Mathematics Might Be The Secret To Fixing Airline Delays
We’ve all been there, and we certainly have done our share of complaining about them: the dreaded delayed airplane. For the most part it has just become one of the many fun features that are now part of the travel experience. However, there are some researchers trying to crack the code behind these inconveniences, and the smartypants scientists feel that a little math might help everyone out. If academics can help aircraft land on time and leave on schedule, we just might head back to school.
Computer scientists at Strathclyde University in Glasgow, Scotland have created a system to use runways efficiently to reduce delays and to conserve fuel use. Their plan uses the size of aircraft, fuel efficiency of the plane, and number of passengers aboard to figure out the most effective way to move the birds around the airport. Their new math also looks at the amount of suitcases on the planes to ensure baggage handling delays are kept to a minimum. Unfortunately, there’s no mention of preventing baggage loss—too bad.
Improving airport efficiency can also be done by allowing little planes to land with little planes, instead of having jumbo jets slow things down by skipping ahead of them in line. Researchers' next step is to quantify how much savings can be found with all these new strategies. Too bad there’s a slight catch; one researcher admits that competing airlines would have to work together, and that concerns us a little. Low cost carriers that rely on quick turnarounds may resist giving up their spot in line to help out everyone else. For now, we’ll continue packing an extra copy of US Weekly.
Related Stories:
· Scientists' Bid to End Misery of Air Delays [Scotsman]
· Delta Takes The Cake For Ridiculous Tarmac Waits [Jaunted]
· Airline Delays coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: chelzerman]
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