There is an increasing trend in self-service check-in (SSCI) utilization. SSCI would impact the passenger flow and baggage flow in airport operation because of the reduction of check-in processing time and the change of passenger arrival time to the airport. This dissertation is using the simulation model to simulate the passenger flow and a demand analysis model to calculate the baggage flow under various SSCI utilization rate for the assessment of the impacts on airport operation. The simulation results suggest that the higher the SSCI utilization rate, the shorter the queue length and waiting time at the check-in desks. However, the bottleneck would be potentially relocated to the downstream passenger security check and emigration process. Nevertheless, the increasing SSCI utilization provides room for the reduction of check-in desk without compromising the service level provided to passenger. On the other hand, the baggage system demand analysis is based on the modified arrival profile with addressing later passenger arrival time due to perception of shorter in-airport time. The results show that the later the passenger arriving at airport, the less the make-up devices required for the baggage handling system, which reduces the operation cost and delays the need for baggage hall expansion. Increasing SSCI utilization would bring both opportunities and challenges to the airport operation and this dissertation provides a study framework to assess the impacts on airport operation which could be applied by the airport operators. Airport operator could develop a more accurate and realistic simulation model and demand analysis model with real data collected from regular surveys and use them to forecast the service level and facility requirement with the change of SSCI utilization. As a result, airport operator can have a better facility planning to achieve cost-effectiveness and provide satisfactory service level to passenger. / published_or_final_version / Transport Policy and Planning / Master / Master of Arts in Transport Policy and Planning

M.Comm. (Accounting) / The emphasis given to narrative disclosure in corporate reporting, both in South Africa and internationally, has greatly increased in recent years. A major example of this was the issuance of The Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting (hereafter Conceptual Framework 2010) by the International Accounting Standards Board (hereafter IASB) in 2010. The Conceptual Framework was developed using the objective of financial reporting as a foundation (IASB, 2010a: par-OB1). In 2010, the IASB issued an International Financial Reporting Standard (hereafter IFRS) Practice Statement known as ‘Management Commentary – A framework for presentation’ (hereafter IFRS Practice Statement on Management Commentary). The IFRS Practice statement on Management Commentary defines management commentary as “a narrative report that provides a context within which to interpret the financial position, financial performance and cash flows of an entity. It also provides management with an opportunity to explain its objectives and its strategies for achieving those objectives” (IASB, 2010b: par-IN3).

The purpose of this research thesis is to develop an integrated framework methodology to assess the effects of VLCA operations at existing and future airports. The procedure described here investigates airport, airline and user impacts of VLCA operations using a systems engineering approach to understand the trade-off between economic and technological operational factors. Specific areas included in this systems engineering analysis are: a) the effect of VLCA operations in the airside and runway capacity, b) development of new airfield geometric design guidelines, c) terminal and landside impacts and gate compatibility issues, and d) possible noise and pavement design impacts. This research defines realistic parametric templates of feasible aircraft design using computer methods [MATLAB, 1992]¹ and then explores the impacts of proposed aircraft designs in airport operations, planning, capacity and economics. The analysis focuses on the airside and landside, terminal capacity, geometric design constraints and pavement and noise impacts of VLCA operations using a systems engineering perspective where aircraft design inputs have quantifiable outcomes on airport capacity, infrastructure changes and ultimately in the cost of operations. The main thrust of this effort is to identify cost effective ways to facilitate the operations of VLCA aircraft at existing and future airports including development of new design guidelines. / Master of Science

