IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/transa/v69y2014icp286-298.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Time to burn: Flight delay, terminal efficiency, and fuel consumption in the National Airspace System

Author

Listed:
  • Ryerson, Megan S.
  • Hansen, Mark
  • Bonn, James

Abstract

Improved Air Traffic Management (ATM) leading to reduced en route and gate delay, greater predictability in flight planning, and reduced terminal inefficiencies has a role to play in reducing aviation fuel consumption. Air navigation service providers are working to quantify this role to help prioritize and justify ATM modernization efforts. In the following study we analyze actual flight-level fuel consumption data reported by a major U.S. based airline to study the possible fuel savings from ATM improvements that allow flights to better adhere to their planned trajectories both en route and in the terminal area. To do so we isolate the contribution of airborne delay, departure delay, excess planned flight time, and terminal area inefficiencies on fuel consumption using econometric techniques. The model results indicate that, for two commonly operated aircraft types, the system-wide averages of flight fuel consumption attributed to ATM delay and terminal inefficiencies are 1.0–1.5% and 1.5–4.5%, respectively. We quantify the fuel impact of predicted delay to be 10–20% that of unanticipated delay, reinforcing the role of flight plan predictability in reducing fuel consumption. We rank terminal areas by quantifying a Terminal Inefficiency metric based on the variation in terminal area fuel consumed across flights. Our results help prioritize ATM modernization investments by quantifying the trade-offs in planned and unplanned delays and identifying terminal areas with high potential for improvement.

