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1.     INTRODUCTION
        1.1     About the Tool
        1.2     Key Features
2.     GETTING STARTED
3.     REPORTS
        3.1    Connections Analyser Report
                  3.1.1     Parameters
                  3.1.2     Report Outputs
                  3.1.3     Saving Reports
                  3.1.4     Exporting
                  3.1.5     Worked Examples - Custom MCTs, Phantom Flights & QSI
        3.2     Missed Connections Report
                  3.2.1     Report Parameters                 
                  3.2.2     Worked Example - Missed Connections Report

 4.     MY OAG

        4.1.1     SAVING REPORTS
        4.1.2     CUSTOMISING DATA
        4.1.3     USER PREFERENCES
        4.1.4     REFERENCE DATA

1       INTRODUCTION

1.1     About the Tool

OAG Connections Analyser is a very powerful tool which is designed to help you model and explore airline network connectivity.  Drawing on OAG’s comprehensive schedule database, Connections Analyser can dynamically build all possible global airline connections so you can model the impact of real and ‘what if’ schedule changes on route and network connectivity.

OAG Connections Analyser sits within the OAG Analyser Suite of modules, each accessed via a common dashboard. Each module has been designed to have a high degree of commonality so that screens are visually comparable, and users of one will find it easy to use the other products and create outputs in similar and comparable formats where needed.

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1.2    Key Features

OAG Connections Analyser has been designed with a specialist user in mind. Whilst it looks similar in appearance to other OAG Analyser products, don’t be deceived. It is a very powerful tool and it is easy to make a selection that generates vast amounts of data and takes a long time to process. In fact, because so many of the reports created here require significant processing capability the majority of reports you create are sent to a Job Bin, rather than being delivered immediately.

• Fast and accurate dynamic building of all global airline connection options (both single and doubles).
• Only product to use real connection times using the OAG MCT exception tables, rather than predefined minimum/maximum connecting times.
• Includes a QSI function.
• Schedules for 1 year forward as standard but – uniquely - historical data back to 1996 can be included.
• Allows ‘what if’ analysis – different MCT, phantom flights and new airline partners.
• Simple analysis runs on-demand, while complex analyses run as batch jobs with uncapped connections.
• Integrated into OAG Analyser platform of online modules.
• Integrated mapping and data export capability (.CSV, .PDF, .XLS, .XLSX)

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2      GETTING STARTED

This guide provides all the information you need to start using OAG Connections Analyser. It has been designed to walk you through all of the steps involved with getting the data you need from Connections Analyser and can be used on its own, or in conjunction with the user guide videos  on our website.  Given the complexity of Connections Analyser we do encourage you to view the user guide videos when you first start using this tool.   There is also a glossary of terms on our website which explains both standard industry terminology and some of the more obscure terms used, and a frequently asked questions section.

If you have any log in or account issues please get in touch via ContactUs@oag.com. If you would like to give feedback on your experience of using Connections Analyser or if you have any problems using this tool please contact your account manager and they will be able to help you or pass you on to the revelant department to help. When you log into OAG Analyser you will see a screen like this which is the dashboard for the OAG Analyser suite of products.

Each product you have access to is listed along the top right and also in middle of the screen.  Your account number is located at the top left of the screen, where it says welcome, and you need just one account and login to access all of the OAG Analyser products you subscribe to.  

To open Connections Analyser, the module covered in this user guide, you can either click on the module name at the top of the screen, or click on the planes icon located to the left of the Connections Analyser section.

On logging into Connections Analyser, you will see this screen which is the home screen:

In the central area you will see the 2 reports available in Connections Analyser and below is the Job Bin which stores reports once you’ve run them.  Below that you can view any Saved Reports.

Along the top of the screen there are some additional functions.  Firstly, there are quick access links to each of the modules you have access to as part of your licence.

Next is the My OAG section which also allows you to access saved reports and the Job Bin. You can also access a feature which allows you to customise groups of data to make running reports with similar queries easier.  There is also access here to My MCTs, My QSI and My Phantom Flights – all additional areas of customisation by the user. The functions in this section, and the reference section next to it, are covered in more detail later in this guide.   The User Guide option takes you through OAG’s help pages which include this guide, some FAQ’s, a glossary and some videos to guide you through how to use each report.

