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Business Process Modeling and airport terminal operations
The case of Thessaloniki Airport “Makedonia”
Kentzos Georgios
Supervisor: Prof. Michael Madas
Thesis submitted for the degree of Master in Logistics and Supply Chain Management
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Graduate School of Economics
Thessaloniki 2019
ABSTRACT
The present research links two different theoretical backgrounds. The business
process modeling concepts are analyzed and linked with the airport terminal
operations. The research merges the concept of business process modeling with the
concept of airport operations in order to demonstrate a business process model of an
airport terminal. The paper applies process modeling theory in a real case scenario
and identifies events, actions, participants and the environment that the processes are
conducted. First of all, airport operations are categorized into airside and landside
operations. The research is concerned with the terminal operations.
Terminal operations are the activities that occur from the moment the passengers enter
the airport terminal till the moment they depart. The terminal operations involve the
airport operators, the airlines, security companies, ground handlers and of course
passengers. The interactions among the above participants are significant for the
sequence of processes.
In order to study those processes modeling techniques are utilized. Through the
evolution of information systems, the Business process modeling and the relevant
software can provide the opportunity to apply theoretical knowledge into real life
cases and evaluate the findings. The application of theoretical knowledge has led to
the implementation of a business process model in the case of Macedonia airport of
Thessaloniki. The terminal processes that involve the passengers are the main concern
of the case study.
The process sequence is analyzed on a step by step basis The process mapping depicts
the passenger interactions with the airport operations stakeholders and systems. The
content of this analysis can generate more efficient process models that incorporate
technological advances and new systems
Keywords
Business process modeling, airport operations, terminal
operations, airport processes, passenger facilitation, passenger
handling, Business process management, BPMN
Table of Contents 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 8
1.1 Background ..................................................................................................................... 8
1.2 Research motivation ........................................................................................................ 9
1.3 Research Methodology .................................................................................................. 11
1.4 Outline of the Thesis ..................................................................................................... 14
2 Literature Review ............................................................................................................ 17
2.1 Airport terminal operations ........................................................................................... 17
2.2 Business process modeling and airport terminal operations.......................................... 21
2.3 Process Models and Simulation ..................................................................................... 23
2.4 Systematic literature review table ................................................................................. 29
3. Airport Terminal Operations ............................................................................................... 34
3.1 Airport operations .......................................................................................................... 34
3.2 Airport Terminal ............................................................................................................ 37
3.3 Airport Terminal Processes ........................................................................................... 40
3.3.1 Check-in ................................................................................................................. 42
3.3.2 Airport Security ...................................................................................................... 43
3.3.3 Ground Handling Systems ...................................................................................... 45
4 Business Process Modeling .................................................................................................. 50
4.1 Business Process ............................................................................................................ 50
4.2 The life cycle of a business process .............................................................................. 50
4.3 Business Process Modeling ........................................................................................... 52
4.4 Unified Modeling Language- UML .............................................................................. 53
4.5 Business Process Modeling and Notation- BPMN ........................................................ 58
4.6 Business Process Management ...................................................................................... 61
4.7 The stages of Business Process Management................................................................ 65
5. Case study ............................................................................................................................ 68
5.1 Approach ....................................................................................................................... 68
5.2 Project effort .................................................................................................................. 68
5.3 Background Information ............................................................................................... 69
5.4 Process identification..................................................................................................... 72
5.5 Process Analysis ............................................................................................................ 75
5.5.1 Departing passengers .............................................................................................. 76
5.5.2 Arriving passengers ................................................................................................ 80
5.6 Process maping .............................................................................................................. 81
5.7 Analysis of sub-processes .............................................................................................. 86
5.8 Business Process Modeling ........................................................................................... 93
5.9 Issues and proposals .................................................................................................... 100
6.CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................. 106
6.1 Discussion ................................................................................................................... 106
6.2 Reasearch contribution ................................................................................................ 107
6.3 Future proposals .......................................................................................................... 108
References ............................................................................................................................. 110
Table of figures Figure 1.Systematic Literature Review Screening Strategy ..................................................... 13
Figure 2. Overview of the research methodology .................................................................... 14
Figure 3. Overall Thesis Outline .............................................................................................. 16
Figure 4. Landside and Airside Airport Operations ................................................................. 37
Figure 5. Departure processes at airport terminal (Magalhães, 2014) ................................... 41
Figure 6. Arriving processing at airport terminal (Magalhães, 2014) ..................................... 41
Figure 7 Use case diagram(uml-diagramms.org) .................................................................... 57
Figure 8. Business Process Modeling & Notations symbols (Beckert) .................................... 59
Figure 9. Value chain departure processes (Schengen) .......................................................... 83
Figure 10. Value chain departure processes (Non-Schengen) ................................................ 84
Figure 11. Value chain arrival processes (Schengen) .............................................................. 84
Figure 12. Value chain arrival processes (Non-Schengen) ...................................................... 85
Figure 13. Merged model of value chains for departures ....................................................... 86
Figure 14. Merged model of value chains for arrivals ............................................................. 86
Figure 15. Passenger check-in process .................................................................................... 88
Figure 16. Baggage handling process ...................................................................................... 90
Figure 17. Security screening process ..................................................................................... 91
Figure 18. Boarding check and boarding processes ................................................................ 92
Figure 19. Business Process Model of departure operations of Thessaloniki Airport
“Makedonia” ........................................................................................................................... 96
Figure 20. Business Process Model of arrival operations of Thessaloniki Airport “Makedonia”
................................................................................................................................................. 99
Figure 21. Business Process Model of Thessaloniki Airport “Makedonia” at its simplest
description ............................................................................................................................. 102
Figure 22. Modified Business Process Model of departure operations of Thessaloniki Airport
“Makedonia” ......................................................................................................................... 103
1. Introduction
1.1 Background
Air transport has witnessed rapid growth over the last decade at global level. Air
transport has become affordable worldwide that in turn fueled growth. The airline
industry, a major economic force in terms of operations, has a tremendous impact in
regional economies as it attracts infrastructure investments and drives business
development affecting the tourism industry and commerce.
Nowadays air transport is accessible to a larger number of people due to the
development of the global economy. In addition technological development and
globalization forced a dramatic increase in air transportation. Air industry met an
unprecedented capacity increase. Airlines invested in new aircrafts while airports in
new infrastructure such as terminals.
An airport terminal is the building that links passengers to the aircraft. Significant
analysis and planning have been conducted regarding the optimal terminal design that
facilitates airport operational efficiency. Furthermore, numerous performance
evaluations of airport operations have been conducted in order to improve the level of
service.
Airport operations consist of activities that involve passengers, operators and airlines.
Airport terminal operations are categorized into processing, holding, circulating and
auxiliary activities. In order to understand the nature of these activities and evaluate
their performance it is important to transform those activities into processes.
Technology and modern IT capabilities have allowed airport operators to manage the
processes using models and simulation. That resulted in a competitive advantage that
benefited the airport operators, the airlines and the passengers in terms of faster
response times, lower transaction costs, higher quality of service, and reliable
collaborative relationships with customers. A solution based on IT enables companies
to incorporate internationally distributed financial practices and operational processes.
This means that businesses today must be prepared to make radical changes at all
times and at all levels. It is now a necessity to be able to adapt to changes in the
business environment and to have the flexibility to respond directly to challenges and
opportunities. The result is that the business world has relied on a new generation of
continuous improvement systems based on flexibility, economy and efficiency, such
as BPM (Business Process Management).
The philosophy behind Business Process Management is based on continuous process
improvement. This philosophy can be defined in five phases:
• Design
• Modeling
• Execution
• Monitoring
• Optimization
The philosophy of continuous improvement of processes means that the company can
have a continuous picture of what is happening in its processes and using indicators
such as costs and time to detect any discrepancies.
BPM is called upon to face challenges such as engaging human resources, committing
administrations into evolving and changing the culture of the organization from
functional to process-oriented.
1.2 Research motivation
The research is driven by the growing industry demand for more efficient airport
operations. The airport terminal operations involve various stakeholders, interactions
and activities. In order to increase the efficiency of the operations at the airport
terminal, standardization techniques have been adopted in terms of passenger
facilitation and baggage handling.
The research concentrates on a process approach of the terminal operations. Business
Process Modeling techniques are applied to the process series in order to design an
efficient end-to-end process model of the terminal operations, easily configurable and
adaptable at changing needs.
The present research concentrates at the operations that take place at the terminal
premises. The terminal operations include both departure and arrival operations. The
arrival procedure is shorter and the processes are less than that of the departure
procedure. In that case the interactions are few and the possibilities for potential
bottlenecks are decreased. The departure procedure is more complicated, requires
more processes and increases the possibility of potential conflicts and bottlenecks.
The departure and arrival passengers are the main participants of the processes that
are analyzed in this study. The typical processes that the departure passenger is
involved with are check-in, security check, border control, boarding check and
boarding. The typical processes that the arriving passenger is involved are baggage
collection, border control and baggage checks.
The airport terminal accommodates various procedures and stakeholders. The airport
terminal is managed by the airport management. The activities that are performed by
the operator are the terminal maintenance and the information providing. The
passenger and baggage check-in are performed by the airline or a ground handling
service. The baggage check and the security checks are performed by national police
and lastly the boarding check is performed by the airline personnel.
The scope of this research is to identify the relationship among the stakeholders and
their interactions. The goal of the process design is to minimize the interaction among
the stakeholders and to avoid any potential conflicts or mismatches. The
responsibilities of the stakeholder shall be defined and matched to the corresponding
processes.
The research objective is to create a process model for an airport terminal in order to
facilitate passenger flow and baggage handling in an efficient manner. The reseach
objective can be described by the following research questions.
How the process flow affects terminal operations? How is the process flow of
passenger control and baggage handling performed at the Macedonia airport of
Thessaloniki?
With the process approach, the research provides the detailed mapping of the
activities that are performed along with the participants, roles, information and
systems that are used at the Macedonia airport of Thessaloniki.
How can a business process model be implemented for the airport terminal?
With the assistance of technology software and by adapting Business Process
Modeling and Notation techniques, the research provides a business process model for
the airport terminal.
1.3 Research Methodology
The current research relies on qualitative research techniques. The primarily
qualitative research technique is literature review and specifically the review of
books, research papers, articles and web resources.
The literature review conducted following the systematic literature review framework
that identifies, selects and critically appraises research in order to answer a clearly
formulated question as suggested by Dewey, A. & Drahota, A. (2016). The systematic
literature review method ‘identifies, appraises and synthesizes all the empirical
evidence that meets pre-specified eligibility criteria to answer a given research
question’ (Cochrane, 2013).
The systematic literature review conducted for the purpose of this paper follows the
guidelines that were proposed by Kitchenham (2007). The first step of the systematic
review is the planning. The planning consists of the selection of articles and papers,
the definition of inclusion criteria and the definition of categories. The second step
of the systematic review refers to the realization of the literature review and consists
of the study selection, the data extraction and the data synthesis. The third step refers
to the reporting of the literature review and consists of the result reporting and
conclusions discussion.
Search strategy
The systematic literature review consists of the selection of relevant resources. In
order to achieve the systematic review, the research paper and article selection was
performed with the use of databases extracting existing research on the relevant topics
that will be discussed below.
The keywords utilized in the searching process were “Business Process Modeling”,
“Process Modeling”, “Business Process Management”, “Airport operations”, “Airport
Terminal”, “Terminal Processes”.
• Google Scholar (https://scholar.google.com/ )
• Science Direct (https://www.sciencedirect.com/
Inclusion and exclusion criteria
For the systematic literature review inclusion and exclusion criteria were defined
along with general criteria about types of research that are relevant to the topic.
General Criteria: 1.Preferably papers that were published from 2000 and afterwards.
2. Research work based on airport terminal operations. 3. Papers that are written in
English. 4. Papers that use qualitative and/or quantitative techniques as a research
method.
Specific Criteria: 1. Research papers for the airport terminal operations. 2. Research
papers combining the Business Process Modeling and airport terminal operations. 3.
Research papers on the process modeling concentrated on specific airport processes.
Exclusion Criteria: 1.Research papers that refer to airport terminal operations briefly
or not include terminal operations. 2. Studies that refer to BPM but on an unrelated
topic.
Following the inclusion and exclusion criteria, categories for the research questions
are defined in order to classify the findings according to the characteristics of each
category. The categories based on the research questions are the following:
What are the airport terminal operations?
What are the airports operations involve passenger processing?
How the process modeling is used in the context of airport terminal operations?
What is the BPM of an airport terminal?
How the BPM can impact the airport terminal operations?
Figure 1.Systematic Literature Review Screening Strategy
Additionally many web resources and organizations were utilized in order to facilitate
the investigation regarding airport terminal processes, such as industry specific
guidelines of IATA and Civilian Aviation Agency .
Furthermore, on-site observations were used in order to implement the process
modeling in the case study. Additionally free online tools were utilized to perform the
depiction and analysis of the terminal process model after reviewing of the relevant
literature. The software facilitates the model creation in Business Process Modeling
and Notation standards using XML. The primary software package utilized is
Camunda Processer.
• Camunda is an open-source workflow and decision automation platform
introduced in 2013. Camunda Modeler is a desktop application for modeling BPMN
workflows, editing BPMN process diagrams and DMN decisions tables.
Figure 2. Overview of the research methodology
1.4 Outline of the Thesis
A comprehensive review of relevant literature has been undertaken, and is presented
in Chapter 2, 3 and 4 in order to provide current research approaches, appropriate
definitions and current modeling practices relating Business Process Modeling.
Chapter 2 is primarily focused on presenting available research approaches in airport
operations analytical methods that aim to achieve operational efficiency and terminal
process model simulations.
The relationships between architectural design process and the space layout planning
theory are investigated in Chapter 3 for an appropriate understanding of the
correlation of terminal and BPM. A theoretical basis of airport terminal design
concepts is briefly discussed with relevant historical overview of key design methods
and strategies from terminal layout to processes incorporated within.
Chapter 4 presents the elements and issues related to business processes and also
describes the characteristics of BPM. The common languages and techniques of BPM
are presented briefly as well. The review also presents the Business Process
Reengineering and the overall Business Process Management. The notion of Business
Process Modeling is reviewed in wider context such management decisions,
performance measurement with a view to incorporating modeling in airport terminal
operations.
Chapter 5 presents the business process modeling of the airport terminal operation of
the Macedonia Airport of Thessaloniki that was developed as part of the current
research. Adjacency information obtained from BPM and movement information
gained through on-site observation were utilized to develop an accurate depiction of
processes that occur in the passenger terminal.
Chapter 6 integrates all major issues discussed in the current research highlighting the
research techniques adopted to construct a detailed process illustration for airport
terminal operation. Further suggestions for future scopes for research in the relevant
field are also identified in this chapter.
Figure 3. Overall Thesis Outline
2 Literature Review
The current chapter shall attempt to present the relevant research associated with the
Thesis topics. The primary focus of the chapter is to provide past and current
correlation between Business Process Modeling and airport terminal operations.
Although modeling techniques for processes in the context of an airport in general
have been studied comprehensively, the paper findings are limited for the Business
Process Modeling of operation at airport terminals. A more common approach on
existing literature is the performance measurement of airport operations. The
suggested analytical tools for process modeling vary significantly.
2.1 Airport terminal operations
Airports operations involve passengers, luggage, cargo, aircraft movements, ground
handling, and crews. All of these operations can be synthesized into processes
schemes. According to Graham (2014) airport terminal services consist of passenger
handling, security, customs and immigration. In addition, a number of non-aviation
services are also provided, such as retail and food stores, entertainment and leisure
activities.
According to Price and Forrest (2016) the airport terminal operations involve
passengers and baggage processing, airport maintenance and operational activities,
airport administration, cargo handling and security processes.
The terminal area provides facilities for airlines, ground handlers and passengers. The
terminal building is the most important part of an airport providing complex services
and involving numerous stakeholders. According to Price and Forrest (2016) the main
task of an airport passenger terminal is to transfer passengers from ground
transportation to air transportation.
Hamzawi (1992) describes the airport landside as the area that consists of various
zones like apron/gates area, air terminal building(s), ground access area, and vehicle
parking areas.
Airport terminal operations involve various stakeholders such as airlines, ground
handlers, passengers, security stuff, and airport management. As indicated by Price
and Forrest (2016), in the European model of airport terminal management the airport
operators are responsible for the terminal operations. In an airline-dominant approach,
the airlines are responsible for the terminal operations. The main difference of the
approaches is who provides the employees to operate the terminal activities, with
many airports opting for a combination of the two approaches.
The airport terminal consists of facilities for airlines operations, facilities for
passengers and those who accompany them, airlines, and airport operators. This
representation has been used by several authors to model and simulate airport
terminals. Curcio et al. (2007), analyzed the system performance of terminal
operations in terms of passenger flow and security issues. Olaru and Emery, (2007),
evaluated the efficiency of the entire complex of operations. Guizzi et al. (2009),
analyzed the passenger flow to achieve rational management of terminal operations.
A prominent effort to describe the processes of an airport terminal is the research of
Ashford et al., (1997), that established the three main types of processes: departing,
arrival and transfer. The terminal is a system that processes passengers and baggage
providing change of movement type by holding and regulating circulation. In order to
avoid disruption and reduce uncertainty caused by the interrelations among parts
involved in the regulation of circulation, Zografos et al, (1997), developed a holistic
approach of the processes.
