Passenger Electronic Devices

If anyone has flown on a commercial flight in the past few years they are surely to have noticed a significant change in technology integration throughout the entire travel experience. With online booking, individual ticket kiosks, apps, and inflight Wi-Fi, the savvy traveler of today resembles more of a sweatpants wearing tech-geek than the traditional image of a suit and tie laden jetsetter of years past. Not to say this is a bad thing, but the airline industry is certainly mimicking the trends of society becoming more interlaced with personal electronic devices and incorporating this trend into their business strategies. So, with this week’s blog topic of electronic devices, we will briefly overview what is currently being employed and what might be in the near future for the commercial passenger.

Baggage tracking is a hot topic for newer technologies. With customers of shipping being able to track their packages and even people tracking the progress of their delivery pizza, it is no surprise that a traveler would want to track their bag(s). According to Kollau (2013), “On domestic flights Delta passengers can use Delta’s smartphone app to track their checked baggage with the bag tag number that they received at the time of baggage check-in. Since Delta has equipped all its domestic aircraft with GoGo’s inflight internet, passengers can check up in the air whether their bag has made it on their flight.” There would also soon be a more streamlined process of baggage dropoff including off airport storage to ease the process as well. According to a report by IATA (2013), “For a start, you will need far more storage areas to deal with multiple points of origin and multiple destinations,” says Reynolds. “This type of warehousing will probably have to be set-up off-airport because of the space requirement. The system could be fully automated but it would be a major capital investment. We are not talking about an upgrade to existing systems but a complete redesign of the baggage process.”

Once at the airport, passengers will require constant internet connectivity. Restaurants and businesses already utilize this and the general public has come to find this as the norm, simply not having this service would upset passengers and diminish their flying experience. Many travelers today come prepared with laptops and electronic books (Kindles) to overcome the inherent boredom of waiting in terminals either before or between flights. In order to utilize many of the functions of these devices, an internet connection is a necessity. This would require implementing this technology in airports not yet equipped with this amenity, but for the majority of airports that do, maintaining a strong and reliable signal strength requiring on-site maintenance and tech support. Wi-Fi is simply a must of today’s society.

While inflight, this is where an airline has the chance to become creative. But everything will have to revolve around the personal devices. Charging and storage is a well-received amenity, according to Kollau (2013), “Airlines around the world are responding to the large number of passengers carrying smartphones, notebooks, tablets and e-readers by equipping seats with power and USB ports. A number of airlines and interior suppliers are also looking at ways to integrate passengers’ own devices with the design of the seat.” Delta seems to be the current leader in the U.S. market in terms of technological integration with its generally well received “Fly Delta App”. According to Schaal (2013), “On the Fly Delta app for iPad, you view a stunning globe, with red pins as indicators for fare specials. You can spin the globe and tap on the pins to view the specials; you can also search for flights by destinations from romantic getaways to family favorites and top beaches.” Other features include, “entertainment: You can download, for a fee, top movies and music from iTunes, and top books and articles from iBookstore… [and] the Glass Bottom Jet gives information about the landmarks outside your aircraft's windows. If you select flight status as you're flying over Lexington, Ky., for example, you can tap on the map and read a Wikipedia article about Darby Dan Farm, view Panoramio photos of other area attractions, see information about Facebook friends in the area, and post updates to their Facebook timelines” (Schaal 2013).

The future of travel will no doubt hinge on the use of a passengers own electronic device. Surely there will be issues on the part of the airlines as this progression takes place, whether it be unreliable systems or simply features not found to be popular by the public. But I think the real struggle as this technology advances will be how the airlines will have to balance services between the customers who choose to utilize technology and those who do not. There will always be a select group of individuals who for various reasons will avoid this technology. But if they are paying customers, the airlines will still have to provide a smooth and streamlined process for these individuals.

