Disruptions in the U.S. Airport Network

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the U.S. domestic airport network to identify key airports, assess their roles, and develop a disaster response algorithm for rerouting flights during emergencies.

Contribution

It introduces a network science-based analysis of U.S. airports, identifying critical nodes and proposing improvements and a rerouting algorithm for disaster scenarios.

Findings

Denver International and Ted Stevens Anchorage International are key airports.

Identified structural holes in the network.

Developed a disaster response algorithm for rerouting flights.

Abstract

Our project analyzes the United States domestic airport network. We attempt to determine which airports are most vital in maintaining the underlying infrastructure for all domestic flights within the United States. To perform our analysis, we use data from the first quarter of 2010 and use several methods and algorithms that are frequently used in network science. Using these statistics, we identified the most important airports in the United States and investigate the role and significance that these airports play in maintaining the structure of the entire domestic airport network. Some of these airports include Denver International and Ted Stevens Anchorage International. We also identified any structural holes and suggested improvements that can be made to the network. Finally, through our analysis, we developed a disaster response algorithm that calculates flight path reroutes in emergency situations.