Electronic Age

When looking at this past decade it has taken some significant steps in the use of technology. We are now in a time when the average consumer has a great amount of accessibility to technology, almost everyone has some sort of technology as a integral part of their life. There has been great advancements for the development of technology that can be extremely helpful and useful. These devices can be used for personal, professional, production, and development uses. It has changed the way we live, the way we interact, and the way we handle tasks.

            Technology has added a greater amount of entertainment, providing hours of activities that is no bigger than your hand and can be easily carried becoming convent. More recently Airlines has made it a standard to put internet access on most if not all of their aircraft fleet to help further the customers experience on the flight. Internet access on aircraft can be a great asset to the company allowing customers to have other options for entertainment or allow them to take care of personal or work related tasks while trying to reach their destination. It has added another element to traveling and providing customers with not only the fast form of transportation but a more efficient and enjoyable experience. From a business standpoint it can be a great benefit to the worker and allows them to be even more useful and effective during the flight. With the advancements in technology airlines are now able to connect crew tablets to the internet as the availability of aircraft with on-board Wi-Fi grows. This will close the customer service loop for airlines, as they will be able to connect with crew and passengers up in the air, providing a productive operation for the flight attendants and quicker service to the customers (Kollau, 2013). It also allows children to be entertained for the length of the flight which can lead to a more peaceful environment. I remember about 10 years ago going on planes walking through them you would see most people with magazines, books, or newspapers, today walking through a plane during flight most if not all people have out laptops, tablets, handheld gaming systems, or Smartphone's.

            Although these devices have made productivity higher, I find that most people are to fixated on these devices and feel they need to be constantly checking them. Many times you see parents just throw a electronic device in their children's hands to keep them occupied and quiet so they are not disturbed. Many times you see adults so fixated that they have little to no situational awareness, even to the point to where they are walking into others or other things. Many people don't realize just how often they check these devices and can be easily over looked due to the amount of options that these devices provide.

            There has been a large stigma about when the use of Personal Electronic Devices (PED's) can or should be used. The FAA has recently lessened the restriction on the use of PED's. There has been restrictions on the use of PED's due to the safety aspect of flying, for two reasons. First, would be the possibility with electronic devices interfering with parts or systems involving the avionics, including radio communication, navigational equipment, and aircraft control and monitor systems. Each electronic device produces radio waves or electronic waves, due to them being powered and operated by electricity. Different devices produce different amounts of radio waves, some more than others, the FAA has been trying to test what equipment would be acceptable to operate during flight, to minimize interference (Wisegeek, 2013). Although most modern aircraft have added protection against outside radio waves, older aircraft do not have the protection or redundancy that installed in newer airframes. Second reason for PED restrictions during takeoff and landing is safety within the cabin. In the event of an emergency near the ground, it is safer to have all items stored away. If there were many items loose throughout the cabin if something were to happen it could cause much harm to other passengers. Although there are few studies that support the restrictions, they are just added safety measures to help prevent a possible unsafe environment.                                  

            For the airlines electronic devices needing internet is great news and provides one more way to make money for providing this service. Internet can be used as a marketing tool to prospect customer as an added luxury that airline provides. For most airlines internet is a added fee that you must pay for to use. Prices can range depending of the route being flown and provide different time lengths that the customer can buy. Most package times selling for 30 minutes, 1 hour, or the length of the flight. Different options can be added depending on the length of the flight, such as access to movies or games provided by the airline with or without internet accessibility. Most airlines also provides day passes for internet if you will be making multiple stops or flights during that day. Some of the larger carriers also provide an internet option for people that travel often or use the airlines as a way to commute most days, a onetime fee that provides internet larger amount of time, for a number of months or a year. Prices range depending on companies and routes but most internet or entertainment options range from $2 to $60. If you do not fly often or only have a flight less than 2 hours it may not be worth getting and using the internet, however, for longer trip or international flights it may be worth the extra money for internet. Most aircraft do have T.V.'s placed throughout the aircraft, on larger aircraft or for international flights may times there are T.V's placed behind each headrest, with some models having touch screen abilities. Many flights do include a movie or a show to watch for the customers, however, these touch screen models are more options with games, flight trackers, music, a view from the camera near the top of the horizontal stabilizer, providing more interaction and entertainment for the passengers. In a article by Raymond Kollau he references a New York Times article that speaks of the many dimensions that technology has added to the airlines, stating:

“The great advances in technology presents for airlines themselves to essentially sell more things to the customers, whether the product is in-flight entertainment, food and drink, customized services to elite-status passengers or products at the destination, including hotel packages, sports and concert tickets, restaurant and theatre reservations. On an airplane, you have a captive market, and with sophisticated technology, you can sell to passengers in very personal ways.”

