Method and system for automatic evaluation of robustness and disruption management for commercial airline flight operations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016189066-A1
Application number	US-201414582602-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 24, 2014
Priority date	Dec 24, 2014
Publication date	Jun 30, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method, medium, and system to receive a planned flight schedule and an actual flight schedule; determine root cause disturbances for the actual flight schedule based on the planned flight schedule and the actual flight schedule; evaluate a robustness of the planned flight schedule based on an execution of a simulation-based model to generate a set of quantitative metrics for the planned flight schedule; generate a record of the root cause disturbances and a record of the set of quantitative metrics for the planned flight plan; evaluate a robustness of a test flight schedule based on an execution of the simulation-based model and the determined root cause disturbances applied to the simulation-based model to generate a set of quantitative metrics for the test flight schedule; and generate a record of the set of quantitative metrics for the test flight plan.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system comprising:
a communication device operative to receive a planned flight schedule including flight details associated with each flight of the planned flight schedule and to receive an actual flight schedule including flight details associated with each flight of the actual flight schedule; a robustness analysis module including a simulation-based model to receive the planned flight schedule and the actual flight schedule and evaluate the robustness thereof; a memory to store program instructions; and at least one processor coupled to the memory and in communication with the robustness analysis module, the at least one processor being operative to execute program instructions to: determine root cause disturbances for the actual flight schedule based on the planned flight schedule and the actual flight schedule; evaluate a robustness of the planned flight schedule based on an execution of the simulation-based model to generate a set of quantitative metrics for the planned flight schedule; generate a record of the root cause disturbances and a record of the set of quantitative metrics for the planned flight plan; evaluate a robustness of a test flight schedule based on an execution of the simulation-based model and the determined root cause disturbances applied to the simulation-based model to generate a set of quantitative metrics for the test flight schedule; and generate a record of the set of quantitative metrics for the test flight plan.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the determining of the root cause disturbances for the actual flight schedule comprises executing a root cause analysis based on the planned flight schedule and the actual flight schedule.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the execution of the simulation-based model by the robustness analysis module quantifies the robustness of the planned flight schedule based on at least one key performance indicator, wherein the at least one key performance indicator includes one or more of flight on-time performance, flight cancellation rate, flight recovery actions, passenger delay, passenger misconnection, crew delay, crew misconnection, number of standby or reserve crews used, and other measures.

4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the test flight schedule comprises a set of a plurality of distinct test flight schedules.

5 . The system of claim 4 , further comprising the at least one processor being operative to execute program instructions to:
evaluate a robustness of each of the plurality of schedules in the set of test flight schedules based on an execution of the simulation-based model and the determined root cause disturbances applied to the simulation-based model to generate a set of quantitative metrics for each of the plurality of flight schedules in the set of test flight schedules; and generate a record of the set of quantitative metrics for each of the plurality of flight schedules in the set of test flight schedules.

6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the set of test flight schedules is automatically generated and includes a portfolio of different flight operation scenarios.

7 . A method implemented by a computing system in response to execution of program instructions by a processor of the computing system, the method comprising:
receiving a planned flight schedule including flight details associated with each flight of the planned flight schedule; receiving an actual flight schedule including flight details associated with each flight of the actual flight schedule; determining root cause disturbances for the actual flight schedule based on the planned flight schedule and the actual flight schedule; evaluating a robustness of the planned flight schedule based on an execution of a simulation-based model to generate a set of quantitative metrics for the planned flight schedule; generating a record of the root cause disturbances and a record of the set of quantitative metrics for the planned flight plan; evaluating a robustness of a test flight schedule based on an execution of the simulation-based model and the determined root cause disturbances applied to the simulation-based model to generate a set of quantitative metrics for the test flight schedule; and generating a record of the set of quantitative metrics for the test flight plan.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the determining of the root cause disturbances for the actual flight schedule comprises executing a root cause analysis based on the planned flight schedule and the actual flight schedule.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the execution of the simulation-based model comprises executing the root cause analysis, at least in part.

10 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the execution of the simulation-based model quantifies the robustness of the planned flight schedule based on at least one key performance indicator, wherein the at least one key performance indicator includes one or more of flight on-time performance, flight cancellation rate, flight recovery actions, passenger delay, passenger misconnection, crew delay, crew misconnection, number of standby or reserve crews used, and other measures.

11 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the test flight schedule comprises a set of a plurality of distinct test flight schedules.

12 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
evaluating a robustness of each of the plurality of flight schedules in the set of test flight schedules based on an execution of the simulation-based model and the determined root cause disturbances applied to the simulation-based model to generate a set of quantitative metrics for each of the plurality of flight schedules in the set of test flight schedules; and generating a record of the set of quantitative metrics for each of the plurality of flight schedules in the set of test flight schedules.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the set of test flight schedules is automatically generated and includes a portfolio of different flight operation scenarios.

14 . A non-transitory, computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computer processor, cause the computer processor to perform a method associated with the evaluation of the robustness of a network plan or flight schedule, the medium comprising program instructions executable by the computer processor to:
receive a planned flight schedule including flight details associated with each flight of the planned flight schedule; receive an actual flight schedule including flight details associated with each flight of the actual flight schedule; determine root cause disturbances for the actual flight schedule based on the planned flight schedule and the actual flight schedule; evaluate a robustness of the planned flight schedule based on an execution of a simulation- based model to generate a set of quantitative metrics for the planned flight schedule; generate a record of the root cause disturbances and a record of the set of quantitative metrics for the planned flight plan; evaluate a robustness of a test flight schedule based on an execution of the simulation-based model and the determined root cause disturbances applied to the simulation-based model to generate a set of quantitative metrics for the test flight schedule; and generate a record of the set of quantitative metrics for the test flight plan.

15 . The medium of claim 14 , wherein the determining of the root cause disturbances for the actual flight schedule comprises executing a root cause analysis based on the planned flight schedule and the actual flight schedule.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Liao Hongwei
• Chan David So Keung
• Aragones James Kenneth
• Harrington Mark Thomas

Classifications

• G06Q10/06

  Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling · CPC title

• G06Q10/025 Primary

  Coordination of plural reservations, e.g. plural trip segments, transportation combined with accommodation · CPC title

• G06Q50/14

  Travel agencies · CPC title

• G06Q10/067

  Enterprise or organisation modelling · CPC title

• G06N20/20

  Ensemble learning · CPC title