Building optimal crew pairings is a highly complex task that is not only crucial for the costs of the airline, but also for pilots and cabin crew in terms of creating good working conditions regarding duty time, fatigue risk and 'sit times' - to mention just a few aspects. The sequence of flights means a lot to the crew.
Once an airline reach a certain size, there are of course good direct savings to be made on the monthly planning results, but it turns out there is so much more to capture in the mid-term. A recent change in the industry world-wide is that also regional operators are more frequently utilizing advanced decision support and optimization. Kim Rowland, Director Crew Resources and Crew Planning, at Republic Airlines explains:
