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Implementing a branch and price and cut method for the airline crew pairing optimization problem

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Abstract

We discuss the airline crew pairing optimization problem and present a solution method based on a combination of column and cut generation. The generated cuts are a subclass of subset-row inequalities. The pricing subproblem is solved by a label-setting algorithm with a new backtracking scheme and consideration of the generated cuts. The solution method for the linear relaxation is embedded in a branch-and-bound procedure with a constraint branching strategy and a new search strategy. We test our method on instances from domestic flight schedules of a European Airline.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Decision Support & Operations Research Lab, University of Paderborn, Warburger Str. 100, 33098, Paderborn, Germany

    Viktor Dück, Franz Wesselmann & Leena Suhl

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  1. Viktor Dück
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  2. Franz Wesselmann
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  3. Leena Suhl
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Correspondence to Viktor Dück.

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Dück, V., Wesselmann, F. & Suhl, L. Implementing a branch and price and cut method for the airline crew pairing optimization problem. Public Transp 3, 43–64 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12469-011-0038-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12469-011-0038-9

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