References

Kirby, M. (2011, May 24). Passenger experience in the spotlight as technology advances . Retrieved from http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/passenger-experience-in-the-spotlight-as-technology-advances-357128/

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

Schaal, D. (2013, January 30). Delta ipad app has many nifty features. Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/columnist/digitaltraveler/2013/01/29/delta-ipad-app-has-many-nifty-features/1875595/

Special report: The future face of air travel. (2013, April). Retrieved from http://www.iata.org/publications/airlines-international/april-2013/Pages/passenger-experience.aspx

The Merger of American Airlines and US Airways

 

           With the potential merger between American and US is currently being held up by an antitrust suit, many industry analysts continue to spectate on the potential outcomes from the consolidation. The focus being on the impact on the passengers, there is much debate as to whether or not the ultimate burden will be on the pocket of the passengers.

            The main point of contention against a merger between the two airlines would be the unfair business practices that could result from a lack of competition. According to the Department of Justice (2013), “this merger would eliminate competition between US Airways and American and put consumers at risk of higher prices and reduced service… If this merger goes forward, even a small increase in the price of airline tickets, checked bags or flight change fees would result in hundreds of millions of dollars of harm to American consumers. Both airlines have stated they can succeed on a standalone basis and consumers deserve the benefit of that continuing competitive dynamic.”

            Another issue with the merger would be the seniority list dilemma. There is much to gain from a higher spot on the list, from better pay, higher job security, and better shifts, it is no surprise that a pilot would want to drop at all. In any airline merger, trying to combine two separate pilot seniority lists has no clear framework. However it is common for the pilots of the financially stronger airline to receive preference. Also, US Airways still has issues with seniority since, “the 2005 merger of US Airways and America West. Pilots from the two airlines have been filing cases ever since the 2007 ruling” (Reed 2013). This is still an issue because according to Reed, “both sides are right. West pilots say binding arbitration is binding arbitration. Few of us would want to live in a world where that is not true. East pilots argue that binding arbitration occurred under the jurisdiction of the Air Line Pilots Association, which is basically a private club, and US Airways pilots voted to leave the club.” However unfortunate it may be to some pilots, I would perhaps take the approach to sorting the list by strictly the date of hire of employees. There would no doubt be upset pilots, but at least the process would be the easiest to construct.

            The merge between the two airlines might seem unsavory, but however, others contend that denying the merger does not take into account the competition from other, previously merged, airlines. According to Jacobs (2013), “If the airlines don't merge, they might offer lower prices, but could ultimately be forced to cut routes or go out of business as they try to compete with much larger United and Delta, themselves the products of mega-mergers over the last few years.” Also, with higher profit for the airline, comes the potential for higher wages for employees, which have been on a continuing decrease ever since the recent economic downturn.

            Essentially, the merger becomes a debate between cost and quality. With keeping both companies independent of one another, there would indeed be competition between the two airlines resulting in lower fares. But allowing them to merge would enable the new company to upgrade various components within the airline, namely aircraft amenities and technology. Because of this choice between the two, there is no clear “right” answer to the merger.

            As for how this affects my future flying career, I think some of the previous concepts of quantity, cost, and competition apply. With a merger, there will be one less airline, and to me that means one less airline to someday apply to. Also, there will perhaps be less total aircraft being flown across the country daily, which translates to fewer chances for employment. In terms of cost, I think that a higher fare to passengers would hopefully result in higher wages for pilots.

           

References

Greenberg, P. (2012, April 24). What a us airways & american airlines merger would mean for you . Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-greenberg/what-a-us-airways-american_b_1447467.html

Jacobs, K. (2013, August 16). Analysis: Merged american airlines-us airways would offer more, could charge more. Retrieved from http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/16/us-airlines-consumers-analysis-idUSBRE97F10020130816

Justice department files antitrust lawsuit challenging proposed merger between us airways and american airlines. (2013, August 13). Retrieved from http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2013/August/13-at-909.html

Melendez, E. D. (2013, February 8). American airlines, us airways merger likely a bad deal for customers: Consumer advocates. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/08/american-airlines-us-airways-merger_n_2647054.html

Reed, T. (2013, March 3). How to fix the pilot seniority mess at us airways. Retrieved from http://www.thestreet.com/story/11868833/1/how-to-fix-the-pilot-seniority-mess-at-us-airways.html

What does "Professionalism" mean to you?

