Potential air traffic congestion solution: slot allocation by auction method

The purpose is to design and evaluate, by way of an initial existence proof, the premise that slot allocation via an auction is a possible solution to the air traffic congestion problem surrounding high demand/capacity ratio airports. By demonstrating the existence of such a method for allocating slots at congested airports, this would lead to further research in much greater detail in creating an overall system design of slot allocation that could be implemented. A successful implementation of a slot allocation system would generate capital for air transportation system modernization and reduce delay into and out of the high traffic airports. This in turn is directly correlated to an increase in safety due to a decrease in the number of safe separation conditions that currently occur. To demonstrate potential existence the project is broken down into three primary parts. Several sets of auction rules are used to simulate potential fleet assignment to the airports included within the slot allocation system. Various sets of auction rules are then used as input parameters to generate multiple schedules. Once the schedule is determined a network delay simulation is run to measure delay and demand met by that particular schedule. Finally, the data collected from the simulation runs is analyzed and the results indicates that an auction is a feasible method of allocation for airport time slots for commercial airlines.