Ames researchers are investigating airline delays
in a collaborative project with United Airlines (UAL).
The research team is conducting a systemic study of
airline operations and delay situations in United's
operations at San Francisco airport in order to
identify potential sources of up-to-the-minute, real-time
delay information and ways to feed that information,
electronically, into the Ames-developed
Surface Management System (SMS) technology. Such
information will improve traffic movement on the
ramp (non-taxiway) area of the airport and increase
the overall efficiency of the air traffic system. By
collaborating in the project and opening their
operations to Ames' researchers, United is benefiting
from an increased understanding of their own delay
situations, their work-practice procedures, and the
ways that information technology and communications
systems can be used to better manage their
operations and to reduce delays and their effects.
The initial study has focused on United's Shuttle
operations. Through a process of intensive fieldwork
that includes observations, interviews, and the
writing and analysis of field notes, the researchers
have identified areas of work procedures that have
been analyzed for communication, computer support,
and knowledge-management requirements, and
for the ways in which these areas organizationally
either contribute to or help manage delay situations.
Four areas were studied in 1999: (1) the ramp area of
the airport where planes are parked at the gate and
where baggage and cargo are loaded and unloaded
(see figure 1); (2) the bag room; (3) the station
operations center or local control center for operations;
and (4) customer service operations.
Additionally, in 1999 the team visited United's
operations, data analysis, and scheduling centers at
UAL's world headquarters in Chicago to study the
larger system environment of UAL and the effect that
this environment has on local San Francisco
operations.
Preliminary study findings have identified the
complex nature of airline delays, problems in teaming
structures and the lack of training in procedures,
and "disconnects" in information flows across UAL.
The study has helped to define a new information
environment - one that facilitates information flows
and provides the information required for the next
generation of decision-making tools at UAL, and one
that can also provide delay information to an SMS
technology.
Point of Contact: R. Wales
(650) 604-4776
rwales@mail.arc.nasa.gov
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