More than 100 flights cancelled and delays of sometimes over 20 hours with consequences for over 76,000 travelers. That was the sad result of Vueling’s planning policies according to an article in last week’s Dutch Financial Times and (in English) in El Pais. Experts stated that Vueling scheduled more flights than they even had airplanes and staff. In between flights they apparently scheduled no safety time meaning that even the slightest hiccup leads to a snowball effect all subsequent flights. In the end, Vueling’s personnel therefore cannot take the required breaks resulting in even further delays and cancellations when the plane needs to be grounded and the personnel needs to rest. This case represents a good example of Kingman’s formula, part of queuing theory, and of how not using these insights results in poor planning, overburdening (Muri) and unevenness (Mura) and in the end disastrous results for lead times and service. (more…)