The airport terminal is described by the processing system that processes passengers
and baggage upon arrival till departure and the flight interface that connects the
terminal with that aircrafts. Magalhães (2014). Airport terminal is the main facility
that provides the interface between aircrafts and access mode. The airport terminal
can provide the link between ground and air. The terminal operations are grouped into
three categories: the passenger Check-in, the baggage handling and the boarding.
Passenger Check-in
The passenger check-in process is the first process in an airport terminal involving
passengers. Nowadays there are different options of passenger check-in both
traditional and modern. These options are traditional check-in, self-service check-in,
online check-in. Traditional check-in is conducted in check-in counters by airline
staff. (Wells and Young, 2011) The counter check-in, self-service check-in kiosks,
online check-in, and barcode check-in are the available check-in options at an airport
terminal.
Check-in counters are subject to configurations based on the passenger traffic, airline
alliances and the involvement of ground handling companies. According to Wells and
Young (2011) check-in counters are distinguished into two categories, one for
common use and one for exclusive use. For common use, the check-in counters are
used by multiple airlines, usually a certain alliance of airlines or ground handlers. For
exclusive use, the check-in counters are used by a certain airline. The distinction can
also be in terms of equipment and information systems. In common check-in counters
the systems and equipment follows a common standard, the common-use terminal
equipment (CUTE) which is a computer-based system designed for operating
systems. In addition, Bellioti et al. (2010) mentions that the common use lies beyond
the check-in counters, to the self-service check-in counters and the boarding checking
as well.
Ticket purchase, check-in, boarding pass, and baggage check-in are the types of
services that are provided to the passenger at the airport according to Hsu et al.
(2012). The check-in counters option can combine all the offered services and thus is
the most preferred option. The barcode check-in system is capable of only issuing a
barcode boarding pass (Hsu et al., 2012). Other options like self-service check-in are
not able to offer ticket purchases, while online check-in systems cannot perform
baggage check-in as well (Hsu et al., 2012).
Baggage Handling
Baggage handling is a complex process in airport terminal operations that can affect
overall performance. Efficient baggage handling can lead to improved terminal
performance and customer satisfaction. According to Wells and Young (2011) the
baggage handling processes consist of collection, sorting and distribution of baggage.
Moreover, Robuste and Daganzo (1992) describe the process that starts as the
baggage is collected in the check-in area upon the arrival of departing passengers till
it is loaded into the aircraft. The baggage is weighed and tagged according to final
destination at the check-in counter and then transferred through a conveyer belt to the
sorting area. The sorting process involves barcode scanning and the baggage will
classified according to destination (Robuste and Daganzo, 1992).
Wells and Young (2011) mention that modern and innovative technology has been
adopted in sorting and distribution of baggage, such as high-speed conveyer belt and
barcode scanners and containers. Containers can be used to transport baggage to wide
body aircrafts and reduce the process time (Kazda and Caves, 2008).
According to Hallengorg (2008), a baggage handling system is a huge mechanical
system, usually composed of conveyor-like modules capable of transferring totes
carrying one bag each. A baggage handling system covers an area similar to the
basements of the terminals of an airport, and tunnels with pathways connect the
terminal. The system secures that baggage reach their destination in time and utilizes
the entire system and capacity to handle peak time.
Boarding
The terminal gates are the point of exit of the passengers and baggage to board the
aircrafts. In addition the terminal gates are the point of entrance for the arriving
passengers and baggage, according to Wells and Young (2011). These are also the
locations at which the loaded and unloaded cargo is exchanged between terminals and
aircrafts.
Tošić (1992) defines “gate” as the term used for an aircraft parking position on the
apron and the part of the terminal building devoted to that aircraft. Tošić (1992)
introduces a module set to identify two types of terminal buildings based on the
number of gates. These are single-level and two-level terminals. Single-level
terminals have 8 gates with the capability of receiving 1 million passengers per year.
Two-level terminals have 16 gates with the capacity of receiving 2 million passengers
per year (Tošić, 1992).
Airport operators and airlines have different perspectives regarding terminal gates
use. Bouras et al. (2014) describes that airport operators aim at the airport utilization
while the airlines aim at customer satisfaction. Airport operators try to increase the
utilization of the available gates by decreasing the number of gate conflicts and
minimizing unnecessary delays (Bouras et al., 2014).While airlines try to minimize
distances between runways and gates and the walking distances between the gates in
order to maximize customer satisfaction.
Many factors may affect the number of the gates used at an airport terminal.
According to Wells and Young (2011), the number of gates depends on a variety of
factors such as the type of the aircraft, turnaround time or gate occupancy time, and
gate-usage agreements. Turnaround time is defined as the period that an aircraft
spends on the ground between the arriving and departing times of a flight (Bielaire
and Kumar, 2013) while gate-usage agreements refer to the agreements that an airline
uses certain numbers of gates (Wells and Young, 2011). For each aircraft type, there
should be at least one parking position available to accommodate the aircraft (Wells
and Young, 2011).
2.2 Business process modeling and airport terminal operations
Airport operations represent a complex, high activity system of processes. A complex
system involves various processes and stakeholders and illustrates the interactions
among them. Because of the interconnections between the various parts of the
operational chain effective communications among those parts is critical. (Rocha
2017) The complexity of a system poses a potential risk to the functionality of the
system and operations are characterized by complexity.
Hammer and Champy (1993), defined a process as ‘a collection of activities whose
final aim is the production of a specific output that is of value to the customer. A
business process has a goal and is affected by events occurring in the external world
or in other processes’.
Airport operations can cause disruptions at other parts of the system and affect the
flight cycle of the airport leading to passenger inconvenience, financial and
environmental cost. Airport operations are influenced by the uncertain nature of the
air network. ( Lee et al, 2018) The uncertainty lies mostly within the variation in time
required for the activities. That could disrupt the planned activities through traffic
flow.
Melenovsky and Harris (2006) described the theory of Business Process
Management as a new theory that is the evolution of earlier management theories
such as Total Quality Management, LEAN, SIX SIGMA and Business Process
Reengineering. Moreover Miers, (2006) indicated that Business Process Management
is the combination of management practices with advanced technological tools in
order to set standard procedures and manage disruptions so as the disruptions
constitute standard procedure.
The approach of Ploesser et al,(2009) suggests that business processes are highly
vulnerable to disruption from external factors.The organizations that fail to adapt to
process changes in a new environment may lead to poor performance. An airline
company shall provide fast customer service while reducing operational costs. Airline
companies can provide context-based process management systems depending on
data from actual work practices.
The Airport Transit View (ATV) introduced by SESAR 2000 represents an efficient
and more cost-effective allocation of resources by integrating airport operations.
Airport Operations Plan (AOP) facilitates a common policy adopted by all
stakeholders that records activities duration and identifies best practices that facilitates
management decision-making. Airport-Collaborative Decision Making improves
overall efficiency of airport operations by improving predictability of errors.
It is important to study the wider environment in which business processes take place
in order to design, manage or improve those processes. Ploesser et al, (2009) proposed
a mechanism for automated design of business process models though it did not
examine the quality of the occurred processes.
Business processes can be categorized into core and supportive processes.
AguilarSave´n (2004) defined a core process as an integral part of the chain of
organization’s activities. A supportive process facilitates unobstructed function of the
primary processes. In addition, Business Process Modeling is a tool that records and
analyses the business processes that are taking place in an organization Krogsje 2010.
Information plays a vital role in operation execution. Katsaros et al (2011) proposed a
collaborative decision making concept that facilitates the flow of information between
stakeholders. Schultz & Fricke, (2011) provided an evaluation of system performance
based on stochastic approach for passenger movement and handling processes with
the scope of efficient handling of passengers. Furthermore, they pointed out that
airport planning, management and optimization is crucial in order to deal with future
challenges such as new technology scanning technology and biometric features.
According to Sorenson (2015), the airport terminal operations can be improved
through metrics and analysis of data. Airport terminal’s overall performance can be
improved by the proper analysis of traffic flows and passenger data. These data can be
used for future terminal planning.
Cost, quality and flexibility are defined by Dumas et al. (2013) as the typical
performance parameters of business process performance. Dumas et al., 2013, also
reports that business process simulation is an effective Business Process Management
technique for quantitative analysis of the business processes that provides guidelines
for organizational improvements.
A research from Smith, (2006) points out that business process reengineer can provide
in depth analysis and the ability to restructure processes that add value to the
organization and offer an agile environment that can evolve in order to achieve
improved organizational performance. Technology assisted redesign of business
processes could effectively reinforce an organizations ability to adapt to the dramatic
technology improvements and economic and geopolitical developments. Miaio,
(2011)
In the context of Business Process Management, airport operations have been studied
and different theories have been delivered. Because of the constant operation of the
airport terminal, different techniques were utilized in order to check those theories.
2.3 Process Models and Simulation
Modelling is a common practice in order to study alternative scenarios at airport
terminals operations. With the use of modeling techniques it is possible to test flexible
options and verify theoretic findings.(Magalhaes 2004) Different models have been
developed in terms of passenger handling at terminal facilities and can be categorized
regarding their scope as queuing models, inventory models, minimum walking
distance models
Queuing models were developed in order to determine the allocation of space and
resources for the passenger handling processes (Cox and Smith, 1961; Lee, 1966). In
order to operate in full capacity and reduce service and wait time queuing models
were used to define available floor for ticketing and check-in.
Following the introduction of queuing models, more and more researches focused on
the advantages of queuing concepts for other relevant activities in the entire departure
lounge and the opportunities for operational efficiency. (Mckelvey, 1988; Odoni and
Neufville, 1992a, b). Similar findings were verified through stochastic analysis
conducted by de Neufville and Grillot, (1982) regarding research that extends its
boundaries to other areas such as corridors, seating and immigration. On the other
hand, no research takes into consideration all the functional areas of the airport
terminal or the interconnections and interactions of the inbound and outbound
activities.
A more generic approach is the one implemented by Mumayiz and Ashford(1986)
where a model of service perception and response was developed based on passenger
processing time in check-in, security control, immigration, baggage recovery and
customs control in order to evaluate estimate the terminal operational capacity.
Subsequently more research conducted regarding optimal space allocation taking into
consideration the social aspect of passenger engagement.
Queuing models was widespread and was used for space allocation in passenger
terminals Gilliam, 1979. A queue represents a waiting line that the passengers enters
in order to get served. There are different stages that reflect different processes such
as the arrival at the waiting line, the integration within the line, actual waiting and
final the service at the end of the line. But the use of queue theory based on
assumptions for decisions regarding space allocation could result in smaller functional
area and thus lower customer satisfaction or bigger areas and higher costs.
A deterministic queuing model to evaluate departure lounge capacity and model
departure baggage handling was developed. ( Newell (1971), Paullin (1966), Paullin
and Horonjeff (1969), Tanner (1966)). This model was preferred over computer
simulation and stochastic queueing models according to Neufville and Grillot, (1982)
because of the transparency and its generic approach. Piper(1974) and Horonjeff
(1975) recommended this model for check-in counter operations evaluation and
Lewin (1976) for arrival immigration control.
The space allocation for waiting areas is determined by the number of passengers at a
given time. The waiting area is separated in two areas for seated and standing
passengers. Parsons (1975) and FAA(1988) provided criteria on determination of size
of waiting areas for centralized waiting areas that take into consideration the volume
of passengers as well as visitors in peak hours and for decentralized areas such as
departure lounge that take into consideration the aircraft size and the load factor.
The three basic baggage flows in the airport operations which consist of the arriving,
transferring, and departing baggage as described by Worcester (1963) and Hake
(1963). However no quantitative analysis was proposed. The three basic baggage
flows cause disruptions in the terminal operations. The arriving baggage flow cause
operational challenges in baggage claim facilities. Transfer and departing baggage
flow cause operational challenge on check-in, transport from check-in or the arriving
aircraft to distribution facility and finally to the transport to the aircraft.
Queuing models was widespread and was used for space allocation in passenger
terminals. A queue represents a waiting line that the passengers enters in order to get
served. There are different stages that reflect different processes such as the arrival at
the waiting line, the integration within the line, actual waiting and final the service at
the end of the line. (Gilliam, 1979) But the use of queue theory based on assumptions
for decisions regarding space allocation could result in smaller functional area and
thus lower customer satisfaction or bigger areas and higher costs.
Babic, Teodorovic, and Tosic (1984) described a method that calculates the minimum
distance a passanger has to walk from entry node to final node, by using the volume
of passenger flows on each particular day to assign the aircrafts. Deploying the
methodological approach of Babic, et al., (1984), the research conducted by
Mangoubi and Mathaisel (1985) defines a minimum walking distance for a fixed
terminal layout and fixed schedule. The distance is defined as the distances between
gates and the center of the check-in area or the center of the baggage claim area.
However unlike the previous attempt this model includes transfer or transit
passengers.
Ιn a more sophisticated modeling, an inventory model should be expected with input
flows from check-in counter blocks and output flows toward aircraft boarding points.
A space that contains different concessionaires can hold the flows from the check-in
blocks and reduce the need for additional functional areas. Simulation models does
not take into consideration the significance of that area and thus connect directly
check in output flow to the next process.
A more generic approach is the one implemented by Mumayiz and Ashford(1986)
where a model of service perception and response was developed based on passenger
processing time in check-in, security control, immigration, baggage recovery and
customs control in order to evaluate estimate the terminal operational capacity.
Subsequently more research conducted regarding optimal space allocation taking into
consideration the social aspect of passenger engagement.
Subsequently Hart (1985) described a simplistic departure lounge size calculation and
Ashford (1988) discussed space requirements per passenger. Stojkovic and Tosic
(1988) evaluated the load of secondary activities that are optional for the passenger at
airport terminals.
Simulation
The operationalization of the model is provided by the simulation.(Magalhaes, 2014)
Process control and management shall use simulation techniques for evaluating
processes, the potential problems and the suggested solutions such as typical
arrangements, space or labor allocation or improvements of the process. (Garvin
1998) In a different pattern, the modeling and simulation of process techniques are a
strategic tool in the decision making level. A relevant new technique that is being
used widely since 1990s, has firstly appeared in 1940s. Academic research has
approached many of them, but the most common techniques are described below. A
relevant new technique that is being used widely since 1990s, has firstly appeared in
1940s.
Simulation modeling and analysis is an analytical method that provides accurate
results and is a better solution for passenger terminal analysis. Lemer(1990) argued
that an object-oriented simulation is a promising modeling technique as a machine
assisted method model is critical for passenger airport operations. Thereinafter
Mumayiz (1990) present with a variety of passenger terminal modelling efforts and
discusses simulation models. Significant discussion of an object oriented simulation is
presented by Lemer (1990) and Odoni and de Neufville (1990). Horonjeff and
McKelvey, 1994 indicate that it is able to evaluate the functionality of a system under
multiple scenarios.
The Airport Terminal Building Simulator (ARTS) is a discrete-event simulation
model of the actions and decisions made by individual arriving, departing and transfer
passengers in the airport terminal building, developed by Argo Research (Pararas,
1995). The basic feature of ARTS is the implementation of behavioral models
representing the way passengers make decisions in the terminal building on one hand,
and the alternative terminal building operating policies and in the modeling of
passenger behavior.
Another modeling and simulation technique for processes, object-oriented, is discrete-
event. It is a technique where “events that change the state of an object are modeled
to occur at discrete (though unpredictable) time intervals, rather than continuously”
(Nidumolu et al., 1998).
A quite distinct research in terms of the topic under investigation is that of Jim and
Chang (1998). In particular they analyzed and introduced a simulation for the design
of airport passenger terminals based on SLAM II. SLAM (Simple Landside
Aggregate Model) is based on an advanced FORTRAN simulation language. It
contains subsystems which support discrete-event that is used by the authors. It
illustrates a complex network that uses nodes and branches to model elements in a
process. The model evaluates arrival and departure capacity as indicators of the
networks performance and detects the parameters of the performance result.
The input data required are: aircraft type, domestic/international passengers and
baggage, total passengers, baggage claim facility identification number, passengers’
group size, security time distribution, number of services, baggage transport time to
claim area, service rate and distribution, facility size.
The research of Brunetta et al. (1999) uses aggregate models for the estimation of the
capacity of the facility taking into consideration specific parameters and operating
conditions. Their findings using SLAM model suggest that inconsistencies in data
recording and insufficient configuration result in low service levels at peak hours.
Agent-based model, another popular method, consists of the agents and the simulation
environment. An agent is “a computer system that is situated in some environment
and is capable of autonomous action in this environment in order to meet its design
objectives” (Wooldridge, 2002, p.15). The environment is the acting stage of the
agent and the surrounding interactions. Agent-based modelling (ABM) is a modeling
technique that has achieved widespread attention. It is used to model complex
processes and phenomena in social science. (Chen, 2012).
According to de Neufville and Odoni (2003) there is “no agreement in the airport
industry about standards”, so there are various alternatives that serve as standards in
order to determine the best passenger terminal design. They also state that the
simulation of passengers and bags flows is the privilege way to explore the building’s
overall performance.
Aiming to investigate performance evaluation of airport ground operations Garcia et
al, (2005), introduced a hybrid method consisting of a generic algorithm and a time-
space dynamic flow management algorithm using simulation techniques to further
exploit their potential advantages. Decision support system to evaluate the “total”
efficiency of the airport system was developed by Zografos and Madas (2006). An
entire spectrum of airport effectiveness measures and associated trade-offs are
considered, as well as airport processes and decision-making requirements. The
authors use a typical decision support system development lifecycle to build this
model. To measure the airport effectiveness, the authors propose different analysis
tools such as SLAM.
