Visualization of airline flight schedules

• US 7,912,742 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2006
• Issued: 03/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Trautman, Philip L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jabr; Fadey S
• Application Number:
  US11/385,915
• Publication Number:
  US 20070219833A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,828 Days
• Field of Search: 705 5- 8, 701/4, 701/29
• US Class Current: 705/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• 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 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management

Abstract

A method for visualizing airline flight schedules graphically simulates the effect of a program implemented in airline flight operations to reduce the effect of disruptions in scheduled airline flights. One or more disruptions are introduced into a pre-selected airline flight schedule, using frequency distributions of disruptions and disruption severities, resulting in a disrupted flight schedule that reflects both initial and propagated delays. The disrupted flight schedule is used to visually simulate flight operations in 4-D, allowing comparisons of “as is” and “what if” scenarios.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of visualizing commercial airline flight operations based on aircraft flight schedules in response to a proposed new product or service, comprising the steps of:

(A) selecting a computer implemented airline flight schedule representing scheduled aircraft flights, said selecting by a computer user employing a computer to execute programmed instructions stored in a computer readable medium;

(B) introducing by computer simulation at least one initial flight disruption into the flight schedule selected in step (A), said at least one disruption comprising an event, said event selected by said computer user within said computer simulation, said computer simulation comprising employing a computer to execute programmed instructions stored in a computer readable medium;

(C) generating by said computer simulation airline operations information caused by the disruption introduced in step (B), and simulating by said computer simulation airline operations information caused by computer simulated corrective action taken in response to the disruption, said computer simulated corrective action comprising the simulated use of said proposed new product or service, said product or service selected by said computer user within said computer simulation, said product or service comprising computer software or databases being demonstrated and marketed to said airline, said new product or service reducing the adverse impact of said initial flight disruption on simulated airline flight operations;

(D) visually simulating by said computer simulation airline operations using the disruption causing information generated in step (C); and

,

(E) visually simulating by said computer simulation airline operations using the corrective action causing information generated in step (C).

2. The method of claim 1, including the step of introducing into the flight schedule selected in step (A), at least one additional'"'"'disruption caused by the initial disruption, and wherein the airline operations visually simulated in steps (D) and (E) each reflect the additional disruption.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein step (B) includes:

producing for each flight leg in the selected flight schedule statistical data representing a frequency distribution of disruptions, and a frequency distribution of flight disruption severity.

4. The method of claim 3, including the step of generating a disrupted airline flight schedule using the flight schedule selected in step (A), and the statistical data produced for each flight leg.

5. The method of claim 1, including the step of graphically displaying, in juxtaposed relationship, the disruption causing airline operations information and the corrective action causing airline operations information generated in step (C).

6. The method of claim 3, including the step of graphically displaying a matrix showing the delay of each aircraft flight for each flight leg in the selected flight schedule.

7. The method of claim 1, including the steps of:

(F) introducing additional disruptions into the selected flight schedule that represent a propagation of the initial disruption; and

,

(G) determining the additional cost incurred in the airline operations resulting from the initial and additional disruptions.

8. The method of claim 1, including the steps of:

(F) calculating airline operating costs using the disruption causing airline operations information; and

,

(G) calculating airline operating costs using the corrective action causing airline operations information.

9. A computer implemented method of visualizing the effect of a proposed new product or service on commercial airline flight operations having disrupted aircraft flight schedules, comprising the steps of:

(A) selecting a computer implemented airline flight schedule having scheduled flights for a plurality of aircraft, said selecting by a computer user employing a computer to execute programmed instructions stored in a computer readable medium;

(B) introducing by computer simulation an initial flight disruption into the flight schedule selected in step (A)), said initial flight disruption comprising an event, said event selected by said computer user within said computer simulation, said computer simulation comprising employing a computer to execute programmed instructions stored in a computer readable medium;

(C) generating by said computer simulation a first set of airline operations data representing the effect on airline flight operations of the initial flight disruption introduced in step (B);

(D) proposing by said computer simulation an operations solution selected by said computer user within said computer simulation, said operations solution comprising the simulated use of said proposed new product or service selected by said computer user, said new product or service comprising computer software or databases being demonstrated and marketed to said airline, said new product or service reducing the adverse impact of said initial flight disruption on simulated airline flight operations;

(E) generating by said computer simulation a second set of airline operations data representing the effect on airline flight operations of the use of the solution proposed in step (D); and

,

(F) displaying by said computer simulation a graphical comparison of the first and second sets of data respectively generated in steps (C) and (E).

