Measuring Onward Connectivity with a Prescriptive Approach

Abstract

Although connectivity has been the focus of several topics in the research field, onward connectivity has received less attention, despite that it can shed light on various issues in the context of a mature air transport market and an increasingly dense airport network. We propose several ways to measure onward connectivity, some of which are based on the connectivity literature whilst others are suggested in the light of a qualitative study on the needs and wants of a particular customer segment in the case study of Castellon airport, Spain. We apply our measures to this case to determine the best hub to connect to for this segment and provide the connection that maximizes onward connectivity. We find that “demand catered for,” an onward connectivity measure that balances the number of destinations with the interest of the potential customers, is a good tool to choose the best hub. We also propose the adjustment of a measure based on connectivity literature (the global connectivity index) which delivers a more precise approach to choosing the best time of the day to connect to the hub. Our work opens new venues for studying connectivity from a perspective based on market demand as well as using onward connectivity for prescriptive applications and is potentially useful for almost one in two airports (particularly new and small ones), as well as for other actors in the commercial aviation industry.