A mathematical model for an integrated airline fleet assignment and crew scheduling problem solved by vibration damping optimization

Fleet assignment and crew scheduling are the most complex airline optimization problems. In this research, an optimized crew pairing set considered as an input, and a crew is chosen for assigning to each certain crew pairing. This paper presents a novel model to integrate fleet assignment and crew scheduling problems. In this model, closed routes for crews and fleet are considered simultaneously. Also, the model considers two consecutive flight legs and some characteristics such as time lag, Minimum permitted time lag and Maximum Economic time. Also, a vibration damping optimization (VDO) algorithm is introduced to find good solution for this problem in a reasonable time. Experimental design based on the Taguchi method is taken into account. To compare the proposed VDO algorithm performance, four designed test problems are solved by proposed VDO and compared with optimal solution and Particle Swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. Then, 10 generated test problems in large scale are solved using VDO and PSO. The results show that in four designed test problems, VDO and PSO solutions have 1.62% and 2.95% gaps in average with optimal solution. Moreover, based on 10 generated test problems, in average VDO give 6.71% better solution in less time compare to PSO.