From airplanes to classrooms: A cross‐domain literature review of seating assignment models and methods

Abstract Seating assignments play an important role in customer‐focused managerial decisions, yet existing studies are frequently limited in scope to isolated application domains. This paper addresses this fragmentation through the first systematic cross‐domain seating assignment literature review, analyzing publications via bibliometric analysis and examining assignment methods (including optimization techniques) across transportation (airplanes and trains), dining establishments, entertainment venues, and classrooms. Co‐citation analysis reveals that research communities operate in separate networks despite addressing similar challenges using mathematical programming, heuristic approaches, stochastic simulation, and other operational research methods. Our cross‐domain synthesis identifies technique transfer opportunities previously invisible due to research silos, such as applying restaurant group‐seating strategies to airline passengers traveling together or entertainment venue considerations to dining table assignments. The review concludes that limited real‐world implementation stems partly from researchers' inability to access successful approaches from adjacent fields, highlighting opportunities to advance seating assignment methods through integrated frameworks.