Research On Airline Crew Pairing Problem Optimization Methods

The crew scheduling is a most important part in airline operation. A scientific andrational crew scheduling planning can reach the optimal allocation of crew resource, andreduce the crew cost. It not only can guarantee the normal execution of the flights, but alsocan reduce the total human resource needed, which are very important for airlines. The studyof the methods and techniques of crew scheduling with the assistance of computers are ofgreat significance for airlines in aspects of reducing the operating cost and improving marketcompetitiveness. Crew scheduling is usually divided into two phases: crew pairing problemand crew assignment problem. In this paper, we focused on studying the crew pairingproblem.We conducted a deep research on constraints and optimization goals of crew pairingproblem. First, by constructing flight connect network diagram, all initial feasible flight dutystrings were obtained. Then, according to the actual requirements of airlines, a mathematicaloptimization model was established based on maximum utilization of crew resource. Last, wetook a daily flight plan of a small airline as an example, and used genetic algorithm to solvethe problem. The method is proved to be true by contrast with the manual pairing result. Inthe condition of a fierce competition air transport market environment and a serious shortageof domestic crew resource, the idea of improving the utilization of crew resource has certainguidance significance for airlines.