Agent-Based Simulation of Aircraft Boarding Strategies Considering Elderly Passengers

Abstract

Boarding is an important process for airline companies, with direct impact in operation efficiency and customer satisfaction. In some countries, priority boarding is required by law; elders, pregnant women, people with infants or disabilities have the right to embark first, regardless of ticket class, loyalty program or boarding group. The present work examines the effect of the adoption of priority boarding policy on total boarding time, along with other factors that are known to affect the efficiency of the boarding process, using an agent-based simulation model that represent the boarding process in a Boeing 767–300 aircraft. The simulated results indicate that the boarding process is improved by adopting priority boarding, which is beneficial not only to operational efficiency, but also has the potential of enhancing customer experience, thus suggesting that priority boarding should be a highly encouraged practice among airline companies.