Time is crucial in the airlines industry. Among all factors contributing to an aircraft\nturnaround time; passenger boarding delays is the most challenging one. Airlines do not have\ncontrol over the behavior of passengers; thus, focusing their effort on reducing passenger\nboarding time through implementing efficient boarding strategies. In this work, we attempt to\nuse cellular Discrete-Event System Specification (Cell-DEVS) modeling and simulation to provide a\ncomprehensive evaluation of aircraft boarding strategies. We have developed a simulation benchmark\nconsisting of eight boarding strategies including Back-to-Front; Window Middle Aisle; Random;\nZone Rotate; Reverse Pyramid; Optimal; Optimal Practical; and Efficient. Our simulation models are\nscalable and adaptive; providing a powerful analysis apparatus for investigating any existing or yet\nto be discovered boarding strategy. We explain the details of our models and present the results both\nvisually and numerically to evaluate the eight implemented boarding strategies. We also compare our\nresults with other studies that have used different modeling techniques; reporting nearly identical\nperformance results. The simulations revealed thatWindow Middle Aisle provides the least boarding\ndelay; with a small fraction of time difference compared to the optimal strategy. The results of this\nwork could highly benefit the commercial airlines industry by optimizing and reducing passenger\nboarding delays.
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