The flow of passenger traffic is an important factor in an airports success, and over the past

The flow of passenger traffic is an important factor in an airport’s success, and over the past year, heightened security measures at Winnebago County Airport in Rockford, Illinois, have slowed passenger flow significantly. The airport uses eight metal detectors to screen passengers for weapons. The facility is open from 6:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M. daily, and the present machinery allows a maximum of 45,000 passengers to be checked each day.

The security team has selected four of the metal detectors for special analysis to determine if additional equipment is needed or if funding an additional homeland security officer could solve the problem. The additional homeland security officer would be responsible for guiding people to different machines and instructing them on the detection process. Because this solution would be less expensive than acquiring new machines, the team decides to fund a position for this function on a trial basis. The team hopes that this procedure will speed up the flow of passenger traffic by at least 10 percent. Manufacturers of the machinery have stated that each machine can handle an average of 400 passengers per hour. Data on passenger traffic through the four machines for the past 10 days are as follows:

In the past, passenger flow has favored Machine 1 because of its location. Overflow traffic goes to Machine 2, Machine 3, and Machine 4, in that order. The new homeland security officer, Lynn Hedlund, began her duties on March 13. If her work results in at least a 10 percent increase in the number of passengers handled, the security team plans to fund another homeland security officer for the other four machines rather than purchasing additional metal detectors.
Required
1. Calculate the average daily traffic flow for the period March 6–12 and then calculate management’s traffic flow goal.
2. Manager Insight: Calculate the average traffic flow for the period March 13–15. Did the additional homeland security officer’s work result in the minimum increase in flow set by the security team, or should airport officials purchase additional metal detectors?
3. Manager Insight: Is there anything unusual in the analysis of passenger traffic flow that the security team should look into? Explain youranswer.

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Passengers Checked by Metal Detectors Machine Machine Machine Machine Date March 6 March 7 March 8 March 9 March 10 March 11 March 12 March 13 March 14 March 15 Totals 5,268 21,814 5,290 21,790 5,348 21,875 21,974 22,059 22,143 5,542 22,234 24,196 6,212 24,436 24,710 4 5,620 5,524 5,490 5,436 5,404 5,386 5,364 5,678 5,720 5,736 5,490 5,534 5,548 5,592 5,631 5,667 5,690 6,248 6,272 6,324 5,436 5,442 5,489 5,536 5,568 5,594 5,638 6,180 6,232 6,372 5,410 5,456 5,496 6,090 6,278