            Professionalism is defined to be, “the skill, good judgment, and polite behavior that is expected from a person who is trained to do a job well.” Also, to maintain a level of professionalism, one must first be a professional. Or more simply, have some sort of commercial gain through performance. Whether it is being employed where one is financially compensated, or a student where the compensation is a learned skill or ability. Certainly, professionalism is something one should expect of an aviation professional, and since that is what our class wishes to one day become, professionalism should be demonstrated by my fellow classmates and myself. That being said, to me, professionalism is something that has to done by example and although difficult to define, does have some basic traits.

            Timeliness has to be the first thing that comes to mind when the concept of professionalism is brought up. In high school sports I was quickly taught the concept that being on-time was late and being early was on-time. If practice was at 11:00 am on a Saturday, the whole team was expected to be there and ready well before that, and if anybody showed up past 10:50, we all ran. Translate this experience to a college setting, the professional thing to do would be to show up slightly before a scheduled class time is to begin, and wait. Also, for flight lessons, show up thirty minutes before lesson is to begin in order to properly pre-flight the plane, obtain a weather brief, and generally avoid any “rushing” that would establish a poor mentality and mood before a flight.

            Secondly, a portion of professionalism would have to be simply showing up. A good percentage of college courses allot a portion of their grade to attendance. That means, a person could receive points for just sitting in a chair. Coupled with the fact that a person is paying money to essentially “reserve” a seat for a semester, it is a wonder why some people never show up.

            Another trait of professionalism would be a person taking some sort of pride in their respective profession or work. This could be in the form of speaking highly of their chosen profession, defending it in conversation when others question its validity, gaining personal enjoyment from it, or taking time outside of the traditional working environment to reflect upon it to better one’s performance

            Professionalism also would seem to require a certain amount of a grooming standard as well. When I think of what a professional would be, a suit and tie quickly comes to mind. However, this does not mean that wearing anything “below” a suit would not be professional. It simply means that there is a certain level of care that must be given to appearance for a person to seem professional. This makes sense because if a person takes the time to compose themselves accordingly and can afford to do so, this can only mean that they must take similar care in their work and are compensated for it.

            But the most important aspect of professionalism would be performing at a high level of skill or proficiency. The difference between a person who does something professionally as opposed to recreationally, is that the professional does the task for a living. So in order for a person to become a professional, they must gain this level of skill through practice and respect of their craft. For an aviation student this would mean studying their materials, which could be textbooks, aircraft Pilot Operating Handbooks, and other aviation related materials. Also, practicing of flying skills through consistent flying.

            These are just some basic examples and traits of professionalism. Since each profession is unique from one another, certain traits and abilities that would seem professional to one would be unheard of in another. But, one thing is certain, a certain level of professionalism is required for success in the professional world, not matter what the job may be.
             One example of pilots not being professional would be on Northwest Airlines Flight188. During which, both pilots became distracted during cruise flight and overflew their destination, Minneapolis-St. Paul International/Wold-Chamberlain Airport, and continued northeast for approximately 150 miles over the next 16 minutes. However, an example of professionalism would be, when over the summer while working at Detroit Metro Airport, observing the professional demeanor of the Delta pilots while in the terminal. Some examples would be helping direct passengers to the right gate, being dressed in cleaned and maintained uniforms, and being friendly to children.

            As for how I plan to keep building my professional development throughout my career, I think it will be to try and hold myself to the standard of what I believe professionalism is. This will include the skills I previously mentioned, but also not constantly looking forward to the next step in my career and taking time to focus on the present and excel at that. Also, when the time comes to depart a particular position, not “ burning any bridges” when I do leave, since you do not know when you will run across someone again in your future.

References

Ahlers, M. M. (2009, October 22). Airliner crew flies 150 miles past airport. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2009/TRAVEL/10/22/airliner.fly.by/

Johnson , B., & Smith , S. (2011, December 21). Professionalism: A ‘must have’ for all aviation workers. Retrieved from http://www.aviationpros.com/article/10456996/ramp-workers-must-be-professionals-to-ensure-safety

Sumwalt, R. L. (2011, March 30). Professionalism in aviation. Retrieved from http://www.ntsb.gov/doclib/speeches/sumwalt/Sumwalt_033011.pdf