Crew Scheduling

Crew scheduling consists of deciding the flight schedules of the crew. This is done according to their qualification in flying certain types of fleets (aircraft type rating), by respecting labor and contractual rules, and minimizing crew expenses. Crew expenses are wages and overnight costs while away from their crew base.

Need for Integrated Optimization

The need for Optimization Integration comes from the fact that crew of a specific type rating can only fly a subset of available aircraft types. As a result fleet assignment decisions influence the cost of crew scheduling.

Another reason why Optimization Integration is needed stems from the fact that it is possible for the crew to remain on the same aircraft instead of commuting within the airport for their next flight. The aircraft needed for their next flight is predetermined by the aircraft routing, thus once more upstream decisions influence crew scheduling.

SchedulAir™, however, when optimizing takes into account simultaneously fleet assignment, aircraft routing (with maintenance) and crew scheduling, to fully integrate all the factors involved and provide the best schedule.


Back to Airline Scheduling (Integrated Optimization) project.

Bibliography

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