Three Phase Approach to Solving the Bidline Generation Problem with an Emphasis on Mitigating Pilot Fatigue Through Circadian Rule Enforcement

摘要

A three phase methodology for solving the Bidline problem for airline crew scheduling is proposed. Phase 1 ensures that the all bidlines will meet a fatigue mitigating minimum rest window that will be constant throughout the entire bid period. Phase 2 ensures that most of the bidlines follow regular weekly and monthly patterns much like shiftwork in other industries that have 24-hour-a-day operations. Finally, Phase 3 creates a final monthly schedule that will minimize the number of crews needed during a bid period to cover all of the pairings, and maintain the fatigue-mitigating rest window as well as all of the quality of life issues addressed in Phase 2. Along with this methodology, a heuristic for solving Bin Packing and Cutting-Stock problems is developed.