Observations of Departure Processes at Logan Airport to Support the Development of Departure Planning Tools

Field observations at Boston Logan International airport and data analyses comparing Logan to other major airports are conducted in order to identify the flow constraints that impede departure operations in an airport system. These observations and the associated analyses are discussed for each of the components of the airport system. It is concluded that the airport system is a complex interactive queuing system, that the different airport components contribute to cause delays and inefficiencies to different degrees, and that the runway system is the main flow constraint. The observations and analyses discussed reveal important implications for Departure Planning (DP) tools. The DP tools have competing objectives such as increasing the efficiency of the runway system, reducing delays and environmental impact, and maintaining fairness among all airport users and acceptable workload levels for air traffic controllers. The interactions and dynamics between the different components of the airport system dete...