indicators are related to the first two phases of an airport terminal departure operations that involve the check-in controls and the security controls. This paper proposes an optimization model that, given a certain layout and a passengers flow, decides the number of check-in desks and security control checkpoints to minimize a cost function. The cost function considers the costs of check-in and security control checkpoints and an estimate of the passenger dissatisfaction. The model develops an optimization algorithm that integrates a simulation module. The optimization algorithm is based on the surrogate method that minimizes the cost function that does not have a closed-form expression. To this reason, the simulation module reproduces the real scenario of the terminal operations and the passengers behaviour and calculates the value of the cost function. Tests have been conducted considering the real case study of Napoli-Capodichino (IT) airport

Model of reliability of security control operation at an airport

Cilj sigurnosne provjere na aerodromu je sprječavanje unošenja zabranjenih predmeta na ograničeno područje aerodroma ili u zrakoplov. Svi putnici i njihova prtljaga prolaze sigurnosnu provjeru. Sustav te provjere je vrlo specifičan sustav. S jedne strane sigurnosna se provjera mora obaviti učinkovito kako bi se odstranili zabranjeni predmeti tijekom pregleda, a s druge strane treba biti učinkovita tako da zbog putnika koji je prijavio pregled prtljage avion ne treba kasniti. Gore spomenuti kriteriji su proturječni. Zbog toga se u radu predlaže model pouzdanosti sigurnosne provjere s više kriterija koji uzima u obzir pravovremenost i učinkovitost postupka provjere kao i pouzdanost uređaja koji se koriste za sigurnosnu provjeru. Razvijeni je model primijenjen u procjeni funkcioniranja sigurnosnih pultova na aerodromu u Wrocławu. Model omogućuje procjenu utjecaja kvalifikacija djelatnika sigurnosne provjere (njihovu učinkovitost) na pouzdanost provjere.The aim of the operation of the security control system at an airport is the prevention of the introduction of forbidden objects to the restricted area of the airport or onto the plane. All passengers and their luggage undergo security control. The security control system is a very specific system. On the one hand, the security control must be performed effectively so as to eliminate forbidden objects during the inspection and, on the other hand, it should be efficient so that the passenger who has checked in his/her luggage does not cause the aircraft to be delayed by a long wait. The criteria mentioned above are in conflict. For this reason, the study proposes a multi-criteria model of reliability of the security control operation, which takes into account both the timeliness and effectiveness of the control process as well as the reliability of devices that are used to perform security control. The developed model was used to evaluate the operation of the security counters at the Wrocław airport. The model makes it possible to assess the influence of security control operators\u27 qualifications (their effectiveness) on the reliability of the control

Updating of user requirements of elderly and disabled drivers and travellers

The user requirements have been reassessed in the light of the results from the collaborative evaluations with other Transport Telematics Projects, as well as data and expertise gathered from the literature and other experts in the field. The user requirements identified are also the fundamental base for the development of different parts of the TELSCAN project. User requirements cover, of course, a multitude of different aspects, and to demonstrate how they have been integrated into the project’s output, they have been grouped into the following categories: • System function requirements • Interface requirements • Information requirements • Protocol requirements

Inventory of ATT system requirements for elderly and disabled drivers and travellers

This Inventory of ATT System Requirements for Elderly and Disabled Drivers and Travellers is the product of the TELSCAN project’s Workpackage 3: Identification and Updating of User Requirements of Elderly and Disabled Travellers. It describes the methods and tools used to identify the needs of elderly and disabled (E&D) travellers. The result of this investigation is a summary of the requirements of elderly and disabled travellers using different modes of transport, including private cars, buses/trams, metros/trains, ships and airplanes. It provides a generic user requirements specification which can guide the design of all transport telematics systems. However, it is important to stress that projects should also capture a more detailed definition of user requirements for their specific application area or system

Optimizing Airport Land Side Operations: Check-In, Passengers' Migration, and Security Control Processes

This paper deals with the optimization of the Check-in, passenger migration, and Security Control processes in an airport land side terminal. Given the layout of the terminal, the passengers' flow, and the scheduled flights in a given time interval, the number and the position of Check-in counters and Security Control gates to be opened are output. The objective function is the minimization of the costs to activate the Check-in counters and the Security Control gates plus the costs that measure the passengers' discomfort. The stochastic passengers' behaviour and their preferences are simulated by a discrete event model, while the managing costs and the passengers' discomfort are optimized by the Surrogate Method. Capodichino Airport, located in Naples (IT), has been considered for the test phase. Results show the effectiveness and efficiency of the solutions of the Surrogate Method compared with the performances of other algorithms

Crossing Over: Theatre Beyond Borders / Telematic Performance

This article discusses “Crossing Over,” a pedagogical art / performance project linking university students around the world that investigates the notions of cosmopolitanism and mobility as ways to constitute meaningful social networks by exchanging virtual performances—and suitcases—over the internet. The questions that the project asks are critical in light of the globalization of information that the World Wide Web and other crossing over points represent. While globalization opens borders to all manner of material exchanges (including people), endless digital data stream through the Internet portal providing opportunities to trade on personal information. We explore and share our identity at our peril. “Crossing Over” also explores the idea that there is an intrinsic relationship between embodied presence and one’s place in the world. Performing or representing who we are is indistinguishable from the place from which we come. The Internet shows us that the experience of presence is manifold and strongly manifest in virtual environments. Cyberspace is not a non-place—it is the ever-mutable backdrop, the mirror held up to a virtual spectator—who will always see something more than a mere reflection—will see differently based on his/ her place in the world.Dans cet article, l’auteure examine «  Crossing Over  », un projet pédagogique artistique axé sur la performance auquel ont participé des étudiants universitaires du monde entier. Ces derniers ont examiné les notions de cosmopolitisme et de mobilité en tant que fondements de réseaux sociaux porteurs de sens en échangeant des performances virtuelles—et des valises—au moyen d’Internet. Le projet soulève des questions très importantes en cette ère de mondialisation de l’information par l’entremise d’Internet et d’autres points de convergence. Si la conjoncture actuelle ouvre nos frontières à toutes sortes d’échanges matériaux (y compris les gens), le flux incessant de données numériques sur nos portails Internet nous permet d’échanger des données personnelles. Or, c’est à nos risques et périls que nous nous livrons à l’exploration et au partage de notre identité. Le projet « Crossing Over » explore l’hypothèse selon laquelle il y aurait un rapport intrinsèque entre la présence « incarnée » et la place que chacun occupe dans le monde : jouer ou représenter qui nous sommes est un processus indissociable de notre lieu d’origine. Sur Internet, nous voyons que l’expérience de la présence est multiple et qu’elle se manifeste fortement dans un environnement virtuel. Le cyberespace n’est pas un non-lieu  : c’est un arrière-plan en constante évolution, un miroir que l’on présente au spectateur virtuel. Ce dernier y verra toujours plus qu’un simple reflet de luimême, selon sa place dans le monde