The challenge of managing airline delay costs

Estimates of airline delay costs as a function of delay magnitude are combined with fuel and (future) emissions charges to make cost-benefit trade-offs in the pre-departure and airborne phases. Hypothetical scenarios for the distribution of flow management slots are explored in terms of their cost and target-setting implications. The general superiority of passenger-centric metrics is of significance for delay measurement, although flight delays are still the only commonly-reported type of metric in both the US and Europe. There is a particular need for further research into reactionary (network) effects, especially with regard to passenger metrics and flow management delay.