References

Kollau, Raymond (2013, August 15). Increasing onboard ancillary revenues through data and connectivity. Retrieved November 18, 2013, from http://www.futuretravelexperience.com/2013/08/increasing-onboard-ancillary-revenues-through-data-connectivity-and-a-retailing-mindset/

Kollau, Raymond (2013, June 6). The In-flight passenger experience technological revolution – Part one. Retrieved November 17, 2013, from http://www.futuretravelexperience.com/2013/06/the-in-flight-passenger-experience-technological-revolution-part-one/

Ribbers, Jasper (2013, August 9). Do electrical devices really interfere with aircraft navigational systems? Retrieved November 17, 2013, from http://www.thetravelingdutchman.com/do-electrical-devices-really-interfere-with-aircraft-navigational-systems/

Wise Geek (2013). Why do all Electronics Have to be Turned Off for Takeoff and Landing? Retrieved November 17, 2013, from http://www.wisegeek.org/why-do-all-electronics-have-to-be-turned-off-for-takeoff-and-landing.htm

Airlines One Size Fits All

        Mergers of companies have become a common theme within any industry. With a sluggish economy and little growth it has been a struggle for many companies to remain profitable or to overwhelming to efficiently adapt. Aviation has been an industry that has seen a great amount of mergers leaving a small competitive market. With the smaller market it makes it increasingly difficult for new companies to establish themselves. There are some positives and some negatives that comes with mergers, that effect both the company and their customers.

            Mergers can have a great effect on the customer, one of the most obvious being one less option for customers to select from leading to less competition that can lead to higher ticket cost. Most are under the impression that due to the size, competition, profitability of the company because of the merger that cost for tickets will decrease, however because the market is so small and they may be one of a few options or the only option they can increase the ticket price on those routes to an extreme amount. Profit-hungry carriers undoubtedly will push fares as high as possible if a shortage of competition on some routes lets them get away with it (Newman, 2013). If customers need to get to these destinations they will be willing to pay for the conveyance rather than the affordability. In recent years even with other mergers there has been raised fares, imposed new and higher fees, and reduced service. On the other hand, customers that are not in need of convenience or time will look for more budget friendly options. There is a large misconception that because of the increase in fleet size there will be more options for routes and will be easier to fly direct to many stops. Yes, the fleet size will increase and yes there will be more times to available for certain routes, the ones that are most profitable is most likely you will see a higher availability for. Smaller routes or less used routes will still remain the same cost if not higher, known that only a small amount of people will use these routes the airlines will increase the cost for these flights knowing that these people are dependent upon these flights at have a limited availability. Just because the size of the company increases a great amount does not mean the cost will go down it will most likely go up for these massive companies to remain as profitable as possible.

            Looking on the other side of mergers it can help a company if they are in financial in trouble. Most mergers that occurred after one company declared bankruptcy. many times these companies that merge are having trouble recovering from bankruptcy or having trouble maintaining their own company. Many of these struggling companies look to mergers as a valid option as an opportunity to grow. Merging allows these stagnate companies to improve and upgrade their product and operation. The companies can now do things they were unable to do before such as; upgrade to newer aircraft, upgrade current aircraft, integrate new operational procedures, and newer technologies to help the flow of operations. All those bankruptcies allowed the airlines to trim an excess supply of jets and cut labor costs that got inflated during the late 1990s (Newman, 2013). Mergers give these companies a chance to reset, take on a new direction, and changing the mindset.

            One of the most difficult decisions when merging is deciding the seniority list. It is an issue that has many companies battling for years after mergers trying to decide what is best for their employees. Companies trying to gain much control with providing their employees with the best possible spot on the seniority. The seniority list determines not only the pay rate of the pilots but the benefits and rewards that comes with jobs, having more say on your schedule and routes. Many mergers split the seniority into sections providing X amount of employees to have a section on the list, example A company gets top 20 spots on the list and company B gets the next 20 spots, so on so forth. This can cause animosity between workers within the work place. Your could have a worker that before the merger was within the top 5 on the seniority and after the merger will only be able to be no higher than 20 on the list, this is a large down grade and can be discouraging to someone that has worked hard to reach that point in their careers. Personally I believe that the best course of action when merging seniority list is to take both list start from the top and insert every other from the top of each list, example: First spot Company A, Second spot Company B, Third spot Company A, etc... This would provide a more even and balanced list that allows both companies to have opportunity on the higher end of the list. Determining who from what company goes first could be based off of total flight time, years with their respective company, type of aircraft, types of ratings and certifications, and routes being flown, the overall value of those pilots. After choosing the first person on the list everyone after will be inserted on a every other method. Some companies seniority list are based off not only hire date but the aircraft they are flying in, the same concept can be applied per aircraft. 

