Passenger Utility Value for Layover Classification
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Solution Overview
Problem
In the airline industry, determining whether a stop in a multi-stop travel itinerary is an intermediate destination or a layover is challenging, especially since about 20% of flights are multi-stop, leading to unreliable itinerary data for calculating origination-destination demand, and there is no industry-standard trip breaking protocol.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that calculates passenger utility values for intermediate stops and compares them to layover utility values to differentiate between intermediate destinations and layovers, using a random utility approach to determine the nature of each stop, thereby establishing a consistent and airline-independent trip breaking rule.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a trip breaking rule is employed to differentiate layover from intermediate destination, then the classification of stops can be achieved, but there is no industry standard protocol leading to inconsistent results
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter basis for classification from arbitrary trip breaking rules to quantifiable passenger utility values. By calculating utility values based on objective factors (travel time, cost, convenience) and comparing against threshold values, the system achieves both accurate classification and consistency across different airlines without requiring industry standard protocol adoption.
2Quantity of substance
If multi-stop itineraries are analyzed without reliable differentiation methods, then more itinerary data is available, but the data quality becomes unreliable for OD demand calculation
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables itinerary data to self-classify by calculating passenger utility values for each stop and automatically determining whether it represents a layover or intermediate destination. This self-service classification mechanism processes all multi-stop itinerary data reliably without external intervention, maintaining both data quantity and quality for OD demand calculation.
3Measurement precision
If passenger utility values are calculated and compared to differentiate stops, then accurate identification of layovers and intermediate destinations is achieved, but the computational complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the classification problem into distinct calculable components: travel time utility, cost utility, and convenience utility. Each component is calculated separately using specific formulas, then aggregated to determine total passenger utility value. This segmentation makes the complex calculation process manageable and implementable while maintaining high identification accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
To determine if an intermediate stop in a multistop travel itinerary is a layover or an intermediate destination, a passenger utility value is calculated for the intermediate stop and the passenger utility value for the intermediate stop is compared to a passenger utility for a layover. The intermediate stop is determined to be a layover in response to the passenger utility value for the intermediate stop being greater than or equal to the passenger utility for a layover and the intermediate stop is determined to be an intermediate destination in response to the passenger utility value for the intermediate stop being less than the passenger utility for a layover.