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Studies in Airline and Aviation Efficiency

Park, Yongha
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7568-7666
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu149261466159752

Abstract Details

2017, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Geography.
Operations in air transportation systems are the consequence of complex interactions among passengers, operators, and policymakers, within their respective local and global contexts. This research investigates the aviation operations and passenger trip flows in air transportation networks by utilizing a variety of empirical sources at varying geographic scales. It focuses on two key aspects of airline/aircraft operations: operational efficiency, and the impacts of current operational practices on passenger trips. To explore the first topic, empirical assessments of aircraft operations in US and global aviation markets are conducted, based on aircraft fuel burn and operating cost performance models. These models are also utilized to examine the cost-efficient fleet configuration problem in an optimization framework. Seating configuration and flight length are observed as key factors differentiating the empirical aircraft fuel burn rates, across geographic markets and operating aircraft types. The resulting heterogeneity of aircraft operational efficiency is an empirical indication based on the current operational practices of airlines for their aircraft fleets and seating configurations, and should be considered as a substantial factor in current emission-related debates over airline carbon tax policies. Also, through a comparative analysis of cost-efficient fleets given the operational reality in the US aviation markets, the study demonstrates gaps between actual use and fleet deployments designed to minimize operating costs, suggesting that combining large and small aircraft to reduce operating costs is a viable alternative for a wide range of segment markets of varying sizes and lengths. To investigate the leverage of operational practices on passenger journeys, the differential roles of hub and local airports in the US aviation markets are focused. The author designed an air transport-focused OD synthesis model to predict US domestic and international passenger trips at a disaggregated level, by reconciling public and commercial air traffic databases within different geographic boundaries. This model is validated with empirical domestic trip samples. Also, sensitivity tests for the model’s core terms are conducted, which allow us to examine the possible range of prediction, particularly for international trips. The results show that the hub facilities’ roles are geographically uneven, functioning disproportionally for domestic and international connecting trips. For local airports, on the other hand, a bivariate accessibility measure is used to analyze spatio-temporal variations in trip demand and the trip efficiency of local passengers. Overall, the study demonstrates a vulnerability in service quality at the local airports, affected by airlines’ changeable routing strategies and local/global situations. The results also highlight the need to reevaluate the Essential Air Service (EAS) program, a subsidy policy for rural airports.
Morton O'Kelly (Advisor)
Harvey Miller (Committee Member)
Ningchuan Xiao (Committee Member)
192 p.
Geography; Transportation; Transportation Planning; Urban Planning
Global aircraft fleet operation; Cost-efficient fleet; Route Flow Estimator; Airport accessibility; Essential Air Service

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Park, Y. (2017). Studies in Airline and Aviation Efficiency [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu149261466159752

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Park, Yongha. Studies in Airline and Aviation Efficiency. 2017. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu149261466159752.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Park, Yongha. "Studies in Airline and Aviation Efficiency." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu149261466159752

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu149261466159752
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© 2017, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.