Andreatta et al. (2007) implemented a similar research on Simple Landside Aggregate
Model and concluded that it is “an analytical aggregate model for estimating capacity
and delays in airport passenger terminals”. Each facility of the terminal is
characterized by a module based on mathematical formulas that is incorporated on a
network. These modules allow estimating the throughput of the facility (passengers
per hour) and the delays of the departing flights generated that facility. The
conclusions are main focused on passenger handling and do not include model
luggage handling system delays. However the authors suggest a new aggregate model
for airport terminals based on SLAM that includes luggage handling systems and is
tested at Athens International Airport under three different scenarios.
Brunetta and Jacur (2007) also developed a discrete-event simulation model that
includes passenger and luggage handling during arriving, departure and transfer
processes. The model is adaptable to various airport configurations for estimating the
time behavior of passenger and baggage flows, the elements' capacities and the delays
in a generic airport terminal. In addition it describes the decisions processes in the
terminal. It was also tested in Athens International Airport.
Discrete- events is a common simulation model for airport operations (Olaru and
Emery, 2007; Curcio et al., 2007; James, 2009; Guizzi et al., 2010). System dynamics
is usually used to compare systems’ performance under different conditions and
understand how they behave through time and for that reason they are widely
accepted for their role as a strategic tool. This technique “represents a system as a set
of stocks and flows where the state changes occur continuously over time”. Moreover,
through this technique, individual entities are not specifically modeled but instead
they are represented as a continuous quantity in a stock” (Tako and Robinson, 2012,).
A“network of queues and activities where the state changes occur at discrete points of
time” (Tako and Robinson, 2012, p.803) that can be recognized among various areas
that involve processes like container terminals (Cartenì and Luca, 2012), supply
chains (Tako and Robinson, 2012), business processes (Nidumolu et al., 1998;
Windisch et al., 2013). This tool has been widely used to model processes from a
social aspect, to observe how different types of users interact with a certain dynamic
environment (An, 2012) and can be recognized in different fields such as business
processes, supply chain, consumer affairs, urban design etc.
As different internal or external events happen, the entities or objects interact and
evolve through rules that can be endogenous or exogenous. These entities can be
physical, conceptual (information flows) or mathematical. Whenever the system
evolves, the state is altered by the value of the entities attributes. The evolution is
marked by the relationship between the entities (Cartenì and Luca, 2012) The whole
system is characterized by a state that is completely defined once the entity attributes
are known. (Magalhães , 2014)
2.4 Systematic literature review table
A detailed review of the relevant research is presented below in a tabular format
according to the guidelines of Systematic Literature Review. (Cao et al, 2015,
Mallikarjum et al, 2015) The table consists of classification of research conducted in
the domain of airport operations and Business Process Modeling in the course of time.
The data presented refer to the research topic along with the, relevant to this research,
findings.
Table 1. Previous research on airport terminal operations(1/2)
Author(s),
Year
Source Type
Research Topic
Relevant outcome
Asford N.
1997
Article
Examination of the
concept of level of
service to indicate the
interaction of time and
space.
Establishment of the types
of process at the terminal.
Designing of terminal to
facilitate the flows.
Curcio D, et al
2007 Article
Examination of
passenger flows and
security issues
Analysis if system
performance through
simulation and system
performance
measurement.
Olaru D, Emery S.
2007 Article
Efficiency evaluation
of the entire complex of
operations.
Combined model of
discrete event simulation
for passenger terminal
performance evaluation.
Kazda A, Caves R.
2008
Paper
Airport terminal
operations
Baggage handling
systems, container for
standardized processes
Hallenborg
2008
Research paper
Airport terminal
operations
Baggage handling
processing and available
systems
Guizzi G, et al.
2009
Conference
Paper
Analysis of passenger
flow
Discrete event simulation
for delay prediction
Table 2. Previous research on airport terminal operations(2/2)
Author(s),
Year
Source Type
Research Topic
Relevant outcome
Young S., Well A.
2011
Paper Airport terminal
operations and
management
Terminal check-in
and ground handling
processes description
Hsu C., Chao C.,
Shih K.
2012
Article Terminal operations Dynamic allocation
of check-in facilities
increases counter
utilization
Graham A.
2013
Paper Airport terminal
administration
Airport-airline-
passenger
relationships define
processes
Bielaire M, Kumar
2013
Research paper Airport terminal
operations
Optimization of gate
assignment for
minimization of
boarding process
Bouras A., et al.
2014
Article Airport terminal
operations
Commercial
optimization of gate
assignment for
boarding processing
Price J., Forrest J.
2016
Paper Airport operation
and safety
Reinforces
concepts of safety
processes at
terminal operations
Table 3. Previous research on Process modeling(1/2)
Author(s),
Year
Source Type
Research Topic
Relevant outcome
Giaglis Conference Paper
Review of Business
Process Modeling
and Simulation.
Use of simulation for
evaluating
alternative business
process strategies.
Mooney
2006 Article
Process oriented
study of information
technology business
value.
Link between
information
technology and
performance.
Brunetta L,
1999
Article Measurement of
capacity and delays.
Modules that
estimate the capacity
of the facilities on a
service level.
Carnall, C.A
2006 Conference Paper
Identifying best
routes for airport
ground operators.
Hybrid method of
generic algorithm
and a flow
management
algorithm.
Desel
2003 Conference Paper
Information
technology and BPM.
Support projects
where business
processes and
information systems
have to be integrated.
Zhao, Cao
2006 Article
Business process
modeling and
Simulation.
Integrated business
process simulation
environment based
on workflow and
multiactors.
Table 4. Previous research on Process modeling(2/2)
Author(s),
Year
Source Type
Research Topic
Relevant outcome
Aguilar-Saven R.S.
2004 Article
Business process
modeling.
Framework for
classification of
Business Process
Modeling techniques.
Melenovsky M.J, et
al.
2006
Textbook
Using BPM to create
value by identifying
and leveraging
knowledge.
Evolution of earlier
theories that
incorporates
knowledge.
Kloos O, et al.
2009 Conference Paper
Business process
modeling and
Simulation
Transformation of
process model based
on event driven
process chain
notation.
Rozinet,
2006 Conference Paper
Process mining and
Simulation.
Simulation system for
operational decision
support in managing
workflow.
Krogstie J.
2012 Lecture
Historical examples
of process modeling
The eight
perspectives of the
conceptual modeling.
Zografos Madas M.
2012
Article
Introduction of a
Decision Support
System.
Total airport
performance analysis
implemented by a
DSS.
3. Airport Terminal Operations
In this chapter, airport operations are presented and terminal processes are discussed.
In addition, key factors that affect the terminal operation are presented.
3.1 Airport operations
First of all, the airport is classified into three major areas namely Landside, Terminal
and Airside.(Price & Forrest,2016)The airside is defined as a system of three
components-runways, taxiways, and apron-gate areas-on which aircraft and aircraft
support vehicles, operate. Air traffic control procedures are major factors that
influence operations on the runway component. (Hom et al.) Other facilities are
aircraft maintenance areas and air traffic control facilities and equipment,
meteorology, fire and rescue, power and other utilities.
The landside includes the connection of the terminal building with the exterior
environment with an efficient road network, adequate parking facilities, a good
connection to the outside road network and rail links between the city and the
airport.(Graham, 2013) It also includes other supporting buildings such as airport
administration offices, utility plants, catering facilities, ground access facilities such
as curbside, access roads, automobile parking areas and buildings, rail stations, and
any additional non-aviation facilities such as hotels, office buildings, shopping areas
that may be located within airport boundaries.
The terminal building is the place where passengers, luggage and freight change takes
place between the land mode and the air mode. (Graham, 2013) The terminal building
is a processing facility with sophisticated infrastructure with moving sidewalks to
reduce walking distance, automated ticketing and check-in procedures, automated
baggage sorting equipment, state-of-the-art technology such as metal detectors,
machine-readable passports and biometric recognition equipment.
The terminal building of the airport is the main point of interaction of the three
components of the air transport system, the airport, including its commercial and
operational concessionaires, tenants and partners, the airlines and the passengers.
(Ashford, 1988)
Airport operators offer lots of services and products. A record of those services and
products is important in order to identify the process flow. Moreover, observing those,
a company can identify potential opportunities or gaps in the range of offerings.
(Graham, 2013) The key question of the products and services view is why a
company provides such products or services. A business process is a sequence of
relevant activities in any organization with the purpose of producing products or
services. Products and services are determined by demand from consumers. As a
result, it is important for the overall economic outcome of the company.
Products and services are generated or provided in the course of a value creation
process. They are the result of a human act or a technical procedure. The term product
or service refers to the supply of either services or goods. Goods can be for example
food, beverages, clothes, souvenirs and so on. Goods are offed to customers in the
form of tangible merchandise. Services are intangible procedures standing for the fact
that they are simultaneously produced and consumed. Examples of services are
passenger information, baggage transportation and medical and security services.
Airport operations are the activities that are performed at the airside, landside and
terminal of the airport. Airport operations are a complex system of interrelated
processes involving numerous stakeholders with the main task to execute the air
transport of the passenger and items. (Wells & Young, 2011)
The airport operations consist of the airline, ground services and flight operations.
Contract negotiations, evaluation of contract compliance, inventory management and
financial responsibility describe the airline- airport relationship.
Airport use agreements refers to the operations that deal with the setup of ticket
counters, common use facilities and services such as toilets, kiosk machines, ATMs,
packaging equipment and weighing machines, control and security of gate and
runways.( IATA) Airports provide numerous services to the passengers and
significant resources are required for these services. This are described as bulk
purchase programs. These services include passenger services such as help desks,
information centers, recreation facilities, stores and restaurant, catering services for
the restaurants and food stores operating at the airport, tags for bags, ramp facilities.
Tie-up services are those that deal with the outsourcing of these services.(IATA)
Contract compliance takes care of airport operation regulations and involves the
preparation and maintenance of operation regulations determining customer standards
and requirements. (IATA) The training of all airport members is based on those
regulations. At airport terminal operation, the performance is always monitored for
smooth and effective functioning of ground operations handled by ground handlers
and airlines. In addition, there is constant monitor of passenger service levels.
Periodic checks monitor the performance of vendors as part of the quality control. The
quality of services shall not be compromised.(IATA) Finally, auditing of services and
invoices and budgetary controls are handled by this section as well. Prepayments &
deposits, reconciliation of vendor invoices and escrow accounting services are the
financial responsibilities of an airport.
Managing of inventory is a very important section in airport operations and involves
inventory warehousing, controls, budgeting and purchasing. Boarding tickets,
baggage tags, portable equipment such as laptop, printers, lost and damaged baggage
claim forms are provided in order for the terminal operations to be performed. In
addition catering and toiletry supplies, beverage-controlled storage, cabin supplies, in-
flight magazines and related items are provided as well.(IATA)
Furthermore, the airport operator is responsible for the visibility and signaling of the
terminal facilities. The terminal signage guarantees smooth passenger flow and avoid
congestion into the terminal facilities, ensuring the efficient operation.(IATA) The
signage all around the terminal should be clear and efficient. In addition, Flight
information Display Software (FIDS) is mandatory in order to inform the passengers
on the departure, arrival or delays of the flights. It is also provides data for flight
information data system for airport operations.
All the operations require personnel in order to perform the activities. Passenger and
baggage check-in requires human resources in order to operate the reservation
systems. The personnel issue the boarding passes, collects, weights and tag
accordingly the baggage. In addition gate personnel are tasked to perform the
boarding checks and announcements. Security personnel are tasked with performing
the security procedures. All operations are interrelated, so coordination among the
operations is required in order to avoid mishandlings and delays.
3.2 Airport Terminal
The Airport Terminal is the building that links passengers from access mode to the
aircraft. Its design is fundamental and outlines the relationship between airport
services, airline companies and passengers. (Ashford et al, 2011) Basic passenger
expectations rarely exceed the level of service for fast, easy and convenient
transportation inside the terminal.
Figure 4. Landside and Airside Airport Operations (Kovynyov et al., 2016)
Many airport management companies believe that the passenger terminal is a
company that operates in order to maximize revenue both for the operators and for the
participant airlines. On the other hand, the airlines tend to avoid facilities that may
adversely affect their speed of passenger processing during their flow inside the
airport terminal because that will reduce the service level of their provided activities
and the overall operational efficiency. The delays caused by non-control agents such
as delays at security clearance, customs control or passport control that are above
standard levels are not acceptable under the Widarsyah (2013).
Subsequently, terminal facilities must operate efficiently in order to provide
sustainable economic opportunities to the airline industry. Efficient operations require
efficient design. The research conducted by Ashford et al (2011), describes the
efficient design of the airport passenger terminal as a complex system of
interconnected subsystems that have the ability of configuration, such as partial
expansion, without affecting other subsystems, as modular in order to upgrade and
expand without disturbing the airline activities or terminal operational functionality.
Passenger orientation can be enhanced by increasing signaling and reducing the
number of available paths to the absolute minimum and minimizing the walking
distance between entry and exit points. At the same time a modular design is
necessary to reflect the transparency of the ongoing activities. In a resent approach
implemented by Thelle et al, (2012), decisions on the design and upgrade of the
terminal are affected by a number of complex factors.
Airport Terminal Layout
The airport terminals are divided into two basic categories, which reveal the degree of
concentration of passenger handling procedures. Thus, there are distinct airports of
concentrated functions, in which all processes are performed in a central space and
decentralized operations in which processes are shared in different spaces and
buildings. The terminal layout can affect the process chain from passenger flow to
baggage handling. The basic forms of aircraft parking in relation to the form of the
terminal are according to Nikolaides (2001).
Remote Aircraft Parking Terminal
Passenger handling procedures in this terminal are fully centralized in a terminal
building. The aircrafts are parked at a distance from the building and the passengers
are transported by buses. Sometimes, for the better service of passengers, they are
transported by special vehicles that have mobile and lift able sections for connection
to both the building and the mobile lounges. This solution offers the advantages of a
cost efficient high concentration in a centralized building and provides the ability of
investment in high technology and automation equipment. This terminal design is
especially useful in airport where the aircrafts are parked for long times usually in
remote areas.
Linear Terminal
In the linear form of a terminal the aircrafts are being parked along the building. The
handling of passengers and baggage can be done either in a central area or by
decentralizing some of the procedures in more functional areas within the building.
Depending on the internal layout of the terminal's premises, walking distances
between access points and aircraft can be quite small when the handling procedures
are decentralized, but when the handling procedures are concentrated then they can be
greatly increased. Furthermore this form of the terminal is selected when the space
between the access system and the aircraft parking floor is limited.
Airstrip with arms.
In this terminal design, passenger handling processes occurring at the central area of
the building while the boarding processes are distributed along the arms of the
terminal building. The aircrafts are also parked along the arms of the building.
Satellite Terminal.
In this design of the terminal, passenger handling is carried out in a central building
while boarding processes are distributed among the central building and in a satellite
building around which the aircraft are stationed. Satellites are connected to the
building usually underground, but also above ground when there is no obstruction of
aircraft movements. However, the existence of a satellite building increases the
walking distance for the passenger having as a result automated transport systems.
This terminal arrangement can only be selected at airports with high passenger
volume in order to operate more efficiently.
Independent terminal block assembly
This terminal design is describing two or more autonomous terminal buildings that
serve different parts of the passenger traffic. It is a very common terminal design
method as it is possible to gradually build terminal units, depending on the evolution
of passenger traffic without disturbing the operation of the existing terminal.
3.3 Airport Terminal Processes
Airports operations are depicted as a series of processes that are involving passengers,
baggage, cargo, aircraft movements, ground handling, and crews. For the purposes of
this research, the work examined involves passenger interaction such as passenger
handling, baggage handling, ground handling.
Passenger and baggage handling
Passengers and baggage are processed at airport terminal. The three categories of
passengers are departing, arrival and transfer. (Wells & Young, 2011)The departing
passenger refers to a passenger of an outbound flight to a final or intermediate
destination, arriving passenger refers to the inbound passenger that arrives at the
airport and leaves the airport terminals and transfer passenger that refers to the
inbound passenger arriving at the airport only to leave again with another flight for a
final or an intermediate destination. Another distinction among those processes are the
domestic and international passengers, or Schengen and non-Schengen regarding
airports in the European common zone, where passport control is required for
International or non-Schengen passengers.
Ground handling refers to the baggage handling, passenger transportation from and to
aircraft and aircraft assistance. Those processes are distinguished in terminal
processes and airside processes. (Hallengorg, 2008) The ground handling services are
provided by third party companies that are specialized in ground handling operations
and offer those services to airport operators and airlines. As this research is
concentrated exclusively in terminal operations, ground handling companies are
responsible for the baggage handling and in many cases the check-in processes and
boarding checks.
The processes from the perspective of a departing passenger are:
• Check in
• Baggage handling system
• Security control
• Passport control
• Boarding
Figure 5. Departure processes at airport terminal (Magalhães, 2014)
In addition, the processes from the perspective of an arriving passenger are:
• Arrival and transport to terminal
• Baggage unloading and transport
• Baggage reclaiming
• Passport control
Figure 6. Arriving processing at airport terminal (Magalhães, 2014)
Departing passengers and baggage
Passengers arrive to the airport departure hall which serves both, domestic and
international passengers, as well as accompanying. The first process is the check-in
for both domestic and international flights. This process illustrates the passenger
arrival until the check-in is performed.