In this user guide we will now take you through each of the reports in turn and how to use them. 

You do not need to run through them in sequence – in fact it may be useful to jump ahead to the My OAG section. 

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3       REPORTS

There are 2 reports available in Connections Analyser.  We describe how they work here and provide you with a worked example of each report in this section.  You can also access short video guides from our user guide that replicate the content provided here.  From the home screen you can click on either one of the report names below and you will be linked to a new query screen.

• Connections Analysis – this report allows you to dynamically build all possible global airline connections as they occur in real time.
• Missed Connections – this report allows you to model how many potential missed connections there are at a gateway airport by a specific, or multiple carriers.

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3.1     Connections Analyser Report

This report contains data on airline connections – e.g. for trip type (direct, single or double) and by connection type (online, interline, all) – and allows you to show which flights connect with other flights. It can be run with a variety of options including for all carriers, or a selection; by alliances; by specific origins and destinations (at different levels e.g. airport, city, country and region).

You can also test ‘what if’ scenarios by changing Minimum Connection Times or creating phantom flights for theoretical airline schedules so you can see how they fit into a network and enhance or reduce connectivity.  And you can generate a QSI score – a quality of service value – for each flight option.  We’ll return to QSI in more detail in the following sections.

The Connections Analysis report is very detailed so it’s helpful to run quite a specific report for what you need otherwise you will generate a LOT of data.  In fact, because so many of the reports created in Connections Analyser require significant processing capability, all reports you create are sent to a Job Bin, rather than being delivered immediately. All items in the Job Bin are deleted automatically after 4 days so reports you need to keep should be saved.

Like most reports in OAG Analyser products, this report has numerous options to tailor the data request to what you need, but not every box needs to be filled in every time.   Often you may only need to fill in a few of the options, so it’s worth spending a bit of time familiarising yourself with the query screen. 

To get to the query screen, simply click on Connections Analysis report from the home screen. A new screen like the one below will appear:

There are three main areas. On the left are the Parameter groups so you can quickly navigate to the fields you want, in the central area are all the fields you need to select the parameters you want to use to define your report, and to the right is a summary of the report you’ve specified and options to customise the look of the report. 

We’ll take a look now at each of these areas.

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3.1.1     Parameters

On the left, there are 7 parameter groups displayed and 1 more which opens up if you click on more at the bottom of the list:

As you click on each parameter it moves the central screen to that area. In the image below we clicked on Origin & Destination and you can see that field has moved to the top of the screen.

1. Period

We’ll look firstly at Period. You will see from the dropdown list there are 3 time period options that can be selected.  These are date, week and month.  

Connections Analyser has historical data available back to 1996 and airline schedules data is also available for one year into the future. Whilst you can select a range of different time periods – from a day, week or month – it is often best to select just one day given that large queries may take a long time to process.

2. Type of Flights

The next group of parameters relate to the Type of Flights. As you can see, operating flights, published carriers and non-stop flights are the default options here, but you can change these if you want. You may not need to change these but if you are interested in code-sharing arrangements between airlines you may want to click on ‘both’ so you can see both the flights which the carrier operates and those that it doesn’t operate, but still sells.

You can also choose to restrict the results to non-stop services only, or to define the number of stops up to a maximum of two.

3. Carrier

In the Carrier box, you have two options. If you leave this blank, data for all carriers will be included.  Otherwise, you need to specify which carriers, or carrier groups, you want to view data for.  There are two ways of inputting carrier names – either by 2 letter code or by typing the name. As you type a drop down box will appear and you select the correct airline entry from that. Multiple airlines can be included as long as each is separated by a comma.

You can also select multiple entries by clicking on the link logo at the end of the field.  This opens up a new box where you can enter the carrier names or two letter codes that you need.    You have the option to either save your selection (so you can revisit it in future) or simply enter the details and run your query.

Underneath the Carrier field, there is an option to selected Carrier Advanced.  When you do this, the Carrier box is greyed out.  The three boxes below become available for use, allowing you to specify a different carrier(s) for each leg of a journey.