10. The method of claim 9, including the step of generating a visual simulation of airline operations using at least one of the first and second sets of airline operations data.

11. The method of claim 9, including the step of determining propagated disruptions in the selected flight schedule caused by the initial disruption, and wherein the graphical comparison displayed in step (F) reflects the propagated disruptions.

12. The method of claim 10, including the step of determining propagated disruptions in the selected flight schedule caused by the initial disruption, and wherein the visual simulation reflects the propagated disruptions.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein step (B) includes producing for each flight leg in the selected flight schedule, statistical data representing a frequency distribution of disruptions, and a frequency distribution of flight disruption severity.

14. The method of claim 13, including the step of generating a disrupted airline flight schedule using the flight schedule selected in step (A), and the statistical data produced for each flight leg.

15. The method of claim 13, including the step of graphically displaying a matrix showing the delay of each aircraft flight for each flight leg in the selected flight schedule.

16. The method of claim 9, including the steps of:

(G) introducing additional disruptions into the selected flight schedule that represent a propagation of the initial disruption; and

,

(H) determining the additional cost incurred in the airline operations resulting from the initial and additional disruptions.

17. A computer implemented method of graphically simulating the effect of a program implemented in airline flight operations to reduce the effect of disruptions in scheduled airline flights, comprising the steps of:

(A) selecting a computer implemented airline flight schedule representing scheduled aircraft flights, said selection by a computer user employing a computer to execute programmed instructions stored in a computer readable medium;

(B) introducing by computer simulation at least one initial flight disruption into the flight schedule selected in step (A), at least one initial flight disruption comprising an event, said event selected by said computer user within said computer simulation, said computer simulation comprising employing a computer to execute programmed instructions stored in a computer readable medium;

(C) visually simulating by said computer simulation airline flight operations based on a disrupted flight schedule produced by the initial flight disruption in step (B), said disrupted flight schedule including propagated disruptions in the selected flight schedule caused by the initial flight disruption;

(D) selecting within said computer simulation by said computer user a program for reducing the effect of the disruption on flight operations, said program comprising the simulated use of a proposed new product or service selected by said computer user, said proposed new product or service comprising computer software or databases being demonstrated and marketed to said airline, said new product or service reducing the adverse impact of said initial flight disruption on simulated airline flight operations; and

,

(E) visually simulating by said computer simulation airline flight operations reflecting implementation of the program selected in step (D).

18. The method of claim 17, wherein step (B) includes producing for each flight leg in the selected flight schedule, statistical data representing a frequency distribution of disruptions, and a frequency distribution of flight disruption severity.

19. The method of claim 17, including the step of graphically displaying a matrix showing the delay of each aircraft flight for each flight leg in the selected flight schedule.

20. The method of claim 17, including the step of graphically displaying, in juxtaposed relationship, data representing airline flight operations based on the disrupted flight schedule, and data representing airline flight operations reflecting the use of the program selected in step (D).

21. The method of claim 17, including the steps of:

(F) calculating the cost of airline flight operations based on the disrupted flight schedule; and

,

(G) calculating the cost of airline flight operations based on use of the program selected in step (D).

22. The method of claim 17, including the steps of:

(F) calculating the time length of flight delays resulting from the disruptions in the selected flight schedule; and

,

(G) calculating the time length of flight delays resulting from the disruptions based on use of the program selected in step (D).