AirportBusiness Blogs

When I was a low-time pilot with a still-damp private certificate, I sat at an airport in Georgia and listened to the old-timers talk about airplanes. One fellow said the Cessna rep had come through recently with a new Skylane. That Skylane, he said, had a price tag of some $36,000,

Now who, this fellow asked, would pay $36,000 for a Skylane?Another fellow opined that Cessna didn’t care if anyone bought one or not. “Cessna,” he said, “would love to get rid of the Skylane.” Why? Because everyone could remember when the Skylane cost about $15,000. The new models never had such a low price, so Cessna could raise the price and make more money.

Well, to tell you the truth, that line of reasoning didn’t make much sense to me then and doesn’t now. As we all know, many people did pay $36,000 and, as inflation rose over the decades and modest improvements were made in the Skylane, many more people paid a lot more for the airplane.

Now hear this: The June issue of Flying magazine has a story on a brand-new Turbo Skylane with an “approximate price” (whatever that means) of $427,400!

I’m one of those old-timers myself, now, and can remember when a new twin propjet cost less than that!

Of course the new Skylane is a lot different airplane now. It included a G1000 system, Synthetic Vision Technology, GFC 700 autopilot and WAAS, all by Garmin. If you measure capability, this airplane is vastly different from the old Skylane I flew for a while back in the early 1970s.

I wonder if somewhere, at some airport, old codgers like me are wondering who would buy such an airplane for $427,400. Probably so, I reckon.

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… when it comes to customer service. Various discussions at last week’s AAAE annual meeting emphasized that the airport itself is becoming the new guardian of the ‘customer experience’. This goes beyond the Airport Ambassador assistance programs that have achieved a level of success at various facilities. We’re talking about customer service and the additional stress it can bring to airport employees, along with the potential impact on their productivity.

It was a topic which incoming AAAE chair John Duval wanted to emphasize during an interview with AIRPORT BUSINESS. He’s working with Tom Murphy and the Human Resiliency Institute (HRI) at Fordham University on creating productivity benchmarks, with the goal of starting a pilot program later this year which could lead to a formalized training program. The initiative has its roots in the growing pressure on airports to cater to customers, despite the fact that many airports have had to make staff cutbacks. And, the reduced capacity by airlines doesn’t ease the pressure; it increases it because more passengers are getting stranded for longer durations.

Murphy at HRI is the author of a terrific book entitled, Reclaiming the Skies, which chronicles the lives of various airport/aviation personnel who were put in the position of directly responding on 9/11. Along the way, he recognized that how people got through the tragedy while handling it (or not) differed, particularly how they could help others — and different people had different needs. He saw a parallel between the counseling required in that situation to what airports are undertaking as they deal with frustrated/irate customers who are riding an airline that, from their perspective, doesn’t really seem to care. He’s been putting on a course at JFK for awhile now.

During a discussion with him he made the statement: “If you don’t make it a service issue, you’re going to lose the industry.”

For many fixed base operators and other airport-based businesses, customer service has long been one of the primary roles of staff. It can be a strong competitive advantage. For airports, it is more a responsibility that has evolved in their direction (or, you could say, has been dropped into their laps).

This edition of our weekly expanded e-newsletter features a new department from a new content partner, ServiceElements, which has a history of success in helping airport-based businesses enhance their customer service programs. Check out the new ‘Customer Service Tip of the Week’ and feel free to let us know what you think, but more importantly to share what specific topics might be featured in future installments.

Thanks for reading. jfi

… tells AAAE attendees it’s time to move past beating each other up over costs and to seek common ground in a continuingly challenging market. “I’m not going to take time to hammer you about costs,” Kelly told airport managers who are in Philly this week for the annual meeting of the American Association of Airport Executives.

“I think Southwest Airlines is in good shape,” says Kelly, pointing out that the low-fare carrier has recorded 36 consecutive years of profitability. He reports that Southwest has $2.3 billion in cash on hand and “we’ve got very low levels of debt.” Yet, in a market that continues a downward slide, he has concerns. Kelly says that with very few exceptions airports are managing their costs well. The industry has very large problems, he adds, and airlines and airports need to seek new opportunities together.