At the top on the right in this section, you can select data for a specific alliance or for airlines not in an alliance, which we term unaligned. The default is no selection.   You can also choose to include alliance affiliates.

4. Origin & Destination

In this parameter you can specify part or all of a routing.  As before, if you leave the Origin and Destination fields blank, data for all origins and destinations will be included.  Doing this would return a lot of data however, so it’s usually easier to select a specific airport, city, country or region.

When you select an origin and a destination you are choosing to look at all airline connections between the origin and the destination. 

You can select either a single Origin or Destination or a multiple selection. Between origin and destination there are further options to select Gateway 1 and Gateway 2.  If you have selected a Trip Type (see Connection Parameters in section 5 below) of Direct, then the only options available for input will be Origin and Destination. If you select single, then Gateway 1 is editable, and finally if you select Double, then all 4 boxes can be edited.   All of these options can be selected by airport, city, country or region. A gateway is a connecting point. 

You can also choose to view the results of the data on a one way or two way basis in this parameter.

Finally, at the bottom of the query screen on the left, there is an option to choose specific O&D Pairs. When you click on it, it opens up the following dialogue box:

You can use this box to enter specifc O&D Pairs, with space for up to 4 pairs.  If you need to add more, clicking on Add More O&D Pairs adds a new set of boxes each time. 

5. Connection Parameters

The next step is to define the carrier options. There are several options to consider:

1. Trip Type – Direct, Single (default) or Double
2. Connection Type, Restriction Rule and Flight Type
3. Max Circuity
4. Connection Window
5. Custom MCT
6. Custom QSI

1. The first option for is for Trip Type which will default to Single, meaning single connection journeys (i.e. two flights). Direct means all routings between point A and point B, meaning there is only one flight (or a stopping service with a through flight number), and Double refers to routings with three flights and two gateways, so there are two connections. We advise caution in selecting the Double option as this significantly increases the size of your query and the time it takes to run.
2. Connection type allows you to choose between online, interline or all connections. The default is Online. The Restriction Rule field allows you to select either IATA, LCC or both. The default is IATA. Flight type allows you to limit the results to either International, Domestic or All flights. The default is all.
3. The Max Circuity field allows you to determine the maximum circuity you want the report to calculate. Circuity is a term which reflects how far from the Great Circle Distance between the origin and destination the actual routing is. A direct flight between point A and B would have a circuity of 100.   Essentially circuity measures how far out of your way connecting via a particular gateway takes you.  The default is 150 which we have defined as Medium.  There are three other circuity options in the dropdown including Low which is 125 and High which is 175. The custom option allows you to enter a different circuity figure.  A circuity of higher than 175 would be unlikely, as it would involve a significant backhaul via a connecting destination to a final point.
4. Connection Window – there are a range of options here to select a connection window of between 0-12 hours. The default is 8 hours.
5. Custom MCT - With this field, you have the ability to change Minimum Connection Times at the gateway airport. The default MCT in Connections Analyser calculates potential connections using the Minimum Connect Times for the airport and a maximum connect time of 8 hours, unless you tell it otherwise. Any departing flight which leaves within 8 hours of the inbound arriving flight (see Connection Window) will be a possible connection as long as it meets the other restriction criteria you specify in your query.                                  You can override the default times for minimum and maximum connecting times in order to test the impacts of changing flight times. We will cover this in a worked example in a video which you can access through the help function in Connections Analyser. Saving a custom MCT means it will appear in the dropdown box beneath the Default option. You can see in the screenshot below that there are two saved custom MCT’s and in the box to the right, the custom MCT’s appear and can be edited, duplicated or deleted
6. Custom QSI - QSI stands for Quality of Service Index and is a way to compare the attractiveness of one routing against another from a passenger perspective. These are used extensively by airline traffic forecasters who need to understand how the total volume of existing passenger traffic will be redistributed when new flight options are added, or the timing of existing flights are changed.

   Over time data analysis has helped us understand how passengers weight the factors so, for instance, if we look at the coefficients for non-stop services, you’ll see that there’s a weighting of 2 for a non-stop service and of 0.25 for a 1 stop service. This means that a passenger values a non-stop flight 8 times more highly that a 1 stop flight.

