Enhancing Collaboration in Air Traffic Flow Management

Abstract

This paper extends the concept of credit points to enhance collaboration between participants in air traffic flow management. In earlier research, a preferred route selection method was presented, where users expend credit points to prioritize the flight paths for each of their pre-departure flights. This method of prioritizing flights provides a mechanism to incorporate users’ preferences in air traffic management subject to airspace congestion and weather impact constraints. In the current research, the airport arrival and departure rates at the top 70 airports are incorporated. In order to analyze the equity of arrival and departure schedules, the flight distributions at those airports were constructed for the 40 largest flight operators in the United States. The credit-points concept gives airborne flights the highest priority, enabling them to better maintain their schedule. A negotiation mechanism for participants to reassess their decisions for improved operations is described. Results for violations of arrival/departure rates and airspace constraints (due to volume and weather) before and after implementing the concept, along with credit use and incurred delays are presented. Results indicate that the credit-points concept is feasible for users to incorporate their preferences of important flights. The overall delay compared to a schedule based system reduces while maintaining airspace and airport capacities. Also, the equity increases for participating users as more constraints are added due to better utilization of available airspace.