         All mergers must go through Justice Department’s antitrust division in the approval process  of combining these companies. According The United States Department of Justice the mission and purpose of the antitrust division is to promote economic competition through enforcing and providing guidance on antitrust laws and principles. The goal of the antitrust laws is to protect economic freedom and opportunity by promoting free and fair competition in the marketplace (USDOJ mission, 2013). The antitrust division is to protect the consumer and help preserve the competitive nature in all markets within the United States. They encourage a competitive market that helps lowers prices and provides quality of products. This division help prevent monopolies from taking place and controlling a particular market. They are able to do so by filling for a criminal law suit that seeks a court order and can lead to no approval, lager fines, or even jail time in some cases. The USDJ also provides guidance for companies, assisting them with structuring and organization so they remain within accordance of the law. The USDJ has stalled the merger between American Airlines and US Airlines due to the size of both companies, if the merger happens they will be the world's largest airline. Christopher Elliott from Seattle Times states if the merger were to happen "the new airline would control 69 percent of the takeoff and landing slots domestically at some airports. That would translate into higher prices and fewer choices, the government claims." In the same article it says that those route that will be owned by those companies are tens of billions of dollars in revenue annually. With some routes reaching up to two billion dollars of revenue each annually these routes would be greatly controlled by these one airlines allowing them to raise the fees even higher (Elliott, 2013). Delta, United, Southwest and the new American will control about 85-88 percent of all domestic air travel (Newman, 2013). American and US airlines currently have 12 of their non-stop routes overlap directly, the main reason for the action taken by USDJ is simply due to the competition that it would leave for the market (Saporito, 2013). 

            Merging cannot only lead to less options for the customers but can leave less options for future employees. Instead of having 10 different airlines to select from that now there will only be a 4 to choose from. With the limited number of airlines leads to a difficult job search with now hundreds to thousands of applicants now all applying to the same place. This can lead to a very competitive market for applicants and could cause a even more stagnate hiring due to the large number of applicants and the limited option to select form.   

            I personally do not like the idea of merging from a competitive standpoint and what it can lead to. Merging lessens the competition, which in turn can lead to less innovation throughout the market, with the only amount of innovation coming when trying to save the company money. Not that saving money is bad but does not infuse the desire to create or invent something that can help other areas or just make a better overall product or service. Merging can lead to a standardization of products and services, when thinking of this it reminds me of movies that were made years ago when they try to create the future and what they thought it would look like: All the same cars, clothes, houses, phones, and airplanes. A one size fits all monopoly, a standardization that limits the options to the point where there is no options.

       

References

Elliott, Christopher (2013, August 20). Blocking airline merger is mostly good news for passengers. The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 10, 2013, from http://seattletimes.com/html/travel/2021649727_airlinemergertroubleshooterxml.html

Newman, Rick (2013, February 14). How Airline Mergers Saved an Industry—and May Even Benefit Fliers. Retrieved November 10, 2013, from http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/rick-newman/2013/02/14/how-airline-mergers-saved-an-industryand-may-even-benefit-fliers

Saporito, Bill (2013, November 9). The Sky-High Price You’ll Pay for Airline Mergers. TIME. Retrieved November 10, 2013, from http://business.time.com/2013/11/09/the-sky-high-price-of-airline-mergers/

Department of Justice (2013, September 5). Case 1:13-cv-01236-CKK. Document 73. Retrieved November 10, 2013, from http://www.justice.gov/atr/cases/f300400/300479.pdf

The United States Department of Justice (2013). Retrieved November 10, 2013, from http://www.justice.gov/index.html

Professionalism in Aviation

Professionalism can be viewed as several different variants. The Merriam-Webster defines professionalism as: the skill, good judgment, and polite behavior that is expected from a person who is trained to do a job well. The conduct, aims, or qualities that characterize or mark a profession or a professional person. The following of a profession (as athletics) for gain or livelihood (Merriam-Webster,  2013). Personally when I think of professionalism I think of someone's characteristics and personality, that allows them to succeed and have the skills set to maintain an efficient and productive work ethic. Professionalism can be divided into two categories, how someone conducts themselves and how a person is able to use the abilities they have to optimize their performance. On the other hand a professional can have a more broad range of definitions and is the other side of professionalism. A professional is someone that is paid to participate in a sport or activity. Relating to a job that requires special education, training, or skill. Done or given by a person who works in a particular profession (Merriam-Webster, 2013). This may be the case for many professionals that are in the work force right now, they may be a professional in their field, however, have a small amount of professionalism when doing their work. A professional is the title you carry and professionalism is how you carry yourself while performing your tasks.