Suggested Citation

  • Ryerson, Megan S. & Hansen, Mark & Bonn, James, 2014. "Time to burn: Flight delay, terminal efficiency, and fuel consumption in the National Airspace System," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 286-298.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:transa:v:69:y:2014:i:c:p:286-298
    DOI: 10.1016/j.tra.2014.08.024
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965856414002043
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.tra.2014.08.024?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Zou, Bo & Hansen, Mark, 2012. "Impact of operational performance on air carrier cost structure: Evidence from US airlines," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 48(5), pages 1032-1048.
    2. Isabelle Huault & V. Perret & S. Charreire-Petit, 2007. "Management," Post-Print halshs-00337676, HAL.
    3. Diana, Tony, 2010. "Can we explain airport performance? A case study of selected New York airports using a stochastic frontier model," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 16(6), pages 310-314.
    4. Richetta, Octavio & Odoni, Amedeo R., 1994. "Dynamic solution to the ground-holding problem in air traffic control," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 28(3), pages 167-185, May.
    5. Zou, Bo & Hansen, Mark, 2012. "Flight delays, capacity investment and social welfare under air transport supply-demand equilibrium," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 46(6), pages 965-980.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Fan, Terence Ping Ching, 2019. "Schedule creep – In search of an uncongested baseline block time by examining scheduled flight block times worldwide 1986–2016," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 192-217.
    2. Sternberg, Alice & Carvalho, Diego & Murta, Leonardo & Soares, Jorge & Ogasawara, Eduardo, 2016. "An analysis of Brazilian flight delays based on frequent patterns," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 282-298.
    3. Tarelho Szenczuk, João Basílio & de Arantes Gomes, Rogéria, 2022. "Level-offs in terminal areas and path stretches: Empirically estimating extra fuel burn rates in commercial aviation," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 105(C).
    4. Senay Solak & Heng Chen, 2018. "Optimal Metering Point Configurations for Optimized Profile Descent Based Arrival Operations at Airports," Transportation Science, INFORMS, vol. 52(1), pages 150-170, January.
    5. Y. X. Lee & Z. W. Zhong, 2016. "A study of the relationship between adverse weather conditions and flight delay," Journal of Advances in Technology and Engineering Research, A/Professor Akbar A. Khatibi, vol. 2(4), pages 112-117.
    6. Liu, Ke & Zheng, Zhe & Zou, Bo & Hansen, Mark, 2023. "Airborne flight time: A comparative analysis between the U.S. and China," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 107(C).
    7. Fukui, Hideki & Miyoshi, Chikage, 2024. "Estimating tactical surface metering management’s effect on aircraft fuel savings at airport," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    8. Belén Payán‐Sánchez & Miguel Pérez‐Valls & José Antonio Plaza‐Úbeda & Diego Vázquez‐Brust, 2022. "Network ambidexterity and environmental performance: Code‐sharing in the airline industry," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(3), pages 1169-1183, March.
    9. Thanh Ngo & Kan Wai Hong Tsui, 2022. "Estimating the confidence intervals for DEA efficiency scores of Asia-Pacific airlines," Operational Research, Springer, vol. 22(4), pages 3411-3434, September.
    10. Tang, Nga Yung Agnes & Wu, Cheng-Lung & Tan, David, 2020. "Evaluating the implementation of performance-based fuel uplift regulation for airline operation," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 47-61.
    11. Li, Max Z. & Ryerson, Megan S., 2019. "Reviewing the DATAS of aviation research data: Diversity, availability, tractability, applicability, and sources," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 111-130.
    12. Martina Zámková & Stanislav Rojík & Martin Prokop & Radek Stolín, 2022. "Factors Affecting the International Flight Delays and Their Impact on Airline Operation and Management and Passenger Compensations Fees in Air Transport Industry: Case Study of a Selected Airlines in ," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-16, November.
    13. Kang, Lei & Hansen, Mark & Ryerson, Megan S., 2018. "Evaluating predictability based on gate-in fuel prediction and cost-to-carry estimation," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 146-152.
    14. Lemetti, Anastasia & Hardell, Henrik & Polishchuk, Tatiana, 2023. "Arrival flight efficiency in pre- and post-Covid-19 pandemics," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 107(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Kafle, Nabin & Zou, Bo, 2016. "Modeling flight delay propagation: A new analytical-econometric approach," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 93(PA), pages 520-542.
    2. Zou, Bo & Hansen, Mark, 2014. "Flight delay impact on airfare and flight frequency: A comprehensive assessment," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 54-74.
    3. Guo, Yechenfeng & Hu, Minghua & Zou, Bo & Hansen, Mark & Zhang, Ying & Xie, Hua, 2022. "Air Traffic Flow Management Integrating Separation Management and Ground Holding: An Efficiency-Equity Bi-objective Perspective," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 155(C), pages 394-423.
    4. James Breen & Darragh Clancy & Mary Ryan & M. Wallace, 2010. "Can’t See the Wood for the Trees: The Returns to Farm Forestry in Ireland," Working Papers 1003, Rural Economy and Development Programme,Teagasc.
    5. Alan Gregory, 2011. "The Expected Cost of Equity and the Expected Risk Premium in the UK," Review of Behavioral Finance, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 3(1), pages 1-26, April.
    6. Ana-Maria BERCU, 2014. "Performance Appraisal Of Civil Servants. Sustainability And Development," Proceedings of Administration and Public Management International Conference, Research Centre in Public Administration and Public Services, Bucharest, Romania, vol. 10(1), pages 35-43, June.
    7. Liu, Pei-chen Barry & Hansen, Mark & Mukherjee, Avijit, 2008. "Scenario-based air traffic flow management: From theory to practice," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 42(7-8), pages 685-702, August.
    8. repec:fip:fedhep:y:2013:i:qii:p:30-46:n:vol.37no.2 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Gedikoglu, Haluk & McCann, Laura M.J. & Artz, Georgeanne M., 2011. "Off-Farm Employment Effects on Adoption of Nutrient Management Practices," Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Association, vol. 40(2), pages 1-14, August.
    10. Scherrer-Rathje, Maike & Boyle, Todd A. & Deflorin, Patricia, 2009. "Lean, take two! Reflections from the second attempt at lean implementation," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 52(1), pages 79-88.
    11. Shachmurove, Yochanan & Vulanovic, Milos, 2013. "SPACs in Shipping," EconStor Preprints 88633, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    12. Benmelech, Efraim & Dlugosz, Jennifer, 2009. "The alchemy of CDO credit ratings," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 56(5), pages 617-634, July.
    13. Farrell, Terence C., 2008. "An Economic Evaluation of Conservation Farming Practices for the Central West of NSW," 2008 Conference (52nd), February 5-8, 2008, Canberra, Australia 6177, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society.
    14. Mahmut BAKIR & Şahap AKAN & Kasım KIRACI & Darjan KARABASEVIC & Dragisa STANUJKIC & Gabrijela POPOVIC, 2020. "Multiple-Criteria Approach of the Operational Performance Evaluation in the Airline Industry: Evidence from the Emerging Markets," Journal for Economic Forecasting, Institute for Economic Forecasting, vol. 0(2), pages 149-172, July.
    15. Felipe Jiménez & Wilmar Cabrera-Montiel, 2014. "System for Road Vehicle Energy Optimization Using Real Time Road and Traffic Information," Energies, MDPI, vol. 7(6), pages 1-23, June.
    16. Agata Mesjasz-Lech, 2009. "Selected Problems Of Reverse Logistics In Poland," Advanced Logistic systems, University of Miskolc, Department of Material Handling and Logistics, vol. 3(1), pages 181-190, December.
    17. J�r�me Massiani, Giovanni Santoro, 2012. "The relevance of the concept of capacity for the management of a tourist destination: theory and application to tourism management in Venice," RIEDS - Rivista Italiana di Economia, Demografia e Statistica - The Italian Journal of Economic, Demographic and Statistical Studies, SIEDS Societa' Italiana di Economia Demografia e Statistica, vol. 66(2), pages 141-156.
    18. Anuta Porutiu, 2010. "Decision and decision makers," Studies and Scientific Researches. Economics Edition, "Vasile Alecsandri" University of Bacau, Faculty of Economic Sciences, issue 15.
    19. Vassili Joannides & N. Berland, 2008. "Grounded theory: quels usages dans les recherches en contrôle de gestion?," Grenoble Ecole de Management (Post-Print) hal-00676580, HAL.
    20. Lino Cinquini & Andrea Tenucci, 2011. "Management Accounting for Service: A Research Agenda," Working Papers 201102, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna of Pisa, Istituto di Management.
    21. Cristina Cella & Andrew Ellul & Mariassunta Giannetti, 2013. "Investors' Horizons and the Amplification of Market Shocks," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 26(7), pages 1607-1648.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:transa:v:69:y:2014:i:c:p:286-298. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/547/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.