   There are 11 parameters for which you can set coefficients including departure time, arrival time, aircraft type and the type of airline. OAG has set default coefficients for each of these but you can override any of them and save them as ‘My QSI’ in ‘My OAG’.  The default coefficients are detailed in the Connections Analyser Glossary.

6. Phantom Flights

A Phantom Flight is a fictitious flight you create which Connections Analyser treats as if it were part of the schedule database. The purpose of phantom flights is to allow you to test the impact on connectivity from adding a new flight or flights. It’s a useful tool for testing the value of code-sharing relationships too. Once you’ve created a Phantom Flight it appears below the Search Phantom Flights box

You have to enter precise data to create a phantom flight including the number of seats on the aircraft, the aircraft type, terminal from which the flight departs and arrives, and you’ll need to create a flight number for your phantom flight. You can enter numerous phantom flights and you can use as many of them as you want in your data query. Clicking on the arrow to the right of this field opens up the Phantom Flights dialogue box where you can either upload a set of data you’ve created elsewhere – and a sample file is included which you can download to see what format your data needs to be in - or you can create a new phantom flight.  We’ll provide a worked example later in the report showing how to do this. Essentially you complete the following table. Several of the fields will populate automatically as you select a carrier, including Carrier Category, Equipment and Seats.

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3.1.2      Report Outputs

As you define your report by selecting Parameters on the left hand side of the screen they appear in the Current Report Selections tab on the right hand (blue) side.  

Once you’ve selected all the parameters you require, you have the option to customise the report further. On the right hand side of the screen in the My Report section, you can click on the second tab, Customise report.

As you can see there are several options to customise the output of the report and simply clicking on the tickbox in the field removes it, and clicking again in the field puts it back. 

At the bottom of this tab there are some Graphing and Mapping Options and you can have these turned on or off in this area, again just by clicking on the arrow to uncheck the box.  The default is to include these options.   You can also customise what the graphing option does, by deciding which data you want to have on the x and y axis and whether you want to see the data as a line graph, column or pie chart.

At the bottom of the query screen (this is there whichever tab you have open) you can then run the query.

You’ll see from the example below that once you click run, the following message is displayed. If you click on continue, you can run a new Connections Analysis report, or amend some aspects of the one you have just run while your report is sent for processing. Clicking on Go To Job Bin takes you straight to the Job Bin, where you will see your report being processed. 

The Job Bin looks like this and can be accessed in this way, from inside a report, or from the home screen, where the most recent reports you have run will be displayed.

Once the report is ready, the option to view and/or export becomes available in the boxes to the right. Reports only remain the job bin for 4 days after you run them – after that they are removed.  The best course of action is to save your report if you think you will need it again.  Once the query has been processed you can click on open and the data you requested will be displayed in the following format:

On the map, clicking on the blue tab on the right hand side allows you to see all of the itineraries in the query and select one. You can also zoom in and out on the map using the + and – symbols on the left hand side, and re-center it by clicking and dragging the map to where you want it to be centered.

The map does not automatically export, but you can save it as a screenshot using external tools.

The bottom part of the report displays the connections analysis data.  There are 9 tabs, each displaying the data from a different perspective.

The report shown here is for online connections on Malaysia Airlines from Heathrow via Kuala Lumpur to Malaysia in a single day. The first tab is labelled Summary and displays the summary of results by the selected parameters. At the bottom of the report we can see there are 46 connections from between Heathrow and Malaysia via Kuala Lumpur.

The next tab, Connections, shows the origin, destination and complete itinerary in addition to several other details – Great Circle Distance, Total Distance, the carrier on each leg and the aircraft (equipment) type.

The next tab is labelled Routings. Departure airports are on the left, then the Gateway airport, then the Arrival airport, Seats and then Circuity. The first entry has a circuity of 100 because the Great Circle Distance between the origin and destination is the same as the total distance of flight segments. The actual flight distance is 100% of the Great Circle Distance between origin and destination.  The next entry, LHR-KUL-KUA, has a circuity of 101. In other words, the distance from LHR to KUL plus KUL to KUA is 101% of the great circle distance from LHR to KUL.

