Discussion post, 2 discussion post respond and journal entry

The article I chose talks about the application of linear programming models in the Airline industry. American Airlines uses linear programming to schedule flight crews and aircraft movements. According to Jon Van who states, "At American Airlines there are 25,000 flight-crew members based in several cities who fly in eight different kinds of airplanes" (1990). The scheduling of flight crews can be complex and must meet several constraints. For example, there are mandatory limits on the length of a crew member's duty day and a 3-day time limit that employees can be away from their home city. The scheduling of aircraft can be just as complex. For example, airlines must consider constraints like the popularity of routes at certain times in the day and selecting the aircraft's size to accommodate the forecasted number of passengers. Jon Van (1990) talks about how linear programming has helped the airline reduce flight crew delays resulting in penalty payments from 15 percent to 4 percent resulting in a payroll saving of an estimated $20 million a year.