460 The UMAP Journal 28. 3(2007) plane, so that they are less likely to impact very many passengers Validation and Sensitivity Analysis We developed a test plane configuration with the sole purpose of imple- menting our boarding algorithms on planes of all sizes, varying from 24 to 600 passengers with both one or two aisles We also examined capacities as low as 70%; the trends that we see at full ca- pacity are reflected at these lower capacities. The back-to-front and outside-in algorithms do start to perform better; but this increase in performance is rel- atively small, and the Roller Coaster algorithm still substantially outperforms them. Under all circumstances, the algorithms we test are robust. That is, they ssign passenger to seats in accordance with the intention of the boarding plans used by airlines and move passengers in a realistic manner. Recommendations We recommend that the roller Coaster boarding plan be implemented for planes of all sizes and configurations for boarding non-luxury-class and non- special-needs passengers. As planes increase in size, its margin of success in comparison to the next best method decreases; but we are confident that the Roller Coaster method will prove robust. We recommend boarding groups that are traveling together before boarding the rest of the plane, as such groups would cause interferences that slow the boarding. Ideally, such groups would be ordered before boarding Future Work It is inevitable that some passengers will arrive late and not board the plane at their scheduled time. Additionally, we believe that the amount of carry-on baggage permitted would have a larger effect on the boarding time than the ecific boarding plan implemented--modeling this would prove insightful We also recommend modifying the simulation to reflect groups of people trav- eling (and boarding)together; this is especially important to the Roller Coaster boarding procedure, and why we recommend boarding groups before boarding the rest of the plane References AirbusS.a.S.2007.Aircraftfamilies/a320familyhttp://www.airbuscom/ en/aircraftfamilies/a320/460 The UMAP Journal 28.3 (2007) plane, so that they are less likely to impact very many passengers. Validation and Sensitivity Analysis We developed a test plane configuration with the sole purpose of imple￾menting our boarding algorithms on planes of all sizes, varying from 24 to 600 passengers with both one or two aisles. We also examined capacities as low as 70%; the trends that we see at full ca￾pacity are reflected at these lower capacities. The back-to-front and outside-in algorithms do start to perform better; but this increase in performance is rel￾atively small, and the Roller Coaster algorithm still substantially outperforms them. Under all circumstances, the algorithms we test are robust. That is, they assign passenger to seats in accordance with the intention of the boarding plans used by airlines and move passengers in a realistic manner. Recommendations We recommend that the Roller Coaster boarding plan be implemented for planes of all sizes and configurations for boarding non-luxury-class and non￾special-needs passengers. As planes increase in size, its margin of success in comparison to the next best method decreases; but we are confident that the Roller Coaster method will prove robust. We recommend boarding groups that are traveling together before boarding the rest of the plane, as such groups would cause interferences that slow the boarding. Ideally, such groups would be ordered before boarding. Future Work It is inevitable that some passengers will arrive late and not board the plane at their scheduled time. Additionally, we believe that the amount of carry-on baggage permitted would have a larger effect on the boarding time than the specific boarding plan implemented-modeling this would prove insightful. We also recommend modifying the simulation to reflect groups of people trav￾eling (and boarding) together; this is especially important to the Roller Coaster boarding procedure, and why we recommend boarding groups before boarding the rest of the plane. References Airbus S.A.S. 2007. Aircraft families / A320 family. http ://wwW. airbus. corn/ en/aircraftfamilies/a320/