The Summertime travel season can bring heavy operating challenges to airlines, especially when dealing with thunderstorms. Major airlines are seeing disruptions at key hub airports. American Airlines has developed a solution to mitigate the impact of severe weather on key hubs throughout the airline’s network. Developed in house, the Hub Efficiency Analytics Tool (HEAT) helps American Airlines adapt to severe weather disruptions.
How Heat Analytics Works
The HEAT system runs analytics to optimize data about weather, passenger loads, passenger connections as well as factors such as crew constraints and air traffic control limitations. An algorithm then takes these factors into account and strategically shifts arrival and departing aircraft around the hub. HEAT will then assist staff at the operations center to best avoid severe weather. According to American Airlines, HEAT has prevented nearly 1,000 flight cancellations across the network since its implementation in 2022. “HEAT allows me to optimize our flight timing in inclement weather to provide a better experience for our customers and crews, it’s a game changer,” said Bob Shirley, an American dispatcher, air traffic control coordinator. Bob Shirley is also a member of the team who developed the tool in house for American Airlines. HEAT demonstrates the potential airlines are unlocking with the rapid growth of AI.
