Management of the flow of passengers, baggage and cargo in relation to travel facilities

• US 20050065834A1
• Filed: 07/26/2004
• Published: 03/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Nguyen, Phu Van, Hale, Gregory B., Schweizer, Kenneth W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,801,629 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/025 Coordination of plural reservations, e.g. plural trip segments, transportation combined with accommodation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 11/00 Arrangements, systems or apparatus for checking, e.g. the occurrence of a condition, not provided for elsewhere
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2011/04 related to queuing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/37 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voice recognition

Abstract

Processing passengers for departure from an airport comprises a first line for passengers to be processed through a control point on the basis of first-in first-out. There is a second line for passengers to be processed on a non first-in first-out basis. The availability for the second line is determined by at least one of the following characteristics, namely the status of the passenger relative to an airline class of service; delays in flight times of one or more flights using the airport; cancellations of other flights using the airport; security factors at the airport; staffing at the airport; calendar date of flight, time of day of flight; number of passengers for the flight; numbers of passengers for other flights; and baggage handling. The system also processes passengers for arrival at an airport. The system also processes passengers for arrival at an airport so as facilitate baggage handling.

Claims

1. A system for processing passengers for departure from an airport comprising:

a first line for passengers to be processed through a control point on the basis of first-in first-out;

a second line for passengers to be processed on a non first-in first-out basis; and

an algorithm for determining the likely line load related to a number of passengers in the first line at a selected time and thereby determining a number of spaces available to allocate to passengers in the second line.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the determination of spaces available in the second line is determined solely by load conditions in the first line.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the availability for the second line is not determined by status of a passenger relative to an airline class of service.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the availability for the second line is determined by at least one characteristic including:

status of a passenger relative to an airline class of service;

delays in flight times of one or more flights using the airport;

cancellations of other flights using the airport;

security factors at the airport;

staffing at the airport;

calendar date of flight, time of day of flight;

number of passengers for the flight;

numbers of passengers for other flights; and

baggage handling.

13. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the passengers for the second line are identified by biometric features.

16. The system as claimed in claim 1 including a communications system between a master controller programming for controlling conditions and schedules for passengers scheduled to use the second line whereby status information relating to the status or changes of the second line can be communicated to such second line passengers.

18. The system as claimed in claim 4 wherein at least two of the characteristics are used in the determination.

19. The system as claimed in claim 4 wherein at least three of the characteristics are used in the determination.

24. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the algorithm determines dynamically when employees for inspecting or for manning security baggage or personnel check areas need assignment to security baggage or personnel stations, the algorithm operating on predicted passenger return times.

25. The system as claimed in claim 24 including a master controller to control conditions and schedules for employees scheduled to man baggage or personnel stations, and status information relating to status or changes being displayed in real-time on a status board.

26. The system as claimed in claim 24 including a master controller to control conditions and schedules for employees scheduled to man baggage or personnel check stations, and status information relating to status or changes being transmitted to the employees by a wireless device.

27. The system as claimed in claim 1 including storing selected user profiles and wherein a master controller queries a database capturing a number of requests for the second line and includes obtaining terminal information and an assigned return time, and including permitting notification to security personnel if a passenger request matches an unwanted user profile.

28. The system as claimed in claim 27 including permitting the passenger to request multiple requests for the second line at an essentially same time window.

29. The system as claimed in claim 27 including permitting the passenger to request multiple requests for the second line for multiple airlines.

31. The system claimed in claim 1 wherein the algorithm provides for coupons for merchandise or for food discounts.

5. A system for processing passengers for arrival at an airport comprising:

a first line for passengers to be processed through a control point on the basis of first-in first-out;

a second line for passengers to be processed on a non first-in first-out basis; and

an algorithm for determining the likely line load related to a number of passengers in the first line at a selected time and thereby determining number of spaces available to allocate to passengers in the second line.

6. The system as claimed in claim 5 wherein the determination of spaces available in the second line is determined solely by load conditions in the first line.

