Reneging and Jockeying

This chapter discusses models in which customers react to certain conditions created after they join the queue. Customers may renege from the queue if the expected utility from remaining in the queue becomes negative. This may happen when conditions in the system deteriorate, due to a slow-down in the service rate, an increase in the expected queue length, a decrease in the value of service, or other reasons. Recall that reneging was already mentioned in §2 in a LCFS model where the last in line may renege when a new customer arrives. Another model in which customers react to changes in the state of the system deals with an observable multi-server queue where jockeying from one line to another (probably shorter) is allowed.