            In aviation I believe that the traits needed to maintain your professionalism are different from other occupations, due to the requirements of the work being done. The first trait that one might need in the aviation industry is flexibility/durability. Due to the high demands of the schedule it is extremely important to remain flexible when it comes to time and location and most importantly be willing and accepting. Aviation is not a 9-5 job that you will be at home every night to have dinner with the family, in most cases your job might not allow you to see your family or friends for several days at a time. Job location is another area of concern for many that requires a lot of consideration. There might be a great opportunity elsewhere that can allow you to achieve your future aspirations, unfortunately, this many require you to work in a different city, state or country. If a pilot has a family there is a lot to consider with the uprooting and replanting of your children or spouse. In some cases the spouse of the pilot may have a great job with good pay and benefits and would be difficult to find a job of that same status elsewhere. It may be a case where the pilot may have to commute long distances before each shift, requiring them to take a connection flight to their destination adding several hours to their day. The demands may be high and will require the pilots and his family to be both flexible and durable. The second trait needed to succeed in the aviation industry is being able to connect with people. Many people think that you must have an extraverted personality to connect with people, however, there is a difference between outgoing and connecting. The key is connecting with people because of the "small world" nature of the aviation industry, networking is your greatest asset. In today's society it is becoming more accessible to connect with people and easier to find information about others, it is important to consistently monitor what is open to the public. Recently there has been a shift in the work force, applicants have changed their mind sets and instead of being concerned what they can do for the company their main concern is what the company can do for them, advertising and branding themselves. The last trait I find vital in the aviation industry is the ability to adapt, grow, and master your skills and abilities. It is an industry that requires your heart in all that you do and you must possess a passion to be the best that you can be, constantly learning and adjusting. Flying is a skill, without learning the skill can diminish and/or become lackluster. Flying is a skill that requires constant involvement in, many times you see airline pilots fall into a mind set or a cycle that they only fly for work and do not fly outside of work or for fun or practice. I believe that it is important to be involved in other areas and sectors of aviation and never just limit flying to just a job or a way to pay a bills. I have found that the pilots that have had envelopment in aviation or connected to other areas of aviation outside of their jobs, give the most to learn from and provide the most insight. The ones not involved or just fly for work are the ones that seem to have a bitter view on aviation and defer aspiring pilots away from aviation. Involvement leads to practice, practice leads to perfection, perfection leads to success.

            In the situation that I am in, working at a FBO I am able to see varying types and styles of professionalism, or lack thereof. There has many great examples of professionalism that I have seen within aviation, one example that comes to mind is a situation that I got to witness and how well the pilots handled it. Over the summer we had a flight come in on a Gulfstream Four from a company that we have dealt with in the past. Upon landing they had a major issue with the nose landing gear that caused the plane to be grounded, without hesitation the pilots discussed the situation to the passengers and would do their best to help them reach their destination. During this time both pilots were on separate computers and constantly making phone calls and arrangements for about 45 minutes straight. They were working together to try to figure out the best course of action for their passengers. The pilots were able to find an air-charter company that could have the plane at the airport ready to go in 1 hour and 30 minutes, as well as, upgrading the hotel rooms to suites with a catered meal ready upon arrival with no extra cost to the passengers. In that time they also scheduled maintenance to come do the necessary repairs. The way the pilots conducted their work was a great example of professionalism, not only being able to safely land the aircraft with a nose gear malfunction, the pilots took matters into their own hands and not just let dispatch handle the situation. The promptly worked to ensure that the safety and needs of the passengers were met and exceeded, all while informing dispatch, maintenance, and the FBO of the situation and what would be the decisions made.

