Airport Heijunka
DFW International
Airport will distribute more than $10,000 in “DFW Bucks” on
December 20 and 21 to encourage families to check in during
off-peak times to avoid the Christmas checkpoint crunch, offering
children 12 and under a coupon to eat free at any of the
restaurants in the Airport’s five terminals.
The idea is to “level load” the airport security lines, by
encouraging families to come between 12 and 2. It’s easier for
families to get through during non-peak times (plus it doesn’t clog
the lines up as bad for the rest of us). My wife and I are trying
to help level load by traveling on Christmas Day afternoon (a day
we assume isn’t as busy as the next few will be).
The DFW example seems like a good case of “demand shaping,” trying
to level out demand for a product or service, rather than just
taking it as it comes. In the Lean approach, “heijunka,” or level
loading, can apply to leveling demand (an ideal condition) or
leveling production (which requires inventory).
Best wishes to everyone for the holidays!
