Alabama Airlines opened its doors in December 2001 as a commuter service with its headquarters and hub located in Birmingham. The airline was started and managed by two former pilots, David Douglas and George Devenney. It acquired a fleet of 12 used prop- jet planes and the airport gates vacated by Delta Air Lines’s 2001 downsizing due to the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Time between Calls (minutes) . Probability

1 ............. 11

2 ............. 21

3 ............. 22

4 ............. 20

5 ............ 16

6 ............ 10

Time between Calls (minutes) .. Probability

1 ............ 11

2 ........... 21

3 ........... 22

4 ........... 20

5 ........... 16

6 ........... 10

Time to process the

customer inquiries (minutes) ... Probability

1 ............. 20

2 ............. 19

3 ............. 18

4 ............. 17

5 ............. 13

6 ............. 10

7 ............. 3

Time between Calls (minutes) .. Probability

1 ............. 22

2 ............. 25

3 ............. 19

4 ............. 15

5 ............. 12

6 ............. 7

1. Given the original call distribution, what would you advise Alabama Air to do for the current reservation system? Create a simulation model to investigate the scenario. Describe the model carefully and justify the duration of the simulation, assumptions, and measures of performance.

2 What are your recommendations regarding operator utilization and customer satisfaction if the airline proceeds with the advertising campaign?