SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AIR TRAVEL COMMODITIZATION

• US 20100131402A1
• Filed: 11/24/2009
• Published: 05/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Scott R. Davies
• Original Assignee: Scott R. Davies
• Inventors: Davies, Scott R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,676,692 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass

Abstract

System and methods are provided for the definition and commoditization of a four-dimensional trajectory of airspace, i.e., a bundle of spatially-contiguous, three-dimensional volumetric units of airspace at distinct, finite, and contiguous periods of time. The three primary determinants of air transportation throughput, i.e., seat and freight capacity, runway environment capacity, and safe-separation airspace capacity, are individually defined and commoditized. In an illustrative implementation, parties may compete to offer units of safe-separation airspace capacity, which may be bundled together to form a four-dimensional trajectory, and/or runway environment capacity, which may collectively comprise a particular flight bundle. This flight bundle may then be sold on a commodities market to the highest-bidding seat and freight capacity provider. In a further illustrative implementation, a seat and freight capacity provider may purchase a flight bundle comprising a primary four-dimensional trajectory and one or more contingent four-dimensional trajectories or portions thereof.

Claims

1. A method for managing air transportation, comprising:

defining a flight bundle, the flight bundle comprising a first four-dimensional trajectory; and

granting rights, via a first market-based process, for an air transportation vehicle to consume the flight bundle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the flight bundle further comprises a second four-dimensional trajectory.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the flight bundle further comprises a first unit of runway environment capacity and a second unit of runway environment capacity.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first unit of runway environment capacity and the second unit of runway environment capacity are temporally contiguous with the first four-dimensional trajectory.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first unit of runway environment capacity and the second unit of runway environment capacity at least partially occupy the same three-dimensional space.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the first unit of runway environment capacity and the second unit of runway environment capacity do not occupy any of the same three-dimensional space.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the flight bundle further comprises a third unit of runway environment capacity and a fourth unit of runway environment capacity.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the third unit of runway environment capacity and the fourth unit of runway environment capacity are temporally contiguous with the second four-dimensional trajectory.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the third unit of runway environment capacity and the fourth unit of runway environment capacity at least partially occupy the same three-dimensional space.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the third unit of runway environment capacity and the fourth unit of runway environment capacity do not occupy any of the same three-dimensional space.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the flight bundle further comprises at least one unit of volumetric airspace that is not part of the first four-dimensional trajectory.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first market-based process comprises an auction.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the first market-based process comprises a computer-implemented bidding process.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising permitting one or more parties to compete via a second market-based process to offer safe-separation airspace services for all or part of the first four-dimensional trajectory.

15. The method of claim 3, further comprising permitting one or more parties to compete via a second market-based process to offer the first unit of runway environment capacity or the second unit of runway environment capacity.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a hedge against events that would prevent consumption of the flight bundle.

17. A computer-implemented method for selecting one or more parties to provide services for a flight bundle, the flight bundle comprising a first four-dimensional trajectory, the method comprising:

receiving data from one or more parties, the data comprising one or more bids for the provision of safe-separation airspace services for the flight bundle;

accepting the lowest one or more bids for the provision of safe-separation airspace services for the flight bundle; and

notifying the one or more parties that provided the lowest one or more bids for the provision of safe-separation airspace services for the flight bundle.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the flight bundle further comprises a first unit of runway environment capacity and a second unit of runway environment capacity, and the data further comprises one or more bids for the provision of the first unit of runway environment capacity or the second unit of runway environment capacity.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

accepting the lowest bid for the provision of the first unit of runway environment capacity;

accepting the lowest bid for the provision of the second unit of runway environment capacity;

notifying the party that provided the lowest bid for the provision of the first unit of runway environment capacity; and

notifying the party that provided the lowest bid for the provision of the second unit of runway environment capacity.

20. A system for the distribution of a right to provide safe-separation airspace services for a four-dimensional trajectory, the system comprising:

a computer-based software unit for receiving data from one or more parties, the data comprising one or more bids for the provision of the safe-separation airspace services for the four-dimensional trajectory; and

an instruction set, the instruction set comprising;

at least one instruction to instruct the software unit to accept a lowest bid for provision of the safe-separation airspace services for the four-dimensional trajectory, and

at least one instruction to instruct the software unit to notify the party that provided the lowest bid.