            On the other hand, there has been many unprofessional experiences that we have had to deal with. Most recently I had to deal with a situation that was very unprofessional on both the pilots and dispatch part and I was stuck in the middle of it. A week ago week had a crew fly in on a Beech Jet 400 to pick up a package and depart to pick up some passengers in another state. Before arrival we received a fax from dispatch with a fuel release and a flight plan for the crew, we also received a transmission on the Unicom system from the pilots informing of the fuel load they would be needing but not to worry about it because they won't be departing for an hour and a half after arriving. Upon arrival the First officer informed me of the fuel load again and the captain informed me they would be departing an hour and a half later. 20 minutes later the captain came to the desk and asked if the plane has been fueled yet, after explaining to her that we had two other planes come in within that 20 minutes we were not able to fuel the plane yet. The captain began to make a scene in front of other customers and management, stating that she has never been treated so poorly and was disrespected by our actions. As management tried to reason with the captain to help control the situation we quickly fueled the plane in 10 minutes, she was fueled and billed within 35 minutes after arrival. Once being billed the First Officer stated we were 200 gallons short for their fuel load, even thought we fueled what they stated on the Unicom and on the fuel release from dispatch, the plane could not physically hold 200 more gallons. The captain continued to discredit our work and blamed the line men for making them late for no apparent reason, she even called the customer they were picking up to tell them why she was late. That crew didn't depart for another 30 minutes waiting for their release from dispatch, as they were walking to the plane I made sure that they were all set and see if they needed anything else, the captain replied by saying "thank you for waiting our time and making us late for no reason" and jumped on the plane. Very unprofessional on many if not all levels, starting with misinforming departure time, fuel load, mistreating the line workers and management, publicly disrupting other customers, not coordinating with dispatch, and personally calling the customers cell phone to rant about why she thought they were late.

            In the situation that I am in right now as a student, there are many things that can be done to exhibit professionalism. One can be showing up to class on time, not skipping class for unnecessary reasons, and doing the best you can on the work that is given to you. Showing a desire to be in class and benefit as much as you can from what is being taught. Putting the time and effort knowing that it will benefit you in both the short term and long term. Another way to show professionalism is not burning bridges with class mates and instructors. Respecting your teachers wishes and respecting other class mates opinions. It is important to show them respect and keep in connection with them given the nature of the industry and could lead to future opportunities. It is extremely important that you remain positive and respectful with whoever you may meet, and never disregard a possible connection. The last area that can become extremely helpful is trying to be involved as much as you can in the industry. Constantly looking for opportunities and ways to learn, whether it be internships, clubs or groups within aviation, jobs, or volunteer. The more involvement within aviation can be a great for understanding and learning on how the industry works and functions on other levels of the industry. It can give a student a better overall knowledge of aviation that they cannot learn in class. The more involvement can also lead to a larger networking base that can be beneficial once graduating. As a professional it is my job to lean as much as I can about the profession, continuously learning and developing.  

            Professionalism is something that will always be a learning process throughout life you learn how to handle different situations different ways and in different manners. Throughout my career there are several ways to remain professional, first is always having a positive influence on the people I meet. Remaining professional not just in the work environment but in a personal environment, how I conduct myself as a person and how I act in public. There are many factors that can influence the perception that people can make when seeing you or meeting you, everything from the clothes you wear, to the way you react and interact, what you laugh at or find humors, to what your opinion is on certain matters, there is a great amount that goes into how people perceive who you are as a person. Another area that could be helpful is being involved in other aviation activities. Obviously piloting is the career goal but being involved in other areas at work that could be being on a safety commodity, pilots association, training, trying to find within the work place to have a part in. Looking for opportunities in the community to help further the growth of aviation and help encourage aspiring pilots and being able to connect with other pilots in the area. There are safety seminars that can bring light to a issue that has been over looked and aviation conferences with a wealth of information and opportunities. Below are some links of some articles on professionalism within aviation.    

Reference

Evens, Terra (2009-2013). Encouraging professionalism in your staff- Flight Training. Retrieved   November 5, 2013, from http://flighttraining.aopa.org/fsb/news/110815encouraging-professionalism-in-your-staff.html

Hopkins, Jay (2010, January 19). Training: The Professional Pilot. Flying Magazine. Retrieved                  November 5, 2013, from http://www.flyingmag.com/safety/training/training-professional-pilot

Johnson, Bill Dr. & Smith, Steve (2011, December 21). Professionalism: A ‘Must Have’ For All               Aviation Workers. Retrieved November 4, 2013, from http://www.aviationpros.com/article/10456996/ramp-workers-must-be-professionals-to-ensure-safety

National Safety Council (2010, May 27). NTSB reviews professionalism in aviation. Retrieved                 November 5, 2013, from http://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/4842

Merriam-Webster Incorporated (2013). Dictionary and Thesaurus. Merriam-Webster Online.                     Retrieved November 4, 2013, from http://www.merriam-webster.com