Passenger simulation modeling to identify optimum customs staffing levels at lax

Summary form only given. Currently over 130 international flights arrive at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on an average day. Every passenger on each of these flights needs to pass through Customs Border and Patrol (CBP) before entering the USA. These flight arrival times vary significantly on a daily basis, annual passenger levels are steadily increasing and, since September 11, 2001, there has been an increase in security measures. All of these factors have placed an increased workload on the CBP staff. There is mounting pressure on the LAX CBP management to minimize the passenger wait times, while simultaneously meeting annual staffing budgets. Jacobs Consultancy (JC) was asked to identify optimum CBP staffing levels and determine strategies for CBP to better accommodate their variable staffing needs based on the variability of flight arrival times. JC used CAST, a passenger simulation model developed by the Airport Research Center (ARC), to assist in the evaluation.