3.3.1 Check-in
The check-in process refers to the activity through which the passenger arrives at the
check-in counter, provides the necessary documents and receives the boarding pass in
order to proceed to the flight. The passenger can as well deliver the baggage. The
traditional check-in is provided on a counter by an employee who verifies the ticket,
passenger’s personal information, and receives the passenger’s baggage. (Wells
&Young, 2011) The baggage is weighted and assigned a specific barcode label that is
used for sorting and transporting to the aircraft or RFID (Radio Frequency
Identification) that uses radio antennas to read the chips that airlines attach to each
bag (de Neufville and Odoni, 2003). The boarding pass has a specific barcode label as
well that is being scanned at the boarding check.
Nowadays airport operators and airlines invest in technology that minimizes the
waiting queues and run more efficiently. This technology involves around the self-
service check-in which can be conducted either outside or inside the terminal
premises. Outside the terminal building, the available check-in process is the online
check-in. In this process the passenger checks-in through the airline’s website. Inside
the terminal building, the available check-in processes are the traditional and the self-
service check-in counters. (Magalhães, 2014) Self-service check-in kiosks provide
automated procedures through which the passengers can issue the boarding pass on
their own. Apart from the self-service check-in the passenger has still to use the
baggage drop-off counter in order to deliver their baggage. Automated baggage drop-
off has been introduced in major airport terminals but that is not a common practice
for airport yet.
Additional services provided to the passenger at this stage are the ticket purchase, seat
selection, check-in, boarding pass, and baggage check-in according to Hsu et al.
(2012). The check-in counters combine all the offered service and thus are the most
preferred option. Other options like self-service check-in are not able to offer ticket
purchases or baggage check-in as is the case in online check-in (Hsu et al., 2012).
Check-in is provided by the airlines or ground handling companies depending on the
airport, airlines alliances and counter availability. In case of airline operators, airline
ground staff is responsible for issuing the boarding pass while in case of ground
handling companies, third party staff is responsible for issuing the boarding pass.
(Wells & Young, 2011)There are dedicated check-in counter for major airlines and
common used counters for low cost carriers or chartered flights. Most major airlines
opt for exclusive use of check-in counters that might differentiate them from the
competition and reinforce their branding. Most low cost carriers opt for the common
use counters because of the lower cost associated with common used counters.
After check-in, passengers are cleared to proceed to the security control or to other
discretionary activities such as shops and restaurants. The variety of discretionary
services provided at an airport terminal varies significantly among airports and it is an
important source of revenues for the airport operators.(Graham, 2013) Depending on
the available services, the security control options and the departure time passengers
decide the appropriate time for such services
3.3.2 Airport Security
Security of airports and air transportation is at the highest level and based on security
protocols enacted by governments and international organizations. The security
procedures focus on the detection of prohibited items before being loaded on the
aircraft. (Price & Forrest, 2016) The main goal of airport operators besides ensuring
the high standards of airport security is to maintain performance and low costs while
achieving maximum throupout and passenger satisfaction.
Passengers and baggage pose a potential threat for airport and air travel safety.
Passengers are subject to security control as well as their hand baggage and their
checked baggage. Passengers are informed throughout the whole process of check-in
about the security measures in place for restricted items.(price & Forrest, 2016)
Metal detectors are used to screen individuals with individual screening and X-ray
technology is used to check carry on luggage. Behind the scenes profiling can
identify ‘high’ risk passengers and random checks for explosives detection.
At check-in, bags are attached with a barcode that contains information of the
passenger and flight details. Before the baggage are loaded onto the aircraft, they
undergo screening by X-ray machine or Explosive Detection Systems . The
Baggage handling system uses a layered security approach in order to accommodate
large volumes of baggage. At the first stage, high capacity X-ray machines examine
the baggage. Any bags not able to be cleared are escalated to a combination of human
image inspection, human manual inspection or a more detailed X-ray machine. The
layered approach ensures suspect items are identified while maintaining a high
throughput. (Price & Forrest, 2016)
A layered approach to security can improve the safety of passengers, staff and
aircraft. The financial cost of implementing a security policy in an airport can be
reduced through the study of the individual systems within the airport and their in
After the security control, depending of the available services of the airport and the
time before the departure flight, passengers may proceed to waiting areas or choose
discretionary activities such as food, stores or entertainment if available. At this
stage, there are options for business travellers such as special lounges with additional
services) until the departure time. For Schengen passengers this is the last activity
before boarding. Non-Schengen passengers still have to pass through the passport
control.
Non-Schengen passengers are required to pass passport control before proceeding to
the boarding gate. By passing passport control passengers are entering a separated
area of the terminal with dedicated gates. After the passport control, Non-Schengen
passengers can proceed to the facilities available at the airport terminal such as shops,
restaurants and waiting areas before boarding.(IATA)
The boarding activity refers to the process of boarding pass check and the entering
into the aircraft. This process illustrates the passenger’s exit from the terminal. An
airline ground employee or ground handling staff verifies the passenger’s document
and checks the boarding pass through a scanner in order to verify that the passenger is
boarding the aircraft. In case a passenger that has checked-in, does not arrive at the
boarding gate, the passenger baggage is removed from the airplane and transported to
the terminal.( Magalhães, 2014)
3.3.3 Ground Handling Systems
One of the most important applications of RFID technology is management luggage,
as it is one of the most appropriate areas where technology is applied in all its aspects
and providing operational profitability. OR RFID technology can be applied in
various fields and more commonly in transportation and in particular in air transport
and ground handling. The goal of each airline besides the transportation of
passengers to their destination is to provide the service level of passenger handling.
Thereinafter, airline companies providing services before, during and after the flight.
Some of these are fast check-in and waiting facilities for passengers before the flight,
services during the flight such as entertainment, food and beverages servicing,
reducing delays before and after flight, and in general all the activities that will
attribute a competitive advantage against others. (Worchester et al. 1963)
However, one of the most important and frequent problems that can occur at airport
handling is the luggage handling. One of the factors of the problem is that usually
airline is not responsible for luggage handling but airport services. The airline does
accept the negative feedback from the involving passenger and thus is held
accountable for low level of service. According the International Air Transport
Association (IATA), the problem of lost luggage results in additional annual costs for
the airlines of 2.9 billion dollars and is about 9 luggage per 1000 passengers. In order
to confront the roots of the problem and reduce the dramatic cost of lost luggage air
industry stakeholders have developed a series.
More specifically, during the arrival of the passenger at the terminal, the passenger is
asked to deliver their luggage at the check-in encounter. The airlines allow passengers
a small cabin baggage for which they are accountable of and must be checked at a
later process for safety reasons. (Ashford, 1988) The airport operators or more
commonly the ground handling companies are responsible for the safety inspection of
the baggage the transportation from the check-in area to the processing area and then
to the aircraft. In the event that a passenger who has already delivered their baggage
does not board the aircraft, the baggage must be returned to the passenger. That
procedure may cause additional disruptions such as delays of the aircraft take-off and
a ripple effect that can affect passenger individually but the whole company as it can
disrupt the whole flight schedule. (de Neufville, 1982)
Until recently the technology most airports used for the handling of luggage in the
airport terminals is the barcode. During check-in, when the passenger delivers the
baggage, an airline employee places a special tape on the baggage that depicts a
unique code number for the passenger’s baggage.(Kazda & Caves, 2008) The system
records the specific code to associate with the passenger who in the end receives a
scrap with him its baggage code number so that it can search for it in case of loss. The
luggage then moves on rolling belts within the airport and their code number is
recovered from the airport installed barcode scanners in order for the luggage
management system to locate them within every stage of the processing system.
Moreover, based on their code number baggage is properly routed so that it is
transported to the quay where is waiting for the vehicle to carry the luggage to the
appropriate aircraft. (Hart W. 1985) When the baggage is transferred to the
appropriate aircraft, the barcode number is recovered through the barcode scanner so
that the management system determines that the luggage has exited the system.
At the same time, passengers are boarded on the airplane through the boarding system
and it is able correlate that the passenger and the luggage are actually in the airplane
and have both exited the system. If the system realizes that a passenger has not
boarded the plane, then their baggage must be removed from the aircraft. The process
to do this is quite complex, as it is no longer possible for automation technology to
intervene and thus the luggage coordinator must enter the storage area of the aircraft,
and with the help of a portable barcode scanner is it possible to locate the luggage to
be removed.(IATA)
But there are a few times when errors occur when retrieving the barcode code
number. The most common causes for this are:
• Barcode technology requires close eye contact with the tape in order to be able
to read the barcode attached to it.
• Luggage is stocked together to save space and is recognized by the system
under a new uniform code
• Because of certain conditions in the processing and warehousing of the
baggage the barcode is subjected to moisture, dirt, or even distraction of the barcode
tape and cannot be retrieved correctly by the luggage management system through
scanning.
• All those reasons might result in the unfortunate event of wrong routing of the
baggage. That results in loading in the wrong flight and traveling to the wrong
destination due to incorrect password retrieval. The process of tracking luggage from
that point onwards, in order to be sent back to the owner who traveled to a different
destination, is quite complex and brings extra company-specific costs. (Kazda &
Caves, 2008)
Taking all of the above into account, IATA has tried to address the problems that
arising in the process with the use of the latest RFID technology.(Hallengorg,
2008)The handling companies should be able to integrate RFID tags in the baggage
that they can store information on the checkpoints as well as information about the
owner, flight number and other items to improve handling process. RFID readers can
be located in fixed points that will be able to collect the information of many luggage
simultaneous and automated without requiring visual contact or manual work.
In addition, in cases where luggage has to be removed from a flight, the process will
be faster and easier since the staff with the help of portable RFID sensors will locate
them immediately without the need of checking each one of them.
Many airport implement in large scale system updates and the results confirm the
overall improvement of the system. Soon many airports schedule the adoption of the
new technology and especially international airports that are handling the largest
volumes of passenger traffic and have to handle more baggage. IATA is looking to
make RFID technology mandatory in the future in the context of baggage handling
systems within the airports. Initially the two barcode and RFID technologies will
naturally coexist so to make a smooth transition from one technology to another. Also
it is envisaged that many smaller airports will ultimately go into new technology,
since the volume of luggage handling is clearly smaller and manageable. Apart from
the obvious improvement of the system, the RFID technology can easily intergrade
with business processing systems of contemporary airports. .(Kazda & Caves, 2008)
RFID implementation in the context of Business Process Modeling can not only
improve the performance of the handling system but also can provide the rigorous
data interpretations that can lead to more informed and accurate management decision
that improve the overall operational efficiency of the airport. In addition Business
Process Modeling can facilitate information sharing between airport operators and
airline companies and can influence the operational ability of the whole chain of
interrelated processes. (Magalhães, 2014)
4 Business Process Modeling
4.1 Business Process
A Business Process, as defined in the international literature, describes a set of
activities that are connected with given inputs and outputs that provides value to the
customer, is defined in the international literature. "Bruce Silver, 2007 states that a
Business Process is the recording of the steps from the edge-to-edge process in such a
way that it can be units, geographical units and departments in the business, and can
be analyzed for possible performance improvement. The design process is inherently
an operational function, and configuration tools enhance it enterprise - not IT -
determine the steps, metrics and performance goals, and business rules, both as-is and
in any future, improved business process."
A Research conducted by Davenport (1993), suggests that a business process is a
clearly defined sequence of activities in space and time, which has a beginning and an
end and include inputs and outputs. The outcome or output of a process can be
personalized in the form of the customer who is the recipient of the value.
Processes use business resources and technology to develop value added products and
services to meet customer satisfaction. These resources are tools, methodology,
information systems and people. A business process might be part of a larger process
or may involve other business processes itself. The business process may have
multiple levels of analysis. All business processes are directly related to value
creation for the organization as they are responsible for implementing the company's
strategies and goals.( Smith, 2006)
Every organization consists of business processes that are associated with the internal
(intra-company) environment or be a member of a business processes associated with
the external environment or other organizations (inter-company). The business
processes deal with the collaboration and coordination of the stakeholders.
4.2 The life cycle of a business process
The life cycle of a process according to BPM Institute consists of stages that are
interdependent. The start of a process lays in the Design and Analysis stage where a
process is analyzed and planned. The next stage is the Execution where the
implementation of the activity is taking place followed by the Monitoring stage and
finally the Evaluation stage.
➢ Design and Analysis
A process can be designed entirely from scratch or come from studying of a
company’s similar processes or observation of unstructured tasks. In any case,
processes are identified, evaluated, validated and then mapped to operational business
process models using a variety of business process modeling tools that have adopted
BPMN (Business Process Modeling Model & Notation - BPMN) and UML (Unified
Modeling Language). The advantage of using BPMN and UML has to do with
communication. This means that all interested members of a process must
communicate effectively through a common language.
➢ Execution
When the modeling of a business process is completed, simulation techniques are
used to verify that the model captures the desired behavior, including the business
rules to which the business process is subjected and trace bottlenecks of operation
performance that need to be evaluated and removed. In this context the use of a
Business Process Modeling System is necessary. A Business Process Modeling
System must be configured properly and in accordance with the business environment
in which it operates. In this stage, there is observed an interaction with users or other
information systems that can be connected through some process activity. Then, the
business process model is checked on the system and the necessary tests are
performed to avoid any problems that may arise in the operating phase.
➢ Monitoring
After the Execution stage is completed successfully, the Monitoring stage follows.
BPMS is now ready and running the business process model in accordance with the
operational rules captured in the Design stage. Following is the business process
tracking where the BPMS can provide insight of problems that occur during a
business process executed by BPMS. In this stage, valuable data is collected and
stored, such as incident status, total time of occurrence, time of steps or process
activities, event status, or any delays in the system response. These data will be very
useful for the next stage of the process life cycle.
➢ Evaluation
Data collected in the previous stage is analyzed using various techniques in this stage.
It is possible to use other information systems specializing in data analysis, data
mining methodologies using data analysis tools. The integration of such tools into
BPMS is quite easy making them a complete solution for managing an organization's
business processes. Successful evaluation of the process leads to optimization.
(Melenovsky, 2006, Zhao, 2006, Kloos, 2009)
4.3 Business Process Modeling
A business model of a process is defined as a symbolic representation of its entities
and activities, which is usually expressed by graphic symbols, words or even
mathematical expressions.( Dumas, 2013)
Modeling a process is common in airline industry. In an airport terminal there are
various processes that occur, the check-in at an airport where passengers upon arrival
at the terminal deliver their baggage and proceed to the security checks. Passengers
are screened for any prohibited items or food. (Gladwin et al.1986) The process starts
with the airport security staff that checks the passengers' identities and tickets and
encourages passengers to go through the checkpoint. Passengers place their hand
luggage on the item scanner and are directed to the passenger scanner. If the
passenger Scanner identifies a suspicious object, then the passenger segregates
according to gender and the security staff of the same sex performs a body check of
the passenger. If the passenger passes the body control then he takes his hand luggage
and heads towards the gate.
In order to perform a model analysis on the airport processes scenario, it is necessary
to define the entities and the activities. The entities identified are the passenger,
security staff and the scanners. The activities identified are ticket checking, hand
baggage scanning and passenger scanning. With the identification of the above
entities and activities, it is very easy to draw a graphical representation of the
mentioned process by giving shape on the entities and connect the identified
activities. Expression of the description is usually implemented by UML (Unified
Modeling Language) or BPMN, which are object-oriented modeling languages using
graphical symbols.(Miao,Y. 2010)
All members participating in the business process model work together to achieve the
goal of the process. The activities of a model may require manual handling, such as
the input of data into a form by the user, or it is automated. Also, a business process
model is likely to run in conjunction with another model or even be part of a larger
process as a subset. Model members are captured using workflow technologies.
Workflow can be imagined as a flow chart which defines the order in which the
activities or steps of a process to be performed.
The aim of the modeling is to analyze the processes so that they can be automated and
then optimized. Although one of the most common is the use of UML, there are
several methods and techniques for modeling. The choice of method or technique has
nothing to do with the character, significance or type of a process within an
organization, but with the environment resources and the know-how of the
organization (Gartner 2006). There is no optimal technique for a particular type of
process and the choice can be made mainly based on previous similar experiences or
the use of organization resources that support a specific technique.
4.4 Unified Modeling Language- UML
UML is the result of years of work in the field of object-oriented programming. It was
firstly introduced in 1980s when there was a rapid increase in the complexity of
software programs. Because of this complexity, there was difficult in communication
among members of a software development team. In this context, there was a need to
create a common and perfectly standardized communication language to help
collaborate and communicate amongst these members. In the early 1990s, many
scholars have developed ideas to schematically represent information systems
software. The leaders of this particular field then created a group called OMG (Object
Modeling Group). This group unified all these fragmentary representation ideas that
resulted in the UML. UML practically consists of many different types of models
each one with a different purpose. Class models are used to map relationships
between entities, case diagrams to record requirements and sequence diagrams to
record process flow.(Dumas et al, 2013)
UML recordings are made using graphical symbols to create visual models. These
visual models can describe activities, information systems, software and business
processes. Since the revision of UML in version 2.2, fourteen types of charts have
been finalized, distinguished in two major categories, which represent structural
information in a model and those that represent behavior among model entities.
Structure modeling or Structure Diagrams define the architecture of a model. They are
used to describe graphically with symbols the entities, the activities and the
interactions between them. They are distinguished in basic categories such as Class
Diagram, Component Diagram, Object Diagram etc.
