Concerns on market power conferred by airport dominance and the debates of hub premiums have attracted longstanding attention from governments and academics alike. Most previous studies mainly focus on the fully deregulated markets such as the United States and Europe, what remains unknown is how such effects change when a country evolves from a tightly controlled regime to a deregulated market. This research analyses the effects of airport dominance on airline pricing power with the empirical study based on the Chinese domestic market using fixed- effect panel data models. Results from the regression analysis indicate that airport dominance is the most important source of pricing power in the gradually deregulated Chinese domestic market. Hub carriers are able to charge higher prices to premium class passengers and non-hub carriers can benefit from the “umbrella effects” of hub premiums. However, hub carriers are not able to translate their airport dominance to pricing power in the economy class market, whereas non-hub carriers even have to reduce the prices as their market shares at major airports increase. This study contributes to the literature by explicitly segmenting the market into economy and premium classes. The results have important policy implications.

The continues growth in aviation and passenger numbers is putting more pressure on airports to become more efficient in order to reduce the number of delays due to external factors such as weather, pilot deviation/errors and airport maintenance traffic. As major hubs (e.g. Heathrow, New York or Paris) expand in size to accommodate more traffic; aircraft surface movement and management become more complex and the margin for error is even lower. The traditional airport traffic management tools in large airports are increasingly stretched to the limit in meeting safety and traffic throughput requirements. This presents a huge challenge to the efficiency of airport operations because of the increased number of departures and arrivals at those airports. New technology for surface movement needs to be implemented in order to increase the safety and airport capacity. The federal aviation authorities in the USA was first to introduce the concept of Advanced Surface Movement Guidance and Control System (A-SMGCS) to address this problem in commercial airdrome operations. The system facilitates pilot recognition of the route designated by the traffic controllers and uses warning information to make them aware of any potential deviations/incursions. The system is introduced to enhance the efficiency of surface movement by increasing the aircraft taxiing speed and reducing any pilot errors during bad weather conditions. This thesis focuses on the surface guidance system for aircraft equipped with head-up display. A simulation model of the virtual environment using FlightGear and Simulink is developed based on the study of a moving map and surface guidance system for Head-Up Display (HUD) to assign the route, guide the aircraft on the designated taxiway and avoid potential conflict with other aircraft. A method of generating an airport in FlightGear and driving an airport moving map to rotate and move is also illustrated which includes the data processing flow chart and system flow chart. The Ordnance Survey National Grid and world coordinate system is discussed and used to transform from GPS latitude and longitude data to the position on Nation Grid. There is also an explanation of the 3D viewing process to generate the virtual taxiway geometries on the HUD. The communication between the traffic console and airplane is also discussed.

Operations research and queue theory have many different applications, providing tremendous value for different organizations. With the rise of fast computers and better data, stochastic processes can be better modeled into simulations to provide results of higher quality. The application of Operations Research is a very interesting intersection of mathematics, statistics, computer science and management science. In this project, the benefits of using point wise stationary approximations and stationary independent period by period approximationsto simulate staffing requirements at LAX (Los Angeles International Airport) in conjuction are examined with the motivation of reducing arrival processing times. This paper then examines the performance of different airport layouts, utilizing a discrete event simulation.

Despite September 11th 2001, many international airports are operating close to capacity, a problem that is likely to become more acute given the projected long-term growth in air traffic. This growth is likely to have major implications on runway, terminal and surface access capacity, infrastructure which is already experiencing constraints. The area of surface access is as much, if not more an issue in terms of employees accessing the airport as it is for passengers. Typically, one third of access traffic can be attributed to employees. Employees represent a particular problem for airports in terms of surface access due to the frequent, peak hour nature of trips made and their higher usage rates of the car compared to passengers. A range of initiatives exist to encourage the use of modes other than the private car by employees but overall these measures tend to be ‘soft' in nature and one generally has to look to the non-airport sector to see examples of more innovative ‘harder' initiatives such as financial incentive and disincentive car parking measures direct to employees. This thesis utilises a series of carefully selected interviews and focus groups at Heathrow Airport and three best practice non-airport organisations, underpinned by a process grounded in the concept and methodology of best practice benchmarking, to suggest areas where BAA, and potentially airport authorities around the world, could learn from other organisations in the area of employee surface access and specifically car parking . It is concluded that there are four key areas airports should focus on to explore the issues surrounding the implementation of a car parking charge or car parking cash out direct to employees, namely: the use of a package approach; a requirement for top management support; gaining acceptance from employees, and; the issues surrounding the process of implementation. The thesis contributes to knowledge in a number of areas, predominantly the use of benchmarking in the area of car parking and the airport sector, an industry which has thus far not adopted the technique to any great extent.

Thesis (M.B.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1992. / Also available in print.

Thesis (M.P.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1991.

Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 80-84).

Thesis (M.B.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 90-92).

Thesis (M.B.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1992.