Thesis (MScEng (Civil Engineering))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aviation industry is an extremely dynamic industry where all stakeholders need to ensure that the operational margins are clearly identified and adhered to. Failure to actively and continuously streamline operations might cause almost immediate negative effects to a firm. Or in the worst case, might even cause overnight insolvency and closure. Just as for the other stakeholders it is equally important to the Airport Operating Authority to be able to offer to its clients all required operational systems. In order to be able to make an operational profit, it is important that the Airport Operating Authority does not waste scarce resources on maintaining oversized components within these systems. The components of these systems are all intertwined and most play an important role in the smooth running of the operations of the airport as a whole. It is clear that, if one of these components is optimised, it should optimise the system it forms part of which again should be beneficial to the airport-operational system as a whole. In an effort to be able to identify those components that will have the biggest overall effect on airport operations, it is proposed that the method of Analytic Hierarchy Process be used. This method allows one to compare components that, under normal circumstances, is considered to be incomparable. In other words, the AHP allows you to compare apples with oranges. Once these components are identified, one can use quantitative methods like regression analysis to identify a more optimum solution. This strategy does not promise a golden answer to operational problems but will assist an airport authority eager to have as lean as possible operations. It can be concluded that the strategy of identification, through utilisation of the Analytic Hierarchy Process, and optimisation, through Quantative Methods, affords the analyst a systematic approach to increase financial viability and sustainability of an airport which may otherwise place a tremendous load on limited resources. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die lugvaart industrie is ‘n ongelooflike dinamiese industrie waar alle rolspelers ‘n baie fyn oorsig moet hê, en behou, rakende hul bedryfs marge. Die gebrek aan gedurige verfyning van bedryfs-hulpbronne kan ‘n onmiddelike nadelige effek op die rolspeler se bedryfs-marge hê. Dit het in die verlede al gelei tot die skielike bankrotskap en ondergang van gevestigde firma. Net soos die ander rolspelers in die industrie, is dit vir die Lughawe Owerheid ook belangrik om die benodigde sisteme daar te stel sodat verwagte dienste gelewer kan word. Maar op dieselfde toon is dit nodig dat die Lughawe Owerheid nie skaars hulpbronne spandeer op die onderhouding van oorbodige of onnodige groot komponente van die onderskeie sisteme nie. Die onderskeie komponente van die verskeie sisteme is meestal op een of ander manier onderling afhanklik en ondersteunend van mekaar. Dit is egter duidelik dat, sou een van die komponente geoptimiseer word, dit ‘n positiewe uitwerking op die betrokke sisteem in geheel sou hê asook op die globale lughawe bedryfs-sisteem. Dit is dus belangrik om daardie komponente wat die grootste impak op die onderskeie sisteme sal hê, te identifiseer. Om dit te doen word dit voorgestel dat van die Analitiese Hierargiese Proses (AHP) gebruik te maak. Hierdie proses laat toe dat komponente wat nie dieselfde eienskappe het nie wel vergelyk kan word sodat ‘n onderskeid en hierargie geskep kan word. Sodra die komponente geidentifiseer is wat die grootste uitwerking op die verskillende sisteme sal hê, kan ‘n meer optimale oplossing gesoek word deur die gebruik van kwantitatiewe metodes soos byvoorbeeld Regressie Analiese. Dit is dus duidelik dat die strategie van identifisering, deur gebruik van die “AHP”, en optimisering, deur kwantitatiewe metodes, die analis ‘n werktuig gee om op ‘n gestruktureerde manier die lewensvatbaareid van ‘n lughawe te verhoog wat andersins groot druk plaas op skaars hulpbronne.

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This dissertation aims at improving the efficiency, robustness, and flexibility of airport operations through intelligent gate assignment. Traditional research on gate assignment focuses on the accommodation of passengers' demands such as walking time of passengers, and the robustness of gate assignment. In spite of its importance on the ramp operations, there is a lack of research to account ramp congestion when gates are assigned. Therefore, this dissertation proposes a new perspective on the gate assignment that accounts for ramp congestion. For that purpose, a ramp operations model based on observations at Atlanta airport is presented to understand the characteristics of aircraft movement on the ramp. The proposed gate assignment problem minimizes passenger-time spent on ramp areas. In addition, this dissertation is conducted to satisfy the needs of passengers, aircraft, and operations from the perspectives of passengers. Using actual passenger data at a major hub airport, the proposed gate assignment is assessed by means of passengers' transit time, passengers' time spent on the ramp, and passengers' waiting time for a gate. Results show that the proposed gate assignment outperforms the current gate assignment in every metric. This dissertation also analyzes the impact of gate assignment on departure metering, which controls the number of pushbacks in order to reduce airport congestion. Then, some of departing flights are held at gates, so it increases the chance of gate conflict, which reduces the efficiency of departure metering as well as ramp operations. In order to analyze the impact of gate assignment on departure metering, this dissertation simulates departure processes at two airports. Results show that the proposed robust gate assignment reduces the occurrence of gate conflicts under departure metering and helps to utilize gate-holding times to some extent.

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Two complex resource allocation problems motivate the algorithms and applications discussed in this dissertation. The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), a cooperative of television stations with independent budgets, must decide which programs to purchase from various producers and at what cost to its member stations. The airports of America must decide how to allocate limited takeoff and landing slots to competing airlines. Both problems are recognized as zero/one decision problems with multiple resource constraints. A computer aided allocation mechanism is proposed as an alternative to the currently practiced decision procedures. Bid information, solicited in an auction phase, provides values to parameterize a mathematical model. An optimization phase is then used to generate the best solution for the given information. The integer programming algorithms required to solve the particular models suggested are explored in detail. A best bound enumeration strategy which uses a surrogate knapsack relaxation is developd. Computer storage requirements are curtailed by using a new greedy heuristic for general integer programming problems. The PBS model has a structure closely related to certain fixed charge problems. This allows the use of necessary conditions for the existence of a solution of capacitated transportation problems to test the feasibility of candidate solution vectors. In the SLOT model feasibility testing is a trivial matter of maintaining running row sums. The bound provided by the knapsack relaxation is further enhanced with the addition of a set of generalized choice constraints. An efficient polynomial algorithm and proof of optimality are given for the linear relaxation of this problem. A procedure for generating a set of generalized choice constraints from any set of logical constraints is also given. The viability of the approach developed and the effects of parameter variation are computationally tested in both PBS and SLOT contexts. Some further computational results for project selection, set covering, and multiple knapsack problems are reported. A broad class of mixed integer linear programming problems is defined (e.g., capital expenditure and network design problems) and a suitable relaxation for a similar approach is developed. Finally, several new directions for research in algorithmic development and application are proposed.