An Operations Research Model For The Evaluation Of An Airport Terminal: SLAM (Simple Landside Aggregate Model)

The Simple Landside Aggregate Model (SLAM) is a model for estimating capacity and delays in airport passenger terminals. SLAM is designed to answer “what if” questions about alternative configurations of the various processing and holding facilities in a terminal. It consists of a network of modules, one for each facility of the terminal. These modules are based on a set of quite simple mathematical formulas to be used for the estimation of the capacity of each facility (in terms of passengers per hour) and the level of service (LOS) associated with it. LOS is quantified both in terms of “space available per facility occupant” and waiting time for being processed. In this paper we describe the creation and the application of the new model SLAM to the airport terminals of Milan. SLAM is an analytical aggregate model for estimating capacity and delays in airport passenger terminals. SLAM consists of a network of modules, one for each facility of the terminal: these modules are based on a set of quite simple mathematical formulas. Their objective is not to provide a thorough analysis of a given facility, but to help in the estimation of the capacity of the facility (in terms of passengers per hour) and the level of service (LOS) associated with it (compared to internationally accepted standards as those in the International Air Transport Association manual (IATA, 1995)). SLAM is equipped with an interactive GUI and provides, among its outputs, colour-coded displays of LOS achieved at each landside facility over any specified period of time.