He says there are three hot buttons on his priority list: 1) attaining optimum flight paths via the NextGen air traffic management system, now under development; 2) finding viable alternative fuels for use in airliners; and 3) a fleet of more efficient aircraft than are in existence today.

Kelly says Southwest is the first airline to commit to installing the necessary equipment to make the carrier’s 737 fleet compatible with NextGen - a significant issue. He calls for a national energy policy that is “climate friendly” and reduces U.S. dependence on foreign oil. And, he wants aircraft manufacturers to advance their efforts to find new airframe and engine technologies. While the OEMs have made great strides on that score over the past two decades, says Kelly, there have been few significant advancements in recent years. “That was then and this is now,” he says.

Southwest remains interested in expanding its route structure, reports Kelly, but that will likely come at the expense of others - a redirection of resources. The airline also has its eye on international opportunities, initially via code share agreements in Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

One reality: fares will need to go up. Another is, “cost matters.”

Meanwhile, the economy remains the top challenge facing airlines and airports, says Kelly. And, because of the impact that a volatile oil market is having, the economics of the airline business has fundamentally changed in the past decade.

A point of order: During the follow-up Q&A, Kelly was asked about getting the airlines (the Air Transport Association) on board with airports’ opposition to an ARFF proposal in the recently passed U.S. House bill. It’s basically a union/jobs issue, one which could wind up costing airports billions — needlessly. Kelly evaded an answer (’We’ll look into it’). Krys Bart of Reno-Tahoe International Airport pointed out to Kelly that at her airport the figures show that the increased financial burden on her airport would mean a jump of $3 per enplaned passenger for the carriers. It got his attention; and left him silent.

Thanks for reading. jfi

This is a true story.

My friend Bryan Townsend, a top-drawer professional public speaker/writer, travels almost constantly. Last week he had the trip from hell.

Without belaboring the points, Bryan’s trip included one late flight that caused him to miss his connection, one night spent lying on the floor of the Atlanta airport (I’ve done the same myself), baggage that didn’t arrive at his destination, ironing the clothes that he had worn since the day before, and making such a good speech that the audience bought every book he had with him.

His trip home was a little—but not much—better. One main complaint was that Delta personnel treated him rudely at every opportunity. There was also a discrepancy of $30 in the price. When he finally got home, he emailed Delta about that $30. They emailed back instructing him to fill out a form and return it so they could evaluate his claim.

Bryan then sent them an email and it was a scorcher. He listed all of his troubles in detail, then concluded with…

“…Now, you want me to look up all this information. Forget it! If you can’t find it with my name and Skymiles number, keep the $30 you owe me. By the way, for awhile, I used to be a (Delta) Platinum member. It’s funny, no one at Delta has ever asked why I have moved most of my business to Southwest, who, by the way, has never charged me for checking a bag, and has never lost my bag. No one at Southwest has ever sternly corrected me for pushing the wrong button, or for asking for anything. And I have never stood in any line for over 15 minutes (except of course for the TSA security line) while traveling on Southwest. Come to think of it, I’ve never sat on a Southwest plane for over 15 minutes waiting to take off or to taxi to a gate. I’ve never been charged a dollar to change a Southwest ticket. I’ve never been denied my luggage by Southwest like I was by you all in Atlanta last year when my flight back to Birmingham was cancelled and I decided to drive home and your people laughed at me when I asked for my bag, and I have never had to spend a night on the floor at the airport because of Southwest.”

“It’s really funny. Once upon a time, I was really a loyal Delta customer. I haven’t changed, but Delta sure has. Just keep the $30. You’re probably going to need it.”

Perhaps I should mention that Bryan is one of the most easy going people that I have ever known. But he does have his limits. As do we all.

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… there are signs of direction from FAA on SMS, something which many in industry have been anticipating. The U.S., as a signatory state under ICAO, is charged with putting together regulation for safety management systems at airports and aviation businesses, something which is already in place in other countries, notably Canada. The direction has been slow in coming.