To the right of Circuity there are Connections, Frequency and then ASMs, or Available Seat Miles.

The fourth tab, Min/Max/Average provides a summary of the distance, elapsed time, circuity, wait time and seats.

The next table is Origin Destination which summarises seats, connections, frequency and ASMs by origin and destination airports.

Then there is a summary tab for just the Origin.

There is also a tab for Destination.

The second last tab, Carrier, highlights the carrier combinations which provide direct seats between Heathrow and points in Malaysia. These results are all for Malaysia Airlines as we restricted the results to show just MH.

The last tab is the Gateway. This shows how many seats are offered via Kuala Lumpur.

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3.1.3       Saving Reports

Reports can be saved by clicking on Save at the top of the report.  This opens a new window where you can name the report and then click Save.

When you return to the home page you’ll see the saved report now appears under Saved Reports.  You can then open, run or share the report from there.

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3.1.4        Exporting

Once you’ve run the report, you can download it in a range of ways.  Click on Export and an export box opens.   Give your report a name and then select the file type – you can choose from a range of options including CSV, PDF and XLS.   If you know that you will always want to export in a particular format, you can save it as a default in the User Preferences section (we cover how to do this later in this guide).   Once you’ve given your report a name and selected the file type, click on Export.  This box then appears and you can choose to continue with another query, or go the Job Bin where the report will be processed..

The user guide link from Connections Analyser for this report takes you to our website where there is a short video with a worked example of how to run a Connections Analysis report, create a phantom flight, add custom MCTs and QSI.  

3.1.5        Worked Examples

1. Custom MCT

In this example, we’re going to look at connections between London Heathrow and Malaysia via Kuala Lumpur.  We’ve specified Malaysia Airlines as the Carrier, the Origin Airport as LHR, the gateway as KUL and the destination is Malaysia. We’re only interested in single connections so we’ve excluded direct flights and we’re using the default connection type which is online.

The screenshot above is the base query, without any changes to the MCT. This is the same query we used earlier so the results are displayed in the previous section.  The query returns 46 possible connections and frequencies to a range of Malaysian airports, assuming the minimum connecting time for the KUL, and a maximum connect time of 8 hours.  Any departing flight which leaves within 8 hours of the inbound arriving flight will be a possible connection as long as it meets the other restrictions we have specified in our query.

The parameter we want to show you first is Custom MCT’s.  In this example, we’ve changed the MCT for international to domestic connection from the default IATA MCT of 45 minutes to just 30 minutes. We clicked on Custom MCT, amended the International – Domestic min CT field in the Via 1 box.

We then saved the Custom MCT with the name 30min MCT and closed that box, and we ran the report. The output file looks the same as we saw before but by changing the MCT to just 30 minutes for the international to domestic leg reduces the potential connections to 28.

2. Phantom Flights

We’re going to build on the same query here to demonstrate the Phantom Flights functionality.  Looking in the connections tab from the initial report we can see there are 2 departing flights from London Heathrow to Kuala Lumpur, one leaving at 1025 in the morning and arriving at 0645, and the other leaving at 2135, arriving at 1750 the next day.

What might the impact be on connectivity if we added  another flight from Heathrow to Kuala Lumpur? The Phantom flight functionality allows us to do just that.  From the Parameter menu we click on Phantom Flights and then click on the blue arrow to open up the dialogue box.

We then select Add Phantom Flight at the top of the page on the right hand side, and this opens up another window. To create a phantom flight you have to enter precise data including the number of seats on the aircraft, the aircraft type, the terminals at which the flight departs and arrives, and a flight number.  There are some pre-filled fields once you select a carrier, with Equipment type and seats automatically added. We input a departure time, in this case 1600 which is halfway between the existing two departures, and the elapsed time, and the arrival time is calculated automatically.  You can override them if necessary.

All we do now is Save and the Phantom Flight appears in the dropdown list as an option. We select it, and then rerun the report.

The results show that adding in an extra flight increased the number of potential connections from 46 to 76. The extra flight could create many more opportunities for passengers to connect.

