Estimation question

An airport closed down for a day due to inclement weather. How long does it take to get caught up?

Practice this question out loud. An AI interviewer asks it, follows up like a real interviewer would, and scores your answer. Type or speak.

What this question tests

Operational estimation: can you reason through backlog accumulation and recovery capacity rather than guessing a flat recovery time.

Estimate the backlog created, assume a mid sized airport normally handles 300 flights a day, so a full closure creates a backlog of roughly 300 delayed or cancelled flights.
Estimate the airport's normal versus surge capacity, assume it can handle maybe 10 to 15 percent above normal daily volume by adding extra flights and tighter turnarounds.
Calculate daily catch up capacity: 15 percent of 300 is roughly 45 extra flights absorbed per day beyond the normal daily load.
Divide the backlog by daily catch up capacity: 300 divided by 45 gives roughly 7 days to fully clear the backlog, assuming no new disruptions.
Adjust downward since airlines often also cancel some lower priority flights and rebook passengers onto other carriers, which speeds recovery, so a more realistic estimate is 3 to 5 days.
State the final answer as a range and note that weather recurrence and connecting hub effects are the biggest sources of uncertainty.

Models the problem as backlog versus surge capacity rather than guessing a flat number of days.
Adjusts the raw calculation using a realistic factor, cancellations and rebooking, showing practical judgment.
Names the biggest uncertainty, further weather disruption, which shows awareness of real world volatility.

Assuming the airport instantly returns to normal the next day with no backlog effect.
Ignoring that airlines have extra capacity levers, like added flights, that speed recovery.

Chapters of the AI PM course that teach what this question tests.