Behavioral Modeling or Behavior Diagram charts capture the changes of a model,
record the reactions of the overall system, and describe the results and the changes.
The use of these diagrams helps to understand the operation of a system. (Krogstie J.
2012)
UML has quickly become the most widely accepted method of imprinting and visual
modeling of software and processes and is used by many industries to capture and
analyze their processes. In addition, it is widely used by Business Process
Management Systems. Their use is through tools built into BPMS, which graphically
model business processes based on UML. Below are the main UML diagrams that are
necessary for modeling business processes. (Kloos, 2009)
Charts of classes are used for graphical software code modeling and are used in
object-oriented programming modeling and represent conceptual models. The chart
consists of the name of the class, the parameters and the functions that are happening.
The chart is useful in representing the relations among the classes and can be depicted
as straight lines that imply a permanent relation, an association.(Krogstie)
Generalization is another type of relationship among classes that denotes heredity.
The interpretation is that a class that symbolizes a parent can inherit variables or
methods belonging to another class, which symbolize a child. Assuming two related
classes where the class uses variables that do not belong to it, but are inherited by the
class with which it is related. The more complex relationship between classes is the
aggregation that represents a class that consists of smaller classes as its subsets. The
representation is done with a line that ends in a rhomboid indicating the class to which
the subclasses belong.
A more complex form of aggregation is the composition, which is depicted with a
black rhomboid at the end of the line that states that belongs to. The peculiarity of the
composition lies in the fact that if the parental class ceases to exist, then all classes
having such a relationship also cease to exist.
► Component Diagrams
In the field of Information Technology, a component is defined as a recognizable part
of software that integrates with its own contents, has required interfaces and provided
interface, and can be replaced in its operating environment by another component
with the same interfaces. Component diagrams illustrate the connections between
these components.
► Object Diagrams
Object Diagrams are quite similar to Class Diagrams. They place more emphasis on
relationships between classes by capturing snapshots of classes at a specific time.
Their roles are mainly helpful so that a Class Diagram can be more clearly
understood. The graphical representation and architecture of the diagram is no
different than that of the Class Diagram. The difference is that while a Class Diagram
imprints the physical connection between the classes of a software, the Object
Diagram captures the objects that have been created by the classes in the software
runtime.
► Activity Diagrams
Workflow is the term for describing a series of activities or procedural steps that
require input and output of information within a process. The role of the Activity
Diagrams is a graphic depiction of these workflows. A graphical representation of the
workflow is provided by capturing the dynamic behavior of a process. Routing takes
into considerations some decision criteria taken at nodes of the process flow in order
to easily understand the progress. Like all the above diagrams, the Activity Chart uses
graphic symbols to capture a workflow. (Gartner 2006) These symbols are:
• Rounded rectangles to indicate unique activities that take place within a
workflow.
• Dashboard arrows to control the flow from one step to the next one.
• Rums that symbolize a specific decision to be taken in order to properly route
the flow under conditions imposed by the process being modeled.
• Black bars that symbolize the beginning or end of one activity.
• Black circle that symbolize the start of a workflow.
• A black circle inside a white circle to symbolize the end of the workflow.
The implementation of an Activity Chart starts with the abstract workflow design by
reducing all entities of the physical flow of an activity to the above symbols. It is
continued with the correlations between them, the limitations that may be imposed, as
well as the conditions that lead or derive from an element must be identified and
clarified.
► Use Case Diagrams
Use case charts are used to capture the requirements of a system. It is a graphical
representation of the interaction of the system with the user in order to illustrate the
system usage specifications. Use case charts emphasize the functionality of a system
as it is visible to its users. The concept of "system requirements" in this case, does not
have to do with the internal requirements of its own system but the external or design
requirements that a user has when using the same system.
Figure 7 Use case diagram(uml-diagramms.org)
To construct such a diagram, entity identification is required. In case of use case
diagrams must be identified the user or as it is referred the actor and the system
functions listed as use cases. The actor does not necessarily mean a natural (as a
human) user, but anything that can interact with the system being modeled such as an
object, environment or relation. We also need to recognize the relationships between
actors and use cases as well as the relationships between use cases. Users in use case
diagrams are symbolized by a human shape.
Relationships in use case diagrams are symbolized using a line with an arrow on the
edge joining the entities. The simple relationships are symbolized with a simple line
that indicates the flow of control. The inclusion relationship that describes a Use Case
contains functionality from another Use Case as a subset of its functionality. Another
kind of relationship is the extension relationship, in which a Use Case is used to
extend the functionality of another. The difference in the schematic representation of
relations is that while the simple relationship is imprinted with a line and an arrow,
the inclusion and extension is interrupted and there is a note just below line indicating
whether it is extension or inclusion. Finally, with a rectangular frame the boundaries
of the system are delineated, so that the distinction between Actors and Use Cases is
clear.( Kloos, 2009)
4.5 Business Process Modeling and Notation- BPMN
Business Process Modeling and Notation (BPMN) is probably the most important
methodology for developing business process representations. The aim of Business
Process Modeling and Notation was to provide to the users of a business process with
a common language, so that all stakeholders communicate effectively using common
language, working together to benefit the process. At this point, it is necessary to
clarify the "users", as anyone involved in the business process, by the business
process analyst, the process manager who monitors the process, the technical
operating procedures that will install the model to the owner of a business process
owner and the users themselves as factors in the workflow. (Martin Owen and Jog
Raj, Popkin Software, 2003, BPMN and Business Process Management, Popkin
Software)
BPMN consists of graphic symbols that represent entities and situations. Similarities
with UML Activity Diagrams are enormous. BPMN is the result of the Business
Process Management Initiative (BPMI) that published the first edition of BPMN in
2004. In 2005, the company merged into OMG (the organization that created UML),
ending in the latest version of BPMN 2.0 that was published in March 2011.
BPMN is a set of specifications that define the Business Process Diagram (BPD). The
BPD is no more than a flow chart, similar to the UML Activity Diagram tailored to
model business processes. A BPD consists of a collection of basic symbols used to
plot business processes. These symbols symbolize activities and control points of the
physical flow of a process. Activities are symbolized with a parallelogram, while the
decision points are symbolized with a diamond. The purpose of these objects is to
model a business process in a way that is simple and comprehensible for
communication and collaboration purposes among its users and to manage complexity
that is inherent in an business process. (Owen and Raj, 2003)
The BPMN symbols are divided into four main categories, which are
• Flow Objects
• Connecting Objects
• Swimlanes
• Artifacts
► Flow Objects
The Flow Symbols consist of the following three symbols:
• Events
• Activities
• Getaways
Figure 8. Business Process Modeling & Notations symbols (Beckert)
Events are symbolized with circles that describe what happens during a business
process. Event types are: Start that defines the start of the process and is represented
by a circle within a box with a fine line, the End that captures the results or the end of
a process and is represented by a circle and a box with a thick line and the
Intermediate event that captures an event that is between the start and end of the
process is represented by a double-line circle and is used to handle events during the
process such as error message or completion message of an activity.
Activities are symbolized with a rectangle with rounded corners and define specific
activities that occur in the process. There are two categories: Tasks, which means a
basic task, as a unit that cannot be broken down into other smaller tasks and the Sub-
Process which is a smaller process as part of the process that is modeled and is
symbolized by a cross at the bottom of the rectangle.
Gateways symbolized by a rhomboid, are used to control of workflow under certain
conditions. Gates are the point where decisions are made about the routing of
workflow. Gates are divided into three main categories. (Gartner 2006) Simple
Gateways that depending on a condition will trigger an output resulting in a flow,
Inclusive Gateways that unlike simple ones will trigger two or more streams and Fork
/ Join Gateways that are used to capture parallel activities that occur simultaneously.
➢ Connecting Objects
The Connecting objects provide the link among the symbols to a BPD by creating the
frame of a process. There are three types of connecting objects:
• Sequence Flow
• Message Flow
• Association
Sequence flows are represented by an arrow line at the end and are used to indicate
the sequence in which the processes are performed.
Message Flows are represented in dotted lines by an arrow at the end and are used to
show the message flow between separate sub-processes or separate Frames.
Association is represented by a dashed line and used to associate any element of a
BPD with an artifact.
► Swimlanes
The use of the Swimlanes in a BPD is to group and organize the activities based on
their functions or even on the basis of an organization chart. There are two types of
Frames, Pools and Lanes. Pools are used to categorize a joint activity. Lanes are used
to further divide the Pools.
Frames are used in complex processes involving multiple and diverse business entities
either entities within the same organization or entities that involve other
organizations, to clarify the roles and the degree of involvement in the BPD. Frames
are often considered as separate sub-processes, and therefore Sequence Flows do not
exceed the boundaries of the Frameworks, and frame communication is denoted by
Message Flows.
► Artifacts
In addition to the above basic symbols of BPMN, there are Artifacts which
complement a chart and making it more understandable. (Gartner 2006)The types of
artifacts are the following:
• Data Objects that demonstrate that an activity needs some data as an input to
complete or that it produces some data as a result.
• Groups, which are rectangle with a dashed line. The groups are framing
activities to better understand the diagram and do not affect the workflow on a
chart.
• Annotations, in which the BPD designer records notes in any of the BPMN
key symbols for a better understanding of the chart.
4.6 Business Process Management
Business Process Management or BPM (Business Process Management) represents
the knowledge gained over the past decades around process management. It is a set of
methodologies, tools and technologies for developing, evaluating, analyzing,
controlling and optimizing business processes.(Smith, 2006)
It consists of stages that are perfectly consistent with the life cycle of business
processes. The first step is the Design and Analysis of Business Processes, followed
by the Execution stage, the Monitoring stage and finally the Optimization stage.
BPM systems, through models, try to approach human work as a sequence of
activities by a human or a group of people. These models must adjust the behavior of
the process in consistency with the organization's operational rules. Once the model is
created and validated, it is stored in a repository database. (Owen and Raj, 2003)
Modeling a process does not mean that the process cannot be analyzed more
efficiently. Jijou, (2008,) linked Business Process Modeling to the Six Sigma
methodology, which is a product-related methodology. According to this, the
optimization of the results of a process comes through the identification of defects and
their removal or minimization. The success of BPM is based on the concept of
optimization.
BPM systems have now incorporated analytics and optimization tools and
methodologies to enhance operational efficiency. The most modern systems use data
mining methodologies and analyze historical data in real time. A common approach is
evaluation through key performance indicators (KPIs), which are measurable
indicators that usually reflect an organization's business objectives. Business process
models are measured based on KPIs to monitor their performance and suggest
redesign of the business process model.
The BPM consists of stages that form a closed loop. This loop represents the life cycle
of an operational process expressing the concept of optimization as a lasting process.
Organizational change is called the transition from one state of affairs to another or
otherwise, the transition from a given set of emotions to a different one. This
transition is nothing less than a process of adapting and reestablishing individuals,
organized groups and processes in a new environment where they can work more
effectively (Carnall, 2003)
Depending on the ability of the body to respond to both the external and internal
pressures, a change that is likely to occur is distinguished in whether or not it is
planned, normal or scheduled or can be classified as negotiable. In the first category
of changes, the body's reaction is minimal or non-existent. (Carnal, 2003) This is the
case when the organization is required to behave in a specific way under certain
guidelines and boundaries. In the second category, the change is expected as a result
of the organization's activity and the reaction to it can be scheduled in time. In the
third category of changes, the new behavior to be adopted by those affected by the
change is negotiated by the stakeholders
All three types of change affect four key sets of factors - individually or in
combination - that determine the effectiveness of each organization. These sets are:
• Factors of structure of the organization such as policies, control and
communication processes,
• Human factor, that is to say workers, such as technical competence, habits,
their attitude towards work or their superiors, the leadership, communication
and control skills,
• Technological factors - technology, engineering equipment, production
process and facilities, and
• The project and how it is designed (eg routine work requires special
knowledge and initiative, requires high responsibility, etc.).
Johnson and Scholes, (2008) note that the spirit of change in the organization is the
product of the more general climate that brought technology and the new dynamics of
the social and economic formations of the time to individuals and organizations. At
the same time, the structure of information needs and the day-to-day requirement for
new information, qualitatively and quantitatively capable of meeting evolving needs,
create the need to adapt a decision-making policy to meet new organizational changes
more quickly.
The term business processes is used to define those processes that affect the
organization's performance in relation to the needs of its clients or on the basis of its
internal needs. The business process comprised of a set of activities that can take
place in the context of business operations such as staffing, financial operations
management, product promotion, etc.
Added value is not located at any particular point in the process. It may occur as a
result of a combination of procedures but also because of a single process. For
example, the business process of product development can give value by
implementing this idea and turning it into a product that will be marketed. In order to
get the desired result, a series of processes such as research and development,
marketing, financing, production and a number of other processes need to be
examined.(Carnal, 2003)
Process flow is determined by the company's rules and resources. So the business
process is the rules and the control of the implementation of the company's processes
with the aim of meeting the needs of customers. (Harrigton, 1991)
Process management is a critical factor in implementing a total quality program and
improving the organization's performance. It combines all the actions, planning and
monitoring of the performance of a process, aiming at a more efficient functioning of
the organization and meeting its goals. (Oackland J., 2003) A process consists of a
given series of steps in which the materials are processed to produce a service or
product. It is the transformation of a set of inputs, which can include actions, methods,
materials and functions, outflows that meet the needs and expectations of customers
in the form of results.
The design of the company's operations as processes allows the distribution of the
customers per employee. It also provides a detailed description of how each task is
performed, as well as the requirements of the outcome of the process. Describes its
assessment and performance criteria to enable employees to know and be able to
evaluate the result produced in achieving the objectives set.(Miao Y. 2010)
Improving the competitiveness of an enterprise is achieved through process
management, and for its effective implementation, the following steps are proposed
by Oakland in 2003:
• Organization based on procedures and not functions.
• Reduce hierarchy levels to minimize process fragmentation.
• Assign responsibility for each process to senior executives with responsibility
for the degree of success.
• Link performance goals and performance indicators to customer satisfaction.
• Focus focused on the group and not on the individual. Use authorization.
• Developing multiple specialties of employees. Rewarding the development of
multiple specialties. Timely information and employee training.
• Improving employee communication, both in relation to the business and with
suppliers and customers.
Process management solves business-related issues through in-depth analysis of its
processes. Moreover, a process to be completed may involve the efficient
implementation of individual processes, (Aquilano 2000). The implementation of
BPM information systems can make a significant contribution to increasing the
efficiency and effectiveness of an organization. Fiammante, (2009) described the
improved results from the use of BPM:
• Minimization of errors and failures through structured and automated
workflows.
• Flexibility and quick adaptation of procedures that shorten the implementation
time and facility+ate adjustment of procedures.
• Increased productivity and reduced costs.
• Faster workflow and improved customer service time that leads to greater
customer satisfaction.
• Flexibility in adoption of regulatory frameworks (eg Basel II, SOX, ISO, etc.).
• Detecting bottlenecks in processes, which reduce the overall performance of
the process.
• Ability to continuously improve workflows. Homogeneity processes.
• Flexibility / Adaptability.
At the same time, however, the ever-increasing number of e-services available, in
connection with the emergence of new, improved and competitive services, creates a
highly volatile environment in which the organization is called to adapt and operate
efficiently.
In order to successfully overcome these difficult operating conditions, an organization
needs to redefine its core strategies, aiming at reducing the cost of the services and
products offered, as well as improving their quality and transform into processes
oriented organizations.
4.7 The stages of Business Process Management
1. The Designing Procedures
Due to the dynamic conditions, continuous control and redesign of processes is
necessary. This stage therefore involves either designing or collecting the already
existing processes. In addition, these processes can be simulated to be tested. The
Software that is used in this stage is gaphical editors that analyzing processes and
repositories that store the process models. The design of processes is a very important
step in order to avoid problems and errors that will disrupt the operations.
2. The Performing Procedures
The traditional way to perform a process requires time and resources that required the
human interaction at stages where software was unable to perform. Business Process
Management Systems have been developed in order to minimize the human
interference in the process. These systems allow the overall business processes to be
defined through a programming language that is software assisted using a variety of
tools to implement business operations or communicating with human resources
asking them to perform specific tasks necessary to complete the process. Because the
implementation of procedures is directly applicable, redesigned procedures can,
unlike traditional way, be implemented directly.
Finally, for the effective implementation of Business Process Management Systems it
is necessary that the software used is subject to the principles of service-oriented
architecture (Thomas Erl 2005).
3. The Detection and Control of Procedures
This stage describes the detection of each separate process so that finding information
for every process becomes easier and can immediately recover statistics of their
performance. These statistics are usually divided into the three categories such as
production cycle time, error rates and productivity.
BPM is based on indicators related to the project's economy and its relation to
performance. Especially in a period of financial constraint, it is particularly useful for
an organization to be able to draw up an action plan based on indicators that are
realistic, feasible and measurable. The costing approach is the most widespread and
m.ost important approach to measuring the results of applying BPM methods.
(Dumas et al. 2013)
4. Optimization
The development of a quality system certainly includes new procedures or partial
modification of existing ones. The purpose of the procedures is to operate the
organization on the basis of specific standards and to upgrade the procedures when
necessary. (Anguilar-sane’m, 2004)
In modern organizations state-of-the-art technology, new ways of technical support,
the multidisciplinary approach of the client-user of the process extend the scope of
process management. Therefore, efforts to improve processes should not only involve
procedures but a wide range of functions.