The National Air Transportation Association, which sponsors the annual charter summit, is actually ahead of the curve on SMS. It has been offering a comprehensive SMS training program for a couple of years. Airports, meanwhile, have been waiting for clear direction from FAA before implementing a program.

Don Arendt, manager at the Flight Standards SMS office of FAA, told the Part 135 carriers that a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) is in the works. “We’re considering rulemaking at this time,” he says. First, however, FAA expects to issue an advance NPRM later this year to get industry’s input on SMS.

Other insights from Arendt …

There are four pillars of SMS: policy; safety risk management; safety assurance; and, safety promotion. These involve things like understanding the system, the environment; identifying hazardous conditions; assessing risk and risk control. Assurance focuses on “providing confidence” that quality requirements are being met, says Arendt.

He adds that despite recent criticism by some in Congress and the media that the agency may be “too cozy” with industry, SMS offers an example of a situation in which FAA and industry working closely together can be a good thing, to ensure safety. “Is anything ever enhanced by having a distant, adversarial relationship?” he questions.

Industry has accepted that SMS is coming, and speaking with operators and airports in Canada reveals that it’s more about documenting and officially managing processes and procedures which many may already have in place. It’s not about a revolution, but more about officially documenting what’s in place and having particular management taking on responsibility.

Thanks for reading. jfi

… or John Weikle’s next great adventure (or one-year wonder?) — Jet America. It was announced this week that the new ultra-low cost airline will begin serving mid-sized U.S. cities this summer. The question that must be asked is, are airports and communities across the country once again setting themselves up for disappointment when the new airline craters financially?

JetAmerica is the brainchild of Skybus founder Weikle. I’ve never met him, but he appears to have two strengths in particular: attracting investment dollars and getting attention with ridiculously low fares. At Skybus, it was $10 fares; with JetAmerica, it’s $9. One has to wonder how many of those $10 fare-paying passengers were left stranded when Skybus abruptly shut down operations last year.

JetAmerica is scheduled to launch operations on July 13, connecting places like Toledo, South Bend (IN), and Melbourne (FL) with Newark and Minneapolis. The carrier will operate 737-800s and initially will offer 34 non-stop flights per week. CEO Weikle, on the company’s website (www.JetAmerica.com), comments, “Our goal is to fly wherever JetAmerica can offer air fares of at least 40 percent less than competitors.” As with other low-cost airlines, the Jet America business model is based on flying routes to mostly secondary, underserved cities.

According to reports, the Lansing, South Bend, Melbourne, and Toledo airports are subsidizing JetAmerica with $1.4 million in grants in its first year, along with about $867,000 in waived airport fees and $1.1 million in marketing and advertising assistance. South Bend, Toledo and Melbourne apparently received their grants from the U.S. DOT’s Small Community Air Service Development Program. Started in 2002, the SCASD program has had its successes and failures in trying to help communities attract new air service. (The Boyd Group offers a good discussion of the SCASD program on its website, www.aviationplanning.com.)

Ultra-low cost carriers have had some degree of success globally – notably Ryanair in Europe. Perhaps this time Weikle’s enterprise will take hold, and not abruptly leave passengers and communities stranded. But it seems reasonable to question whether or not federal dollars should be used to facilitate a start-up operation. It may prove an interesting discussion to have one year from now.

Thanks for reading. jfi

For decades I have presented a speech that includes the warning that, “Things look different when you look at them from a different angle.” Last week I learned that truth all over again.

I have always prided myself on being able to read maps. I love maps. I have flown over much of our country using naught but a sectional chart while flying crop dusters with no radios. It was fun.

Last week I learned that son Kevin is traveling on a business trip to Shanghai in China. His flight will include a non-stop leg from Chicago to Shanghai. Being interested, I set out to create a map showing the great circle route for that leg. Google’s Great Circle Mapper gave me the route in short time.

I couldn’t understand the map at all. I went to another site and created another map which was exactly the same. I couldn’t understand it either.

Son Kevin, who knows most everything, pointed out that—guess what? I was looking at the map from a different angle than the one to which I was accustomed. The map was presented with a view from above the North Pole.

Bingo. I could understand the map. And once again, I learned that things do indeed look different when looked at from a new angle.

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