A hybrid tabu search/set partitioning approach to tanker crew scheduling

Aerial refueling is a crucial component of modern day military operations. A vital part of this refueling process is the individual tanker crews. Constrained by the number of tanker crews available, the United States Air Force must find ways to efficiently schedule them. This paper discusses an effective hybrid tabu search/set partitioning approach to Air Mobility Command's tanker crew scheduling problem. This hybrid approach combines the metaheuristic tabu search with a classical optimization approach. The results show our approach reduces the number of crews needed to fly a specific flight schedule. In scheduling the crews, the amount of time crews spend waiting is drastically reduced.