The effective implementation and utilization of modern IT systems, with the aim of
optimizing organizational structure and business performance, is now at the forefront
of the agenda of IT executives and executives in general at international level at a
time when competition is fierce. Eventually, therefore, through the detection of
processes, the business can detect the points that delay processes, or they introduce
errors in them, so as to modify them and improve them. (Anguilar-sane’m, 2004)
5. Performance Measurement
BPM often uses key performance indicators (KPIs) so that executives and users can
evaluate the course of the project. An important element in KPIs is that these
indicators can be made available so that the organization can evaluate the work done
by BPM and the BPM itself to identify elements that will help optimize
processes.(Anguilar-sane’m, 2004)
In most procedures, BPM is based on indicators related to the project's economy and
its relation to performance. Especially in a period of financial constraint, it is
particularly useful for an organization to be able to draw up an action plan based on
indicators that are realistic, feasible and measurable.
5. Case study
In this chapter, the research focuses on the identification of the processes of the
terminal operations of the Thessaloniki Airport “Makedonia”. The processes are
analyzed and the performers along with the respective information or technology are
identified. After the process identification the paper performs Business Process
Modeling of the studied terminal operations, identifies bottlenecks and proposes a
redesigned model.
The paper examines the environment of airport operations that are characterized by
interrelations of organizational structure, information systems and infrastructure
restrictions. To understand the interrelations a mapping of the process is necessary.
The business process modeling provides the means in order to interpret the complex
structure of the operations. The final objective of the paper is the use of BPMN for a
passenger facilitation process model.
5.1 Approach
The research strategy of this paper is the case study in order to develop a process
model of the passenger facilitation in the airport terminal premises. The case study
strategy consists of data collection and information gathering to describe the situation
and its environment. The focus of this paper is on the passenger departing and arrival
processes. The departing procedures are more complex, time consuming and require
more stakeholders. For those reasons, a more detailed analysis is provided for the
departing procedures.
The paper distinguishes the terminal operations into Schengen and non-Schengen
departures or arrivals. Transit and transfer are excluded from the scope of this
research. The processes that are examined are selected based on usual activities that
occur at an airport terminal on a typical day, and so, emergency procedures have not
been included. Although baggage handling is examined for the purposes of the case
study, it is not included at the main process modeling of passenger facilitation.
5.2 Project effort
The main question of the case study is “what is the processes for departing and
arriving passenger facilitation at the Thessaloniki Airport of “Makedonia”?”. The
data were collected following a multi-method approach to ensure neutral findings.
This approach includes interviews of domain experts and observations of activities
performance. Actual passengers have also been observed for the purposes of the case
study as well, but they were not interviewed. The interviews were conducted in
person at the Thessaloniki Airport “Makedonia” as well as observations were made
afterwards in order to verify the collected data. Thessaloniki Airport “Makedonia”
was eager to provide the relevant information.
The interviews with domain experts followed an open conversation based on semi
structured questions. The questions were related to the detailed illustration of the
processes along with the participants and the necessary equipment. In addition, a
classification in terms of time sequence of the processes was verified through the
interview process. Questions, regarding the way a process is executed, the participants
of a process and the output of the process were also asked. Furthermore, domain
experts provided significant insight regarding the technology, the facilities and the
strategies that are applied. Parallel to the interview, processes were modeled in order
to identify any wrongdoings or inaccuracies on the perceived series of processes.
After the interviews, observations were made in order to validate the data collected
regarding the business processes of the terminal and to acquire an actual
understanding of the aforementioned processes. In addition, observations were used in
order to maintain the objectivity and accuracy of the collected data for the case study.
The roles of the interviewers are mention bellow.
Table 5. Positions of interviewees
Stakeholder group Role
Airport Terminal supervisor(Fraport Greece)
Security Area manager
Ground Handling Services Ground Handling supervisor (skyserv)
5.3 Background Information
The Thessaloniki airport “Makedonia” is the second largest airport in Greece and one
of the most important airports in the Balkan region. The airport is characterized with
seasonal traffic increase mainly during the summer season and operating in full
capacity in the summer months. Resources allocation and space exploitation are the
most important tasks. An expansion project is underway.
The airport is located 16.2km southeast of the city of Thessaloniki in the "Mikra"
area, with an area of 5,700 acres and has been operating since 1930, as the fourth
oldest airport in Greece. The airport is operated by Fraport Greece under the
supervision of the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority. The IATA code of the airport is
SKG.
In 1950 the existing runway 10/28 was 1800m, while in 1952 the runway was
extended to 2000m. In 1952 the construction of runway17/35 begun and was
completed in 1953. In 1958 the runway 10/28 was reconstructed reaching 2440m. The
runway 16/34 reached its current length in 1972, completing its expansion by
dredging at 2400m.
The first terminal building was commenced in 1952, with a 3x3m roof control tower.
A new terminal building was inaugurated in 1965, at a new location while the First
Control Tower was built at the roof of the terminal. During the period 1968-73, the
building was expanded with the addition of a second floor and the construction of the
first intersection. An extension phase took place from 1977 till 1978.
The next extension of the passenger building was performed in two stages, with the
first stage beginning at 1991 and the second at 1993. In 1997 when Thessaloniki was
the European capital of culture the airport underwent aesthetic improvements,
renovation, modernization and restructuring of the premises. The floor area of the
terminal building was 12,500 m² in 1997. With the west and east extension completed
in November 2000 and June 2003 respectively, the terminal reached a total area of
19,000m². The west extension (6,000m²) included the expansion of the overseas
departures area, the new extra-Schengen area and the expansion of duty-free shops as
well as the creation of new administration offices and a new medical station. The east
extension of 13,280m² included a new check-in hall, waiting areas, space for airline
offices, extensions of the conveyor belts, a separate baggage reclaim area on the
ground floor as well as renovation of leisure premises. The terminal building reached
a space area of 32,000m². At the same time, a new traffic junction at the airport's
entrance and new parking area for cars, buses, taxis and rented cars were gradually
launched until 2006.
Today the terminal covers an area of 32,000m², has 30 check-in counters and is
undergoing an expansion procedure. A new terminal of 30.882m² is also planned to
open in 2022. Moreover there are future plans for the expansion of the subway line to
connect the airport to the city of Thessaloniki. The total capacity of the terminal in
terms of passengers is expected to double.
The expansion of the New Airport Terminal at Thessaloniki Airport "Macedonia"
includes The New Airport Terminal with a capacity of 8 million passengers on a
yearly basis and a total terminal area of 30.882m², the construction of a secondary
network of parking spaces of vehicles and landscaping projects. The project
incorporates the latest aviation specifications combined with special care for the
comfort of passengers, the aesthetics of the complex and its smooth integration into
the natural environment.
The renovation project that is underway also consists of a new fire station, an
expansion of the sewage treatment plant and connection to the municipal network. It
also consists of the reorganization of aircraft parking, the renovation of the pavement
at the runway. It also consists of the installation of baggage handling system screening
system for baggage check, the increase from 4 to 7 of baggage reclaim zones, the
addition of 8 more gates and 6 security checkpoints.
New check-in counters, two places for bulk luggage validation with fully automated
CUTE and CUSS systems in a fully automated luggage separation and handling
system. The operating system of the new terminal building incorporates the latest
ICAO, FAA, IATA International Flight Safety Standards requirements and has a
centralized security access and access control system that can be configured to
incorporate future security standards.
The airport is operated by Fraport Greece. Fraport Greece is mainly responsible for
terminal management and traffic. The management of the terminal includes the
overall management of the terminal and the optimization of passenger conditions. The
company is owned by the German airport manager Fraport AG, the Copelouzos
Group and The European Marguerite 2020 Fund for Energy, Climate Change and
Infrastructure “Marguerite I”.
5.4 Process identification
The case study consists of two stages. The first stage is the data collection of the
terminal processes of the Thessaloniki Airport “Makedonia”. The second stage is the
process modeling of those processes, using BPMN notation. As mentioned earlier, the
BPMN software that was utilized in order to produce the modeling of the terminal
processes is Camunda software. The software was preferred due to the open source
capabilities, the high customization and automation.
Passenger facilitation describes the activities that performed with the involvement of
the passenger at an airport terminal. The sequence of occurrence of those activities is
useful for the design of the process. In order to examine the passenger facilitation at
the Thessaloniki Airport “Makedonia”, a list of all available processes is conducted
based on collected data from interviews and observations.
The processes that were identified at the Thessaloniki Airport “Makedonia” regarding
departing passenger processing are categorized under the main departure facilities and
form the main processes of Terminal Entry, Check-in, Security Control, Passport
Control, Boarding and Discretionary Activities. The airport terminal facilitates
numerous of departing and arriving activities. Those activities were classified under
the domain of the main processes. In order to provide a detailed process analysis it is
important to classify these processes according to the importance of implementation,
whether these activities are mandatory or optional, in order for the departing
passenger to complete the departing process, such as Terminal Entry, Check-in,
Security Control, Passport Control and Boarding. Optional activities are excess
weight baggage deposit and discretionary activities.
At later stage, through the use of Business Process Modeling diagrams, the sub-
processes form the main processes and illustrate extensively the interactions of
passenger, airport operators, security personnel and airlines. During the designing
process, all of the processes identified are verified through data collection and on-site
observations.
Thessaloniki Airport consists of a single terminal for both Schengen and non-
Schengen flights. The terminal has 2 levels: Level 2 houses airlines, ground handlers
and tourist operators, the departure lounge, departure check-in; Level 1 handles
arrivals, baggage claim area.
The terminal has check-in counters designated for specific airlines and others for
„common use‟. Self-service check-in kiosks are available but are provided only by
Aegean Airlines. In security section, there are three security passages available. The
airport implements a centralized security approach. The passengers are required to
pass the security control before entering the departing zone where discretionary
services are available. The departing gates are 15 for intra-Schengen and 4 for non-
Schengen flights. For non-Schengen departures passport control is required and the
departing area of non-Schengen consists only of the gates and a coffee shop.
At level one, arrival operations are taking place. The facilities include two arrival
halls with baggage claim areas, passport control areas, customs and immigration areas
along with some discretionary facilities such as stores, car rentals and tourist
operators.
Table 6. Overview of process model in the Thessaloniki Airport “Makedonia”
FUNCTIONS SPACES
• Check-in
• Baggage check
• Security check
• Passport check
• Boarding pass check
• Terminal entry
• Check in counter
• Customs and Immigration counter
• Security area
• Boarding area
ROLES RESOURCES
• Airline
o Check-in operator
o Boarding operator
o Customer service staff
• Airport
o Duty staff
o Customer service staff
• Security
o Operator
• Passport control
o Police officer
• Systems
• Reservation systems
• Technology and Equipment
• Trolleys, trays, conveyor belts
• X-ray screening equipment
• Metal detector
• Flight timeboards
• Boarding pass scanners
• Baggage scale
• Printers
Table 7. Grouping of processes
Passenger activities
Activity domain Importance of
activity
o Arriving at appropriate Terminal entry Mandatory
o Read flight information display
o Identify appropriate check-in row
Optional
o Check-in counter queue
o Self-service Check-in kiosk
o Perform check-in
Check-in Mandatory
o Weight baggage
o Pay fees for overweight baggage
o Perform baggage check-in
Optional
o Go to security preparation area
o Perform preparation activities*
o Unger go security metal checks*
o Return tray
o Undergo random pat-down check
o Undergo re-inspection
o Undergo Explosive Trace Detection
(ETD) screening
Security Control Mandatory
o Passport control queue
o Passport control check
o Receive permission travel
Passport control Mandatory
o Proceed to main lounge Proceed to
amenities
o Proceed to discretionary services
Boarding
Optional
o Proceed to gate for boarding checks
o Passenger boards the air plane
Mandatory
o Waiting area
o Sales desks
o Currency exchange Restrooms
o ATM machine
Discretionary
activities
Optional
Table 8. Terminal operations performers- Departures
Table 9. Terminal operations performers-Arrivals
5.5 Process Analysis
Α detailed analysis of each process is performed. The events and activities that take
place during the process, the documents related to the process, data, participants and
the roles are recorded in a detailed form. A detailed analysis leads to a lower
percentage of errors and conflicts that can occur.
Check-in operator Responsible for the passenger check-in and baggage check-in processes
Customer service staff
Responsible for providing information
Security operator Responsible for the baggage security check
Security operator Responsible for the security control of the passenger
Officer Responsible for the passport or visa check
Airline operator Responsible for the boarding pass and identification document check
Officer Responsible for the passport or visa check
Customer service staff
Responsible for providing information
The event that triggers the process chain of the departure flight is the arrival of the
passenger in the terminal entrance and by extension to the check in counter. The
physical presence of the passenger at the terminal building is required in order to
commence the departure flight by following the appropriate procedures.
As previously mentioned, The Thessaloniki Airport “Makedonia” consists of a main
terminal building which is a shared terminal for both domestic and international
flights. The airport that is based in Greece which is a member of the Schengen
agreement consists of the Schengen and non-Schengen sections of the open border
agreement.
5.5.1 Departing passengers
Upon arrival the passenger can enter the terminal building from the two available
terminal entrances. The terminal entrances lead to two different halls of check in
counters, airlines desks and information points. The two halls are interconnected by
interior corridors and are easily navigated by the passengers. Passengers entering the
terminal have the opportunity to be informed through monitors about the departure
flights timetable, to acquire directions and organize the required documents to
proceed to the next steps. Information material is available in the forms of navigation
maps and proper signals. Furthermore the passenger has the opportunity to acquire
information from airport personnel through information points which are placed right
across the entrance.
The passenger is also in place if necessary to organize their baggage. At the airport
terminal there is a special system that ensures the availability of trolleys for the
transportation of the luggage. The passenger, while at the terminal entrance, identifies
the appropriate check in point and proceeds to the appropriate queue.
Check in
The first process in a series of procedures and functions of the departure flight is the
“passenger check-in”. After the arrival in the airport terminal, the passenger proceeds
in the check-in counters. During the navigation on the terminal premises and
following the proper information signals the passenger arrives at the appropriate
check-in counter, be it an airline check-in counter or a ground handling operator. In
addition, the passenger check-in is performed by airline personnel or commissioned
personnel.
During the airport check-in, a passenger is required to provide identification
documents like an identification card or a passport and flight reservation information.
The airline personnel match this information on the company database in order to
confirm the validity of the reservation. Upon confirmation the check in process is
finalized by issuing the boarding card. Another process that is taken place
simultaneously with the “passenger check-in” is the “baggage check-in”. The
passenger delivers their luggage at the check-in counter in order to be weighted and
checked. The baggage receives an identification card with information of destination,
time of flight and passenger name. In case the baggage weight exceeds the weight
limits of the respective airline, the passenger is expected to pay an extra fee in order
to finalize the check-in process.
While the airport check-in is available at the airport, most of the airline companies
that operate at the Thessaloniki Airport “Makedonia” have taken advantage of the
recent technological systems and have introduced the so called self-service check-in
kiosks. Self-service check-in at the airport is a service that enables the passenger to
check in 24 hours up to 30 minutes before the scheduled departure time of the flight at
the airport via Self Service Kiosks for one or more flights. The steps to follow on the
self-service require data verification from the passenger, confirmation of trip details
and selection of preferred seat. The special machine issues the boarding pass. In this
case as well, the passengers have to deliver their luggage at the check-in counters of
the airline.
There is also another option of check-in. Passengers can have their check-in online
from their PC or smartphone devices. It is an easy way both for the passenger and for
the companies that saves time and does not require personnel. Some airline companies
have made mandatory the online check-in and the option of airport check-in requires a
fee. In case the passenger does not carry baggage, it is possible to proceed to the very
next step of the process chain of the departure flight.
Security
After the “passenger check-in” and the “baggage check-in” the passenger may
proceed to the next steps required to board the aircraft. In case the passenger carries
luggage, it must be dropped off to the baggage check. Unlike other international
airports and despite best practices around the world, the Thessaloniki Airport
“Makedonia” has a more complex procedure of baggage handling. It is the
responsibility of the passenger to take the baggage after the “baggage check-in” to the
“baggage security check” although at the second departure hall, a number of check-in
counters installed follow the common practice of check-in and baggage drop-off. The
baggage check follows the same rules that are applied by the Civilian Aviation
Authority. Baggage is checked at different stages for prohibited or restricted items.
Luggage Checkpoints are the first security checkpoints at all public airports in
Greece. The airport luggage control auditors responsible for the check-in will check
all luggage of departing passengers prior to boarding. The Hellenic Civil Aviation
Authority has established procedures for checking outgoing passengers that apply to
all airports of the country.
After the baggage drop off at the security check, the passenger proceeds to the next
step which is the security checkpoints for passengers and hand luggage. The
passenger must cross these points of check to reach the departure quarter of the
airport. The airport security personnel that are responsible for checking out departing
passengers will check passengers and hand luggage. These checks are carried out in
accordance with the requirements of national, European or IATA regulations.
For this reason, personal luggage and clothing are crossed with X-rays. The security
personnel monitor the passenger belongings for any prohibited or restricted item. The
passenger crosses through a metal detector. In some cases the security personnel
contacts explosive trace test randomly. In order to address any issues the presence of
the police is necessary.
Although the airport offers services for vip passengers, the security check procedures
applied are the same for all passenger without exemptions. There are initiatives for
persons with special needs such as priority or dedicated spaces. The security check
area separates the terminal area into two quarters. The passengers that cross the
security check are entering the area of the boarding gates.
