ROSTERING-INTEGRATED SERVICES AND CREW EFFICBENCY

This article presents an extended crew rostering model that is applicable in personnel-intensive business sectors. We demonstrate (1) how the quality level of services can be augmented and (2) how the workforce can be used efficiently. The proposed supplementary services do not require additional personnel; rather, they involve the taking of the appropriate steps during the operational planning phase in which crews are assigned to certain tasks. Although this article focuses on airlines, the concepts suggested herein are also applicable to crew rostering for cruise lines, international hotel chains, and railway companies. An adaptation of the efficient rostering algorithm SWIFTROSTER is used to provide exemplary results based on real data from a medium-sized European airline for such service improvements and efficiency measures.