Managing Variable Demand for Travel

Revenue management in the passenger transportation industry involves managing demand for seats. To manage demand effectively and efficiently, it is important to understand and anticipate the effects of market forces on potential demand. A high level of analysis and preparation will allow you to better address the effects of forces outside of your control and ensure that the decisions you make are based on insight and fully support business objectives. In this module we begin by looking at the characteristics of passenger demand for travel and discuss a number of factors that influence that demand. The second section focuses on different demand strategies. This includes basic steps you can take to reduce or increase demand and the consequences of maintaining the status quo. The final section is on forecasting demand. We discuss the importance of forecasting demand accurately, the methods used in forecasting, as well as the roles of the revenue analyst, computerised revenue management systems, and effective business processes.