7. The system as claimed in claim 5 wherein the availability for the second line is not determined by status of the passenger relative to an airline class of service.

8. The system as claimed in claim 5 wherein the availability for the second line is determined by at least one characteristic including:

status of the passenger relative to an airline class of service;

delays in flight times of one or more flights using the airport;

cancellations of other flights using the airport;

security factors at the airport;

staffing at the airport;

calendar date of flight, time of day of flight;

number of passengers for the flight;

numbers of passengers for other flights; and

baggage handling.

14. The system as claimed in claim 5 wherein the passengers for the second line are identified by biometric features.

17. The system as claimed in claim 5 including a communications system between a master controller programming for controlling conditions and schedules for passengers scheduled to use the second line whereby status information relating to status or changes of the second line can be communicated to such second line passengers.

20. The system as claimed in claim 8 wherein at least two of the characteristics are used in the determination.

21. The system as claimed in claim 8 wherein at least three of the characteristics are used in the determination.

9. A system for processing passengers for arrival at an airport so as facilitate baggage handling of passengers comprising:

a first line for baggage of passengers to be processed through a control point on the basis of first-in first-out;

a second line for baggage of passengers to be processed on a non first-in first-out basis; and

an algorithm for determining the likely line load related to a number of passengers in the first line at a selected time and thereby determining a number of places available to allocate to baggage of passengers in the second line.

10. The system as claimed in claim 9 wherein the determination of spaces available in the second baggage line is determined solely by load conditions in the first line.

11. The system as claimed in claim 9 wherein the availability for the baggage in the second line is not determined by status of the passenger relative to an airline class of service.

12. The system as claimed in claim 9 wherein the availability for the baggage in the second line is determined by at least one characteristic including:

status of the passenger relative to an airline class of service;

delays in flight times of one or more flights using the airport;

cancellations of other flights using the airport;

security factors at the airport;

staffing at the airport;

calendar date of flight, time of day of flight;

number of passengers for the flight;

numbers for passengers for other flights; and

baggage handling.

15. The system as claimed in claim 9 wherein the passengers for baggage in the second line are identified by biometric features.

22. The system as claimed in claim 12 wherein at least two of the characteristics are used in the determination.

23. The system as claimed in claim 12 wherein at least three of the characteristics are used in the determination.

30. A system for processing passengers at an airport wherein there are multiple passenger checkpoints, and wherein the multiple passenger checkpoints are assigned for dynamically changing capacity for handling processing comprising:

a first set of lines for passengers to be processed through a control point on the basis of first-in first out, wherein each line of the first set of lines is associated with a variable related to a passenger and each line of the first set of lines has a distinctive variable from each other line;

a second set of lines for passengers to be processed through a control point on a non first-in first-out basis, wherein each line of the second set of lines is related with at least one variable of the first set of lines; and

an algorithm for determining the likely line load related to a number of passengers in the first set of lines at a selected time and thereby determining a number of spaces available to allocate to the second set of lines.

32. The system as claimed in claim 30 wherein the algorithm determines dynamically when employees for inspecting or manning security baggage or personnel check areas need assignment to security baggage or personnel stations, the algorithm operating on predicted passenger return times.

33. The system as claimed in claim 30 including a master controller to control conditions and schedules for employees scheduled to man baggage or personnel check areas, and status information relating to status or changes being displayed in real-time on a status board.

34. The system as claimed in claim 30 including a master controller to control conditions and schedules for employees scheduled to man baggage or personnel check areas, and status information relating to status or changes being transmitted to the employees by a wireless device.

35. The system as claimed in claim 30 including storing selected user profiles and wherein a master controller queries a database capturing a number of requests for the second line and includes obtaining terminal information and an assigned return time, and including permitting notification to security personnel if a passenger request matches an unwanted user profile.

36. The system as claimed in claim 35 including a media distributor distributing multiple passes at a specified time window associated with a departure time from an airport.

37. The system as claimed in claim 35 including a media distributor distributing multiple passes based on multiple passenger requests for multiple airlines.