The system utilizes a QSI (Quality of Service Index) model to perform market forecasting and scenario analysis. This QSI model incorporates various factors and assigns specific weights to different flight itineraries, depending on factors such as aircraft type, the number of stops, connection type, flight duration, and more. You have the flexibility to adjust these weightings on the QSI Settings panel to enhance the accuracy of your market predictions.
Within the QSI Factors tab, you’ll find weights assigned to the direct and connecting services.
Direct Services
Direct services include both non-stop and one-stop flights. There are two distinct modes of analysis available: discrete and continuous. In the discrete mode, specific weight factors are allocated according to the types of aircraft being used. Conversely, in the continuous mode, the weighting is based on a function related to the aircraft’s seating capacity. Our initial focus will be on the discrete mode, as demonstrated in Figure 1.
Discrete Mode
Non-stop Services: QSI factors are relative. For instance, a non-stop service operated by a narrow-body jet like A320 or B737 is typically assigned a weight of 1.0. In contrast, non-stop services provided by wide-body jets such as A350 or B777 receive higher weights, while those operated by regional jets like CRJ900 or ERJ 175 are assigned lower weights. Services offered by turboprop aircraft such as ATR72 or DHC-8 receive even lower scores.
One-Stop Services: These flights involve two legs but share the same flight number. In most cases, passengers do not need to disembark at the stopover point, as the same aircraft continues the journey. One-stop services are assigned lower scores than non-stop services with the same aircraft type but receive higher scores than connecting flights.
Codeshared Direct Services: For codeshared direct services, the default weight is set at 0.2. With such a setting, a codeshared service will get 1/5 of traffic of an organic service in the same local market.
Services by LCC: Additionally, an option is provided for services offered by Low-Cost Carriers (LCCs), as these services often attract passengers with competitive pricing. It’s important to note that this factor also applies to connection flights, even though LCC services are generally more point-to-point in nature.
Continuous Mode
In continuous mode, you have the flexibility to define two curves using five data points, one for non-stop services and the other for one-stop services. These curves are visually represented on the screen, with the blue curve representing non-stop flights and the orange one representing one-stop flights. Figure 2 illustrates these curves with the number of seats on the x-axis and the QSI factor on the y-axis. When you make adjustments to the number of seats or the factors of non-stop and one-stop flights on the left side of the interface, the curves on the right side will be dynamically updated to reflect these changes.
Connecting Services
Now, for connecting services, we categorize them into single connections and double connections. A single connection involves two non-stop flight legs, while a double connection comprises three non-stop flight legs. Additionally, if a connection involves both a non-stop flight and a one-stop flight, it is categorized as a double connection because passengers have to stop twice during their itinerary.
To further analyze connecting services, we establish a matrix based on aircraft type and number of airlines. One dimension of the matrix considers the type of aircraft involved in the connection, including connections between jet airplanes (Jet-Jet), between a jet airplane and a regional jet (Jet-RJ), between regional jets (RJ-RJ), and connections with one or more turboprop aircraft (Turbo-All). For double connections, Jet-RJ and RJ-RJ are merged into RJ-All. These classifications are important as services operated by jet airplanes receive higher scores than those operated by regional jets, which, in turn, receive higher scores than turboprop services.
The other dimension of the matrix differentiates between online and interline services. An online service is one where all flight legs are operated by the same airline, ensuring smoother service and fewer interruptions during the journey. Consequently, online services receive higher scores than interline services, where multiple airlines are involved.
In the user interface, the settings for single connections and double connections are presented in two boxes, each of which has a checkbox as the title. By checking or unchecking the checkboxes, you can choose to include or exclude single and double connections in your analysis. Additionally, there is a Codeshare option available in both boxes, allowing you to set distinct scores for codeshared services.