Thesis (M.Sc.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Statistical Studies and Research - Department of Operations Research

This thesis utilized discrete event simulation (DES) in Part I and queuing networks in Part II of the thesis, to investigate the effects of baggage volume and alarm rate at the Security Screening Checkpoint (SSCP) of an origin and destination airport. A Jackson queuing network is considered for a theoretical assessment to SSCP performance. A DES model using Arena version 15 is utilized for an empirical approach. Data is collected from both literature and by manual collection methods. Manual data was collected during the peak operating time of 6 am {u2013} 7 am local time at the airport being modeled.The simulation model is verified and validated qualitatively and quantitatively by statistical testing before experimentation. After validation, a sensitivity analysis is performed on baggage volume of passengers (PAX) and the alarm rate of baggage screening devices, where SSCP throughput and PAX cycle time were the dependent measures.The theoretical queuing network approach proved to be an accurate method of predicting cycle time, but only under limited steady-state conditions.The empirical model and sensitivity analysis showed that SSCP performance is highly sensitive to alarm rate in both throughput and cycle time. Furthermore, empirical modeling and sensitivity analysis showed that SSCP performance is moderately sensitive to alarm rate, and completely resilient to the effects of baggage volume. Practical implications and future directions are also discussed at the conclusion of the study

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