Airport terminal flow simulation: impact analysis of self-service check-in technologies usage past and during the Covid-19 pandemic

Abstract

Check-in is the process that passengers wait for the most before their flight. Waiting times of passengers will vary depending on the number of counters at the airport, the number of self-service facilities, and whether passengers benefit from online/mobile check-in technologies. As a result of the measures taken at airports with the Covid-19 pandemic, check-in processing times have been prolonged. In this study, Esenboğa airport domestic departure check-in operations are simulated with the ARENA-TRIAL simulation program. The developed scenarios were simulated at peak hours. Initially, it was determined that the number of employees and facilities should be increased to keep the service level at standards during the Covid-19 pandemic thanks to the optimum number of facilities obtained. Secondly, it was determined that the time spent by passengers for check-in processes increased significantly during the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, it has been observed that the placement of the optimum number of self-bag drop facilities at the airport reduced the average waiting time required for the check-in processes of passengers in the period before and during Covid 19. Finally, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the airport queue density has increased dramatically.