Border Control
A passenger that is traveling to an international destination outside the Schengen zone
has to proceed for further security check. The non-Schengen zone of the airport is
separated from the Schengen zone. In order to pass the security check to enter the
non-Schengen zone, the passenger must come before the immigration and border
control security check. Passengers are required to provide their passport for checking.
Processing of passengers and identification is a standard procedure across all national
airports and is conducting by national police.
Furthermore, the passenger that travels to a non-Schengen destination is subject to
restrictions on cash and products transferred. In the case of alcoholic beverages and
tobacco products, the passenger can carry tobacco products and spirits for personal
use. Moreover if quantities of alcoholic beverages or tobacco products are within the
limits of personal use, there is no duty payable in the country of destination. In case of
cash, the passenger can carry up to 10,000 euros in cash or the equivalent in another
currency without notifying the relevant authorities. In addition, products worth up to
300 euros per traveler or 430 euros for air travelers are allowed.
Discretionary activities
After the security check, the passenger enters the departure zone of the airport. The
departure zone consists of the departure gates and the special areas for shopping and
food. Unlike other international airports where such areas are part of the
choreography of the passenger route till the departure gates, the shopping and leisure
areas at the Macedonia airport of Thessaloniki are placed at a distinct area of the
departure wing. This, in turn, makes optional for the passenger to cross. The
passenger interacts with the leisure area but can opt to avoid it as well depending on
the time of the departure.
The leisure area of the airport consists of duty free shops, cafes, restaurant, gift shops.
Thus, activities such as shopping or dining are performed at the discretion of the
passenger. In addition, there are seating spaces for passengers as well as restrooms.
Passengers proceed to the boarding gate from seating, leisure areas or restrooms.
Boarding
The final step on the departure chain of processes is the boarding stage. Each flight is
being assigned a distinct gate of departure. Passenger should be aware of the specific
gate in order to avoid delays. Each airline company follows their own procedure of
boarding in terms of time and space. Most airlines open the boarding procedure 40 to
30 minutes prior to the departure. Most airlines close the boarding gates 20 minutes
prior to departure. The passenger must be present at the departure gate in order to pass
through the last verification step. After the final call of the flight, no passenger is
allowed to pass through the gate. Passengers undergo the same boarding checks and
follow the same queue. Passengers from business class or from a company reward
scheme may have some privileges depending on the airline company. Special needs
passengers are provided with priority and the assistance of the handling personnel.
An additional checkpoint exists in front of the boarding gate where the departing
passenger's identity is checked. An airline operator shall ensure that each passenger
presents a valid boarding pass or equivalent such as mobile boarding pass. The
boarding pass must be in the name of the person presenting it and for this purpose the
operator shall check the identification of the departing passengers through the
passport or identification card. The ground personnel scan the boarding pass with the
appropriate equipment.
5.5.2 Arriving passengers
The business process arrival flight consists of a series of functions that commence
with the arrival of the passenger at the airport terminal. The passenger is transported
to the terminal through a bus service. The process chain starts with the arriving event.
The function proceed to the baggage reclaim area is the following function. The
passenger proceeds to the baggage reclaim area. The following function is “baggage
collection”. The passenger collects the baggage from the conveyor belt.
The next process in the process chain of the arriving flight is the “immigration and
visa check”. The passenger traveling from a country of origin outside the Schengen
zone is required to pass through the immigration and visa checkpoint. The passenger
arrives at the queue of the checkpoint. The passenger proceeds to the checkpoint. The
passenger’s passport or visa if applicable is checked. The passenger is further checked
for prohibited items. The passport check if successful terminates the immigration and
visa check process and the passenger can enter the country. If not successful the
passenger is prohibited from entering the country and a new process starts.
At the same time a series of functions are being held simultaneously. The passenger
baggage is being unloaded from the aircraft. The baggage handling services transport
the baggage to the terminal. The baggage is dropped at the proper conveyor belt. The
passenger collects the baggage from the conveyor belt. The series of the functions
form the sub-processes of the baggage collection. There is also the possible outcome
that the baggage collection is unsuccessful. In this case, the passenger refers to the
lost-and-found office in order to retrieve the baggage. The passenger collects the
baggage.
The next function of the business process arriving flight is the passenger proceeds to
the exit of the airport. Before the final exit of the terminal the passenger can proceed
to optional services. The passenger exits the terminal building. The process is
terminated successfully.
The process “baggage collection” is conducted by the passenger. The information that
is needed in order to complete the task is the baggage information. On the other hand
the process baggage transportation to the terminal is conducted by the baggage
handling service. The information needed for the task is the baggage card. The
common outcome of the above procedures is the collection of the bag by the
passenger. The next function and the last one that requires the interaction with human
personnel is the immigration and visa check. The passport or visa control is conducted
by police.
5.6 Process maping
As mention in the previous chapter, the Business Process Modeling procedure
commences with the process identification. The first stage of the BPM is the defining
of the process. This stage of the business process deals with the analysis of the
process objectives and the graphical representation on a simple form. At the second
stage the process analysis deals with the breakdown of the process into steps. And the
third stage of the business process deals with the final design of a model and the
transformation of that model into a system readable form. The Business Process
Modeling Systems have set the stages Modeling and Analysis and Design following
the three phases of the process lifecycle.
In addition, the three phases of business process planning are following the above
theory. These three phases include the "defining", "analysis" and “design” of the
process and the Modeling and Analysis and Design on the BPM systems.
Phase 1: The first step in defining the process is to map the current state of the
business processes. This stage requires a thorough understanding of the processes,
tasks, roles of the stakeholders, the outcome and any system or information that is
involved in the process. Finally a graphical representation of the process is conducted.
Phase 2: The second step deals with the process analysis where the process is
subdivided into steps in order to be clear what activities are necessary and the
participants and the roles that are required. Furthermore, during the analysis process
it is getting understandable which third party systems can be introduced and what
activities can be replaced. The analysis identifies reusable sub-procedures, so as to
avoid multiple modeling of the same process.
Phase 3: In the third step, the final design of the business process is performed. At this
point the model is transformed into a readable language by the system. The special
BPM software is able to produce an executable result in the form of a BPM language.
This is the “Design” stage of the BPMS platform in which graphic models are
transformed into executable and understandable by information systems forms that
lead to the realization of the process. A more efficient redesign of processes or
sequence of processes is then proposed.
Phase1:The business model process is a system with various elements and different
views. The core views in this case are the function view, the organizational view, the
data view, the products and services view and the process view. Airport operators are
at the center of the organization view of the business process departure flights that
deals with passenger facilitation at the airport terminal such as control of passenger
flow and handling the passenger baggage.
In order to document business processes, the process flow have to be modeled. It is
very important that tasks and responsibilities have been assigned to the appropriate
personnel. As a result, the company can estimate the way that the business process is
affected. In order to model the process flow of the company, it is important to identify
the units that are involved in the process execution.
The first stage of business process modeling requires a detailed analysis of the
business model process. In order to complete the process modeling it is important to
have an understanding of the terminal operations and more precisely the events that
are taking place during the whole process chain. More specifically, a thorough
analysis and recordings of the process chain in the form of steps is conducted.
Processes are being linked with the output as well as with the actors, information and
technological systems required for the execution of the procedures.
In practice, these are presented below with a summary of the processes, the definition
of roles through delegating responsibilities to participants and the description of the
process by starting a step by step analysis from the first event till the last one. Finally,
the process chain is illustrated in a diagram. The graphical representation provides
the necessary information about the activities that must be performed in a business
process. It also provides assistance in organizing the activities in a hierarchically
order and follows a predefined sequence.
As mentioned above, the Thessaloniki Airport “Makedonia” consists of a main
terminal shared for Schengen flights and non-Schengen flights. The terminal consists
of two different levels that operate simultaneously, one for departure flights and one
for arrival flights. In order to identify the processes that take place in the terminal,
value chain step diagrams are being conducted for each of the above cases.
In the first case, as can been seen below, the value chain step diagram illustrates the
events on the terminal for a departure or outbound flight within the Schengen zone.
The diagram depicts the passenger arriving at the terminal entrance. It continues with
the check-in process by approaching the appropriate check-in counter. The “baggage
check” precedes the security check of the passenger and luggage. The passenger
enters the restricted zone where optional leisure activities are available. The passenger
then proceeds to the boarding gates and boarding the aircraft.
Figure 9. Value chain departure processes (Schengen)
In the second case, as illustrated below, the sequence of the processes is quite similar
as in the first case. The diagram illustrates the events for a departure or outbound
flight at the non-Schengen zone. The passenger arrives at the terminal entry and
proceeds to the appropriate check-in counter for the passenger and baggage check-in.
Subsequently, the passenger proceeds to the baggage check and then to the security
checks. The passenger enters the restricted area where optional activities are
available. The passenger then proceeds for further security and passport checks. The
passenger enters the non-Schengen restricted zone and approaches the terminal gate
for boarding.
Figure 10. Value chain departure processes (Non-Schengen)
The third case depicts the process sequence of an intra-Schengen arriving or inbound
flight from the time the passenger enters the terminal building till the time the
passenger exits the terminal. As shown below, the diagram depicts the passenger
arriving at the terminal building from the aircraft through the service bus. The
passenger proceeds to baggage reclaim area of the airport in order to pick their
baggage. The passenger proceeds to the exit gate of the restricted zone. In the next
zone there are optional services available to the passenger before their exit of the
airport terminal.
Figure 11. Value chain arrival processes (Schengen)
The forth case depicts the process sequence of a non-Schengen arriving or inbound
flight. The process sequence is similar to the third case but in this case there is more
security check for the arriving passengers. As shown in the diagram below, the
passenger is transferred to the terminal through the service bus. Upon entering the
terminal, the passenger proceeds to the baggage reclaim area to collect their baggage.
After collecting their baggage, the passenger proceeds to the border control checks for
passport and baggage checks. After the security check the passenger exits the
restricted area and can opt for additional services. The passenger exits the airport
terminal.
Figure 12. Value chain arrival processes (Non-Schengen)
The next step is the integration and merging of the value chain steps into a single new
diagram for each level of the terminal. For the departure level of the terminal, the
passengers of the outbound flight, depending on the country of destination, have
different pathways available. On the other hand, the same applies at the arrival level
of the terminal, for the passengers of the inbound flights.
The following diagram depicts the new sequences of activities of the passenger of the
departure flight. First of all, the sequence is triggered by the arrival of the passenger at
the terminal entry. The first process that takes place is the passenger and baggage
check-in at the airline counter. The passenger then proceeds to the baggage drop off at
the baggage check. Subsequently the passenger passes the mandatory security check
and enters the restricted departure area. There are optional activities on this area. The
passenger then depending on the final destination follows the appropriate route. The
decision point is about the travel zone. If the passenger travels inside the Schengen
zone, the passenger proceeds to the departure gates. In the opposite case, if the
passenger travels outside the Schengen zone, the passenger have to proceed to further
discretionary checks and then to proceed to the appropriate gates. Upon arrival at the
boarding gates, the passenger then is ready for boarding.
Figure 13. Merged model of value chains for departures
On the other hand, the sequence of activities concerning the inbound flight is merged
into a new diagram. As seen previously, the differences on the sequences of activities
are the result of the different security checks which are conducted at passengers of
arriving flights outside the Schengen zone. The passenger arrives at the terminal
building from the aircraft and proceeds to the baggage reclaim area to collect their
baggage. The next step is a decision making point for the passenger. If the passenger
arrives from an intra-Schengen flight, they may proceed to the exit of the restricted
area. If the passenger arrives from an extra-Schengen flight, then they must proceed to
the passenger and baggage control checks and then exit the restricted area. Upon
exiting the restricted area, there are optional services available before the passenger
can exit the airport terminal.
Figure 14. Merged model of value chains for arrivals
5.7 Analysis of sub-processes
The second stage consists of the systematization of the procedures and the creation of
sub-processes, analysis of the competences of the participants of the process in
relation to the diagram model, and finally the description of its processes.
In the graphical representation, the business process “departing flight” consists of
functions for “passenger check-in” and “baggage check-in”. This process can be
subdivided into more functions. In case of the baggage check the baggage tray is now
put on a conveyer belt. To ensure that the baggage arrives on time at a right junction,
several other functions take place such as security check and barcode scanning which
is used to identify the baggage correctly and to retrieve data from the database. For
example, the time of departure and destination. After the baggage has been extracted,
an airport employee will load it into a container. The container is then driven and
loaded to the airplane.
One of the many processes in the business process “departing flight” is the passenger
check-in. The passenger first arrives at the check-in counter. An event driven process
always starts with an event. In the check-in case, the event that triggers the process is
the arrival of the passenger at the check-in counter. At that time two activities occur
simultaneously. The one is the passenger ticket or flight information check and the
other one is the identification of the passenger through ID or passport check. Both
these activities form the “passenger check-in” process. If the check-in is successful a
boarding pass will be issued and given to the passenger. The passenger ends the
check-in process. On the other hand, if the check-in is unsuccessful then the check-in
process will be terminated. The passenger cannot bypass this process and the business
process “departing flight” is terminated as well. Because the two outcomes are
mutually exclusive a connector is used to distinguish the two possible outcomes.
The sub process “passenger check-in” is a part of the business process “departure
flight”. It indicates the various activities and events that are taking place at the same
time on a series of processes. The check-in process is accompanied with baggage
check-in and baggage handling that indicates the baggage check-in and the
transferring to the aircraft. In order to continue exploring the business process
“departure flight”, the new set of sub processes has to be included. The process
commences with an event, the arrival of the passenger at the check-in counter. It is
followed by the independent process, that has been analyzed previously, passenger
check-in.
Figure 15. Passenger check-in process
After the process “passenger check-in” is complete, the process of “baggage check-
in” is following. To ensure that the passenger and the corresponding baggage are on
the same flight, the baggage must be checked and registered. For this purpose it is
weighted, and a barcode tag is attached. The passenger delivers the baggage at the
special tray at the check-in counter in order to be weighted. The “baggage weight” is
the next function on the function tree. This function has also two mutually exclusive
outcomes. The first one is that the weight of the baggage is within the airline limits.
The second one is that the weight of the baggage exceeds the airline limits. For this
reason an exclusivity connector is being used. Following the outcome that the weight
exceeds limits, the passenger is asked to pay an extra fee in order to continue with the
baggage.
After the “baggage weight” function, the next function is related with the registration
of the baggage. The airline personnel register the passenger information and place a
barcode at the baggage. The information concerns the number of flight, destination
and passenger name. The function “baggage registration” is complete. The “baggage
check-in” process is complete.
The next process that follows the business process “departure flight” is the security
check of the baggage. The event that takes place is that the passenger transfers the
registered baggage to the baggage security check. The function tansport the baggage
precedes the function of baggage security check. The function of “baggage security
check” is complete. The baggage is transported through the baggage handling system.
The baggage is equipped with a barcode that is used in navigating through the airport
handling system of conveyor belts. Scanners read the barcodes at several points and
can correlate the baggage with the appropriate flight and updated time of departure.
Depending on the time of departure, the baggage is handled accordingly. If the
departure time is soon, then the baggage will be extracted from the system and placed
at the container. The container if loaded will be transported to the aircraft and then
loaded to the aircraft. If the departure time of the flight is not that soon then the
baggage will be placed for storage. When the departure time is soon, the baggage will
be extracted from the system and will follow the previously mentioned procedure of
being loaded to the container, transported and loaded to the aircraft. The process
“baggage handling” is now completed. The process chain of the business process
“departure flight” so far includes the following processes: “passenger check-in”,
“baggage check-in”, “baggage security check” and “baggage handling”.
Figure 16. Baggage handling process
The next process in the business process “departure flight” is the security check. The
passenger enters the security checkpoint. The first function that takes place at the
security checkpoint is the passenger entering the passenger security queue. The
Thessaloniki Airport “Makedonia” applies a centralized security control strategy.
Through this centralized strategy there is an only three security control options
available. The passenger must pass the security control in order to proceed to the next
processes.
The passenger stands at the security queue in line for the security screening. When it
is his turn to undergo the security screening the passenger proceeds to the metal
detector equipment having delivered his personal belongings for x-ray check. The
function of “security check” has two possible outcomes. The successful security
control, which leads to the passenger entering the departure dedicated area, terminates
the security check process. The unsuccessful security control leads to further
inspection of the passenger and its belongings. The passenger usually is driven to a
secluded area for further inspection from the security personnel and the police. After
the second control is successful the passenger may enter the departure area. If the
second control is unsuccessful the passenger is driven away.
Figure 17. Security screening process
The next process of the departure flight business process involves around the
necessity of immigration and border check-in depending on the flight destination in
Schengen or outside Schengen zone. The passenger that travels to a destination
outside the Schengen zone has to undergo further security checks. The first function
associated with the further security control of passengers is the “arrival at the border
and immigration control checkpoint”. The passenger moves towards the queue in
front of the border and immigration checkpoint. The following function of the border
check process starts when the passenger undergoes passport and luggage check. The
“passport check” is conducted by police personnel. The successful control leads to the
passenger entering the non-Schengen departure area. It is highly unlikely that any
issue that emerges at this point is resolvable and thus the passenger does not have the
permission to continue to the flight. The unsuccessful control leads to the denial of
boarding and to the termination of the business process “departure flight”.
The following process is the last one in the series of business process “departure
flight”. The boarding activity is the last process that takes place in the terminal
building. The “boarding process” can be divided in a series of sub-processes or
function. The first function in this series is the “arrival of the passenger at the
boarding gate”. The next one is the queuing for the last “boarding check”. It is then
followed by the boarding check of the relevant documents by the airline personnel.
