Question: 11.3 Set Packing, Covering, and Partitioning Models APPLICATION 11.4: AA CREW SCHEDULING A classic application of column generation arises in the enormously complex prob- lem
11.3 Set Packing, Covering, and Partitioning Models APPLICATION 11.4: AA CREW SCHEDULING A classic application of column generation arises in the enormously complex prob- lem of scheduling crews for airlines. For example, American Airlines reports spend- ing over $1.3 billion per year on salaries, benefits, and travel expenses of air crews. Careful scheduling, or crew pairing as it is called, can produce enormous savings. Figure 11.2 illustrates a (tiny) sequence of flights to be crewed in our fictitious case. For example, flight 101 originates in Miami and arrives in Chicago some hours later. Each pairing is a sequence of flights to be covered by a single crew over a 2- to 3-day period. It must begin and end in the base city where the crew resides. Table 11.3 enumerates possible pairings of flights in Figure 11.2. For example, pairing i 1 begins at Miami with flight 101. After a layover in Chicago, the crew covers flight 203 to Dallas-Ft. Worth and then flight 406 to Charlotte. Finally, flight 308 returns them to Miami. 11.3 Set Packing, Covering, and Partitioning Models APPLICATION 11.4: AA CREW SCHEDULING A classic application of column generation arises in the enormously complex prob- lem of scheduling crews for airlines. For example, American Airlines reports spend- ing over $1.3 billion per year on salaries, benefits, and travel expenses of air crews. Careful scheduling, or crew pairing as it is called, can produce enormous savings. Figure 11.2 illustrates a (tiny) sequence of flights to be crewed in our fictitious case. For example, flight 101 originates in Miami and arrives in Chicago some hours later. Each pairing is a sequence of flights to be covered by a single crew over a 2- to 3-day period. It must begin and end in the base city where the crew resides. Table 11.3 enumerates possible pairings of flights in Figure 11.2. For example, pairing i 1 begins at Miami with flight 101. After a layover in Chicago, the crew covers flight 203 to Dallas-Ft. Worth and then flight 406 to Charlotte. Finally, flight 308 returns them to Miami
