Avoiding the blues for airline travelers

Abstract

The fast growth in airline passenger traffic combined with the slow growth in airport capacity worldwide is putting a severe strain on the capability of airlines to adapt their processes to maintain satisfactory levels of customer service. The urgent need to better utilize assets, handle more flights in shorter periods of time, increase the number of waves at hubs, coordinate schedules with alliance partners, and quickly respond to irregularities, such as weather and malfunctioning equipment delays, is confronting airlines worldwide. IBM Research and IBM's Travel and Transportation Industry Solution Unit are helping airlines and airports to use advanced information technology to get passengers through check-in, security, and boarding faster, and to improve baggage handling systems, thus improving the passenger experience. Simulation models, built using IBM's Journey Management LibraryTM (IBM JMLTM), are useful in helping airlines understand what impact new technologies, such as self-service kiosks, voice recognition check-in, smart cards, electronic ticketing, and radio frequency devices, will have on bottlenecks, personnel needs, and customer service levels.