You can enter numerous phantom flights and you can use as many of them as you want in your data query.

3. Custom QSI

The final feature is QSI.  In this query we’re going to look at SkyTeam connections between Rome in Italy and the UK. SkyTeam has, perhaps, less presence at London Heathrow than the other big alliances so some traffic connects via hub airports at Amsterdam and Paris so this query is designed to look at the relative attractiveness of the available connections to passengers.

We’ve selected Rome as the origin and the UK as the destination, and selected the SkyTeam alliance.  As before, we changed the connection type to all, and selected just single as the trip type.

 Once we’ve set up these fields, we can simply click on the QSI box and then New Custom QSI which allows us to choose the coefficients we want.

Each parameter represents a factor which affects passenger preferences for connecting one way vs another way. Over time data analysis has helped us understand how passengers weight the factors so, for instance, if we look at the coefficients for non-stop services, you’ll see that there’s a weighting of 2 for a non-stop service and of 0.25 for a 1 stop service. This means that a passenger values a non-stop flight 8 times more highly that a 1 stop flight.

There are 11 parameters for which you can set coefficients including departure time, arrival time, aircraft type and the type of airline. OAG has set default coefficients for each of these which are outlined in the Connections Analyser Glossary, but you can override any of them and save them as ‘My QSI’ in ‘My OAG’.  

For this query, we’ve just selected the default QSI coefficients, and can click run then retrieve our report from the Job Bin.

When we open the report, we can see instantly from the map that there are connections via Amsterdam, Paris and Milan.  If we look at the ‘Routings’ tab, we can see all possible connections on SkyTeam airlines between Rome and the UK.

In the last two columns of the Routings tab, there is a QSI score and a QSI percentage field.

The Routings Reports shows that there are 25 possible connections on SkyTeam airlines between Rome and the UK, either via Amsterdam or Paris or Milan.  The QSI score is based on all the coefficients that we saw earlier and the QSI percentage adds up to 100%, providing the relative ranking for each connection. We can see that there are two connections which are relatively more attractive than others – FCO-LIN-LHR and FCO-LIN-LCY, with QSI percentage scores of 12.5% and 8.5% respectively.

The User Guide tab on the Connections Analyser home screen takes you to some videos which illustrate these examples, and there are more details about QSI and other Connections Features in our FAQ’s and Glossary.

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3.2          MISSED CONNECTIONS REPORT

The Missed Connections Report allows you to model how many potential missed connections there are at a gateway airport by a specific carrier, or multiple carriers. It does this by allowing you to build potential connections using a time window outside the minimum and maximum connection times used, by looking at what connections might occur within a specified time period behind the Minimum connection time, and beyond the Maximum connection time.  

The Missed Connections report is very detailed and takes a while to run so it’s helpful to run quite a specific report for what you need otherwise you will generate a lot of data.

To get to the query screen, select the Available Reports section on the Home Screen and click Missed Connections Report, or use the Reports link in the bar at the top of your screen. A new screen like the one below will appear:

As before, this report can be run with a variety of options including for all carriers, or a selection; by alliances; and by specific origins and destinations (at different levels e.g. airport, city country and region).

In the same way that we walked through how to run a Connections Analysis report, we’ll do the same here.  Many of the fields are similar, so we will focus on those that differ from that report.

3.2.1      Report Outputs

The Missed Connections report is very similar to the Connections Analysis report, with two key differences, the Gateway field, and the Miss Connect Window fields.  You can only look at one Gateway at a time.  You can also only look at one day at a time.

1. Gateway Airport

Selecting the airport you want to review potential connections at is the first step. You can either type in the airport code or name or choose from the drop-down list which appears after you begin to type the name or code. Remember, you can analyse only one gateway airport at a time.

2. Missed Connections Window

This field is located in the Connection Parameters area and allows you to model the ‘what if’ impact of extending or reducing the Minimum and Maximum connecting times.  The default is -30 minutes, and +0 minutes, which means that if you run a query on this basis, it will identify what missed connections occur 30 minutes behind the Minimum connection time.  You can select any number of minutes in this option, but the longer the time period, the greater the volume of data that will be included.