The airline employee checks the boarding pass of the passenger along with the
identification documents. If the boarding check is successful the passenger is granted
permission to board the plane. If the passenger has special needs, then it is provided
with assistance. If the boarding check is unsuccessful the passenger is not allowed to
board the plane and the baggage is offloaded. The sub-process boarding the plane is
terminated.
Figure 18. Boarding check and boarding processes
It is important to identify the appropriate participants for each function and process. In
addition, it is also important to identify the information and documents that are
required at every step of the process chain, the output of each step and the
technological systems that are used.
The function “passenger check-in” has been executed by the airline ground handling
service or swissport, skyserve. The information that is required to execute the
passenger check-in is the passenger name and flight number. The document that is
required is the passenger ID or passport. The outcome of the process is the boarding
card issuing.
The function “weigh baggage” and subsequently the function “charge excess weight
fee” have been executed by the airline ground handling service. The information that
is required to execute those functions is the baggage weight.
The function baggage registration is conducted by the airline ground handling service.
The information required for the completion of the function is the name of the
passenger, the flight number and the time of departure. The outcome of the process is
the baggage card with the barcode.
The function security check is conducted by the security services of the airport. The
documents required for the completion of the function are the passenger ID or
passport. The outcome of the function is the permission to enter the restricted
departure area.
The function “passport control” is conducted by the police. The documents required
are the passenger’s passport, the boarding pass and in some cases the passenger’s
visa. The outcome of the function is the permission to enter the restricted non-
Schengen departure zone.
The function “boarding check” is conducted by the airline ground service. The
documents that are required for the execution of the procedure are the boarding pass
and the passenger’s ID or passport. The outcome of the function is the final boarding
to the plane. The information data derived from each function are the properties of
each entity and relationship type. The data starts flow at the starting point of the
arrival of the passenger at the check in point. The first relationship type is created
when the passenger and baggage are checked-in. Entities and relationship types.
Furthermore, entity types and relationship types among functions, actors and objects
are useful in the process modeling.
5.8 Business Process Modeling
The third stage of the business process consists of the design step. The design follows
the modeling and analysis steps of the process chain. This is the stage that the final
design of the process model is conducted and the business process model is
completed. All processes are summarized at a new level and the process design is
completed by creating system-user interfaces through Business Process Management
Systems.
An airport has a complex system of business processes. These processes generate
process data. Data is a critical resource for business process and necessary for the
proper design and execution of the process modeling. While data is being generated
from every process, information technology assists the procedure to acquire and
organize those data in order to be transformed into information. Special application
systems are used in order to organize those data in order to transform them into
information for the process.
The processes that take place in the terminal are categorized based on the participants
that conduct them or the technological application that is being used. The functions
that were analyzed in the second stage as part of the sub-processes if necessary
acquire independent roles and can be used independently. These functions can be
reused or can be conducted independently without interrupting the flow. The diagram,
at this point, becomes shorter and more concise. In addition, the final diagram due to
the greater number of participants and interactions becomes more complex.
The macro level is the evolution of the process diagram. The functions that have been
analyzed in the 2nd stage acquire characteristics and communicate with third systems
or interact with the participants. It is important to analyze the three types of entities of
the process system. These three types cause three different types of interaction, that is,
communication, with the process system.
1. "Human Interaction", the interactions that require human participation. Such
functions are the boarding check that is conducted by the airline employee.
2. "Third Systems" interactions that is conducted by application assistance. Such
functions are the self-check-in at the proper self-service points.
3. “Reusable Processes” communication. These entities are processes, which can be
reused.
➢ Departure flight
The business process of the departure flight is triggered by the event of the arrival of
the passenger at the terminal. The first process in the series of processes is the
passenger check-in. The passenger check-in process is conducted by the airline
ground service employee in the presence of the passenger. The passenger check-in
process requires personal interaction. There are also two alternative ways that can
replace the personal interaction. The first one is the self-service check-in which is also
conducted by the passenger with the use of technological application on the terminal
Figure 19. Business Process Model of departure operations of Thessaloniki Airport “Makedonia”
rea. This way requires interaction with third systems. The third way of checking-in is
the online check-in. This way also requires interaction with third systems and is
conducted by the passenger.
The next process is the baggage check-in. This process involves only personal
interaction. The passenger delivers the baggage at the check-in counter in order to be
weighted and registered for the flight. The process is conducted by the airline ground
service personnel. The process that follows is the baggage check which is conducted
by airport security services and requires personal interaction as well. The use of
technological systems is present at every step.
The passenger continues in the process chain of the departure flight by proceeding to
the security check. “Security check” process is conducted by airport security services.
It is obvious that the personal interaction is required for this process as well. The
personal objects screening is conducted by the airport security services too. The
passenger, if allowed by the security services shall enter the restricted zone.
The next step refers to the passport control. The passport control for international non-
Schengen flights is conducted by the police. Personal interaction is required at this
process as well. Upon successful passport control the passenger is permitted to enter
the restricted non-Schengen area.
The passenger proceeds to the appropriate boarding gate of the terminal. The final
process regarding the process chain of departing flight is the boarding check. The
boarding check is conducted by the airline ground service personnel and personal
interaction is required.
With the exception of the alternative ways of check-in that interacts with third party
systems, the processes that follow require personal interaction. At the whole process
chain, a lot of functions are correlated with third party systems or reusable processes.
For example, the function baggage handling is executed most of the part by
technological systems. The baggage is placed at the tray and driven through a
complex system of conveyor belts to its final destination. Through sensors that read
the barcode of the baggage, the baggage is placed either on storage or directly at the
container to be loaded at the aircraft.
Another example of reusable processes is the information that is being available to the
passenger anytime at any place. Throughout every different segment of the airport
terminal there are monitors that transmit real-time information regarding the departure
timetable, the corresponding boarding gates and the condition of the flight.
The final process design reveals every aspect of the processes the passenger face at
the airport terminal. First of all, after arriving at the terminal entrance, the passenger
has the following choices of activities. The passenger shall proceed to the check-in
counter in order to complete the check-in process. By approaching the check-in
counter the passenger can either check-in at the traditional check-in counters or at the
self-service check-in kiosks. The passenger might have already check-in online and
thus may opt out from this process.
The next series of functions refer to the baggage check-in, registration, security check
and handling. The passenger who has already checked-in in any of the mentioned
ways shall proceed with the baggage check-in. Of course a passenger with no baggage
can pass through to the next series of processes. The passenger delivers the baggage
for registration. If the baggage exceeds weight limits, the passenger has to pay the
extra fee. The passenger leaves the baggage at the baggage security check.
The passenger proceeds to the security check. Upon successful security control the
passenger enters the restricted departure area. This area includes leisure shops, duty-
free shops, toilets and sitting area. It is at the discretion of the passenger to visit any of
the above premises and receive the respective services. Depending on the destination
of the departure flight the passenger shall head to the boarding gates which are at the
same premises for intra-Schengen flights or pass through the extra level of security
screening for non-Schengen flights. The passenger who enters the non-Schengen zone
shall undergo extra security checks.
Finally, the passenger is ready for boarding. The last process before the boarding is
the boarding check. The passenger shall hand its boarding pass and identification
document to the airline ground service personnel for the last check. Upon successful
boarding check the passenger is heading for boarding. The passenger exits the airport
terminal. The business process modeling of the departure flight at the terminal of
Thessaloniki Airport “Makedonia” has been completed successfully.
Figure 20. Business Process Model of arrival operations of Thessaloniki Airport “Makedonia”
➢ Arrival Flight
The business process arrival flight commences with the arrival of the passenger at the
airport terminal. The passenger proceeds to the baggage reclaim area. The process that
follows is “baggage collection”. The passenger collects the baggage from the
conveyor belt. This process represents the interactions with third party systems.
The next process in the process chain of the arriving flight is the “immigration and
visa check”. The passenger traveling from a country of origin outside the Schengen
zone is required to pass through the immigration and visa checkpoint. The passenger’s
passport or visa if applicable is checked. The passenger is further checked for
prohibited items. The passport check if successful terminates the immigration and visa
check process and the passenger can enter the country. The process represents the
people interaction.
The next function of the business process arriving flight is the passenger proceeds to
the exit of the airport. Before the final exit of the terminal the passenger can proceed
to discretionary services. The passenger exits the terminal building. The process
arrival flight is terminated successfully. The implementation of Business Process
Modeling for the “arrival flight” at the terminal of Macedonia airport of Thessaloniki
is completed successful.
5.9 Issues and proposals
Following the implementation of a generic process model, the next step is to identify
bottlenecks, unnecessary steps and provide a redesign of the process model that
incorporates a more efficient process sequence. The transformation process of BPM to
a redesigned process model was implemented with the proposals of more efficient
processes and navigation. The scope of implementing a redesigned BPM is to provide
possible solutions for airport terminal operations and better interaction among airport
operators and passengers.
The current BPM of the departure processes of the Thessaloniki Airport “Makedonia”
provides an insight of the processes of the airport operator, airlines and ground
handlers. The design implemented took into consideration the space limitations of the
current terminal. Although the airport is undergoing an expansion project with a
completely new terminal building being built right next to the existing one, the
terminal area is not sufficient to provide the necessary space for major process
redesign as for now. The departure lounges lacks of sitting areas for passengers and
their companions. The passenger does not have the space for baggage rearrangements
and check-in preparations. Furthermore, the restricted area of the departure floor that
houses the discretionary services such as stores and restaurants is operating at
maximum space and the space allocated for the gates are extremely poor. The waiting
areas of the boarding gates are not sufficient as well. The process modeling was
conducting with these limitations and a redesign of the process model should also be
subject to those limitations as well.
The bottlenecks identified at the current model are evident at the check-in process and
security control. First of all, the airport provides different options for check-in but this
is limited to specific airlines. Until now, self-service check-in kiosks are provided by
Aegean Airlines. Furthermore, there are limited numbers of check-in counters that can
accept baggage drop-off and again that is limited to specific airlines. Passengers
carrying baggage are expected to provide their baggage at a check-in counter for
baggage tagging and depending whether the assigned check-in counter can be used as
baggage drop-off counter, the passengers drop-off the baggage or carry the baggage to
the baggage security and drop-off. This leads to more complex processes and yet
unessesary.
In addition, the Thessaloniki Airport “Makedonia” conducts centralized security
screening for all passengers before entering the restricted area. There are three
security screening areas before entering the restricted area, at each one of the two
departure halls and a flexible one at the left wing of the terminal. This leads to high
congestion in the departure lounges that are affecting the overall processing of
passengers at the check-in and baggage drop-off. To combine the high congestion at
the two departure halls with the space limitations of the departure halls and the
scarcity of preparations or waiting areas, the overall processing of passenger is at a
low level.
Figure 21. Business Process Model of Thessaloniki Airport “Makedonia” at its simplest description
Figure 22. Modified Business Process Model of departure operations of Thessaloniki Airport “Makedonia”
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Suggested solutions at the above mentioned bottlenecks are the redesigning of the
departure processes and especially the processes related to the check-in and the
baggage drop-off. A single standardized process for combining check-in counters and
baggage drop-off is necessary for efficient passenger processing. A single process for
baggage drop-off can provide a lean procedure by reducing the number of interactions
between the passenger and airport personnel. Self-service check-in kiosk shall be
provided regardless of the airline in order to be an option for the passenger.
Another proposed process redesign is related to the security screening. A
decentralized security screening, where security control is conducted at the boarding
gates, is a more suitable solution for passenger processing. A decentralized security
screening process can reduce the congestion at the departure halls especially
considering space limitations.
In this redesigned Business Process Modeling the basic flowchart symbols used are
the following:
Terminal: An oval flow chart shape indicates the start or end of a process, usually
containing the word „Start‟ or „End‟.
Process: A rectangular flow chart shape indicates a normal/generic process flow step.
Decision: A diamond flow chart shape indicates a branch in a process flow. This
symbol is used when a decision needs to be made, commonly a Yes/No question or
True/False test. Arrow: used to show the flow of control in a process. An arrow
coming from one symbol and ending at another symbol represents that control passes
to the symbol the arrow points to. It is also known as flow line.
In the modified Business Process Model, processes are described at the simplest level.
In fact the processes consist of various sub-processes. The redesign of the BPM
illustrates the passenger entering the departure terminal triggering an “event”. The
passenger then is faced with an “inclusive gateway”, a decision between one or more
alternative. The passenger chooses either to proceed to the checking queue or at a
discretionary activity before the check-in. After the check-in process the passenger is
required to proceed to baggage drop-off and then to security preparation. After the
security preparation, the passenger proceeds to the security control. After that, the
passenger faces an “exclusive gateway”, a decision among two or more alternatives,
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the discretionary services, the boarding lounge, or passport control. After these
processes the passenger faces another decision point on proceeding to other
discretionary services or to the boarding gate
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6.CONCLUSION
6.1 Discussion
The airport terminal is a complex system that is described as a series of
interconnected subsystems that have the ability of configuration without affecting the
system. The airport terminal is a complex organization environment with various
stakeholders and has different levels of operations. The airport terminal operations are
separated in two categories based on the interaction with the passenger. Operations in
the line of visibility usually comprise person interaction while the operations which
are not visible to the passenger are usually conducted through technological
equipment with the supervision of modern IT systems.
At the airport terminal, the passenger is involved in an orchestrated choreography that
consists of a series of events and procedures. The passenger goes through different
levels of terminal operations and interacts with different stakeholders. Each procedure
is unique and requires a successful outcome in order to proceed to the next one. Each
procedure is conducted by different employees who represent different units of
different sectors of the organizational structure. Each procedure generates information
data which can be used in order to create a complete system of interconnected
activities, interactions, participants and outcomes.
The identification of the activities and the creation of a system of processes with the
use of information technology is the primary intention of the present research. In
theory a business process is a clearly defined sequence of activities in space and time,
which includes inputs and outputs and can be personalized in the form of the customer
who is the recipient of the value. A business model of a process is a graphical
representation of entities and activities.
This research reflects the process flow from the passenger’s perspective. The research
starts with a literature review of available research in airport operations and business
process modeling and continues with the case study of business process modeling of
an airport terminal. Empirical data was used to perform the qualitative process
analysis.
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The steps that were followed were the identification of the processes and the products
and services that were offered. The next steps were the identification and listing of the
participants along with their tasks and responsibilities and finally the information
matching and the relationship identification. These are the step that an event driven
process chain can be modeled and form a business process model. The final
diagrammatic depiction of the process chain was created based on the Business
Process Modeling and Notification technique.
6.2 Reasearch contribution
The present research links two different theoretical backgrounds. The business
process modeling concepts are analyzed and linked with the airport terminal
operations. The research acknowledges the literature findings as suggested in the
literature review section in the field of process modeling and airport operations.
The research merges the concept of business process modeling with the concept of
airport operations in order to demonstrate a terminal process model. The complexity
of the airline industry and the dramatic technological progress make the present
research valuable for depicting in depth the combination of the different sectors.
Moreover the present research applies process modeling theory in a real case scenario
and identifies events, actions, participants and the environment that the processes are
conducted. The application of theoretical knowledge has led to the implementation of
a business process model that can be further reused and improved for future academic
or practice purposes.
The processes sequence is analyzed on a step by step basis. The research provides the
guidelines of business process modeling implementation, allowing configurations and
improvements by future researchers. From process analysis to information connection
a process chain is created. The process through a function view depicts the events and
activities throughout the procedure along with the products or services that are
provided. The participants represent the various responsibilities and the task s of the
implementation process. The data received or delivered throughout the whole series of
processes combined with the information mention above leads to the modeling of the
business processes.
108
Real empirical data from Macedonia airport of Thessaloniki were used in order to
create an in depth analysis of the terminal operations. The process mapping depicts
the passenger interactions with the airport operations stakeholders and systems. The
content of this analysis can generate more efficient process models that incorporate
technological advances and new systems.
6.3 Future proposals
This research reflects the process flow from the passenger’s perspective. The attempt
to analyze the processes of the airport terminal operations is supported by relevant
literature findings. The process models based on qualitative data provide an
illustration of the activities performed, the way they are performed and the
participants of those activities.
Future research should extend the process analysis in order to include different
perspectives. The process analysis should reflect not only the passenger’s perspective
but the perspective of the airline and/or of the airport as well. In addition, studies
should expand beyond the physical boundaries of the terminal building and include
ground operation from the time the aircraft lands till the take-off. Future studies
should explore in depth processes such as passenger flow, baggage handling, and
aircraft movements.
Another subject that should be introduced in future research is the transit and transfer
passengers. This research does not take into consideration transit or transfer
passengers. Future research should also include the consequences on the process flow
of future developments, such as technological improvements and new application.
What impact will a self-baggage check-in will have in the process chain? And how
the internet of things and biometrics can change the whole business process model?
Future research should also concentrate on quantitative data in order to perform
performance measurement. Furthermore, it can also include other airports and
perform a comparative study. Incorporating quantitative data in future research could
provide a more detailed insight into the terminal operations. Organizing the data and
identifying the appropriate relationships among participants is also important.
In addition, the effectiveness of the application of new technology should be
measured. Data exchange among the various parties in the airport terminal operations
109
could enable fast track processes and money savings. New technology such as
blockchain technology can provide the safe environment for the exchange of data.
Moreover, the blockchain technology can be used in the information security or at the
security checkpoints.
110
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