Work

Quantifying Deviations from Gaussianity with Application to Flight Delay Distributions

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: We propose a novel approach for quantifying deviations from Gaussianity by leveraging the Jensen-Shannon distance. Using stable distributions as a flexible framework, we analyze the effects of skewness and heavy tails in synthetic sequences. We employ phase-randomized surrogates as Gaussian references to systematically evaluate the statistical distance between this reference and stable distributions. Our methodology is validated using real flight delay datasets from major airports in Europe and the United States, revealing significant deviations from Gaussianity, particularly at high-traffic airports. These results highlight systematic air traffic management strategy differences between the two geographic regions.

Source: Entropy

DOI: 10.3390/e27040354

Authors: Felipe Olivares, Massimiliano Zanin

Institutions: Institute for Cross-Disciplinary Physics and Complex Systems, Universitat de les Illes Balears

Language: English

Topic: Complex Systems and Time Series Analysis

Subfield: Economics and Econometrics

Field: Economics, Econometrics and Finance

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,137

Funders: European Research Council, Agencia Estatal de Investigación