3. Location Options

There is one other main difference in this report, which are the location options at the top in the Period parameter.

These options allow you to change the focus of the Missed Connections Window by changing the location options. The default is to look at the origin departure times, but you can change this to look at what impact changing the minimum and maximum connecting times have at the gateway arrival, the gateway departure or the destination arrival point.

This option allows you to order the results by the origin departure time, gateway arrival time, gateway departure time or destination arrival time, depending on your preference.   

Lastly, the date field only allows you to select a single day.

All other selections work in the same way as the Connections Analysis report.

3.2.2      Worked Example - Missed Connections Report

On our website there are some worked example video guides for each type of report. These match up with the worked examples we use here, so you can use this guide and the videos to complement each other if necessary.

In this example we’re going to look at what connections Cathay Pacific’s Sydney to Hong Kong flight misses.  We’ve selected Hong Kong as our Gateway airport, Cathay Pacific as the carrier, and Sydney as the origin airport.  We’ll leave the destination field blank as we want to see all possible missed connections.  We’ll also leave the Miss Connect Window at the default setting of -30 and +0 minutes, and the default location option of Origin Departure (meaning the Miss Connect window timings will be applied to the origin departure times).

The screenshot below shows the Connections Analysis report with these criteria and default selections:

 We then click Run and as with other OAG Analyser reports, the data appears as shown in the screenshot below:

The results here show what onward connecting flights would have been feasible if our inbound flight had arrived up to 30 minutes earlier and left no later than the current schedule. You can see that there are 9 potential missed connections.

If we change the focus of our query to the Gateway arrival, the results are now determined by the Miss Connect Window being applied to the Gateway Arrival (Hong Kong) times.

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4.           MY OAG

In this section we will take a look at some of the general functions that run across Connections Analyser. These are very similar to those in Schedules and Traffic Analyser.  These include the ability to save reports; and to customise groups of information to make running reports with similar query types easier.  There is also a detailed reference section where you can look up information on a range of areas.

These are all useful steps that should help you to make the most of your Analyser experience. 

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4.1          SAVING REPORTS

Saving a report and naming it means you can return at any time and re-run the report based on your original query, or amend some of the details and revisit it.  To save a report in either of the Connections Analyser reports you simply click on Save which is located in the top right hand corner.  This opens up a box, as shown in the screenshot below and all you need to do is enter a name for the report and then click on Save.  

Once you’ve saved a report, you can view it from the Saved Reports option in My OAG as displayed below. My OAG can be accessed at any time from the main toolbar at the top of the screen. 

To view the report, you click on open, to rerun the report you simply click run, and there is a third option to share the report with another user, by clicking share and entering their user ID.

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4.1.2          CUSTOMISING DATA

A helpful feature in OAG Connections Analyser is the ability to set up groups of data – you can do this for carriers, cities, countries, equipment, airports, regions and states.  You can also create Phantom Flights (we cover the steps to do this earlier in this guide), your own QSI coefficients and MCT’s as well as the above data groups.

To set up a new QSI definition, you need to take the following steps:

Go to My OAG, then select My QSI.   This opens the following page:

Click on New Custom QSI and the following table opens up allowing you to pre-determine whatever coefficients you wish.  For each parameter selected in the drop down box a unique set of coefficients appears, all of which can be changed by the user. Once you’ve changed what you need, you should give the custom QSI a name, and then save it. It will then appear in your default list.

Setting up Custom MCTs is a similar process.  Access the menu from the same place, My OAG, then select new custom MCT

The following box appears and you can pre-set your custom MCTs, remembering to give them a name and save before closing the box.

The process for setting up these different types of groups is similar. You select the type of group you want and add the details of carrier, or airports, or any other field you need, then save the group giving it a new name. It will then appear in your list of Saved Groups.

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4.1.3          USER PREFERENCES

In the User Preferences section you can save your preferences to always ensure that reports are displayed in your preferred formats.

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4.1.4           REFERENCE

Lastly the OAG Reference section allows you to look up reference data associated with airlines and airports.  You reach this section by clicking on reference in the bar at the top of the screen

Once you click on Reference, the following screen appears, allowing you to search for data in 10 different areas.

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