Professional Organizations

Professional Organizations

            I feel that it is important for anyone in aviation to join multiple professional organizations. There are several that deal with aviation specifically such as The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Organizations (AOPA), Airline Pilots Association (ALPA), International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), The Professional Aviation Maintenance Association (PAMA), American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE), etc. All of these organizations were developed for aviation specific related issues. They deal with a number of different goals and tasks, and are geared toward different people in the industry. Each organization is put in place to help its consumer. It would benefit most people in the industry to join and participate in as many of these organizations as possible.

            With my major being aviation management, I will be seeking a job as an airport executive or a management position with an airline. I believe that the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) would be a choice that would highly benefit my career path. “AAAE ranks in the top 1 percent of professional trade associations in terms of budget, staff size and has an equally impressive reputation in Washington for providing outstanding representation on behalf of airport executives” (AAAE). The organization holds annual meetings and keeps airport executives up to date on regulation changes within the industry.

            Another organization that would benefit my career path is to become a member of The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). According to the ICAO website, “they promote the safe and orderly development of international civil aviation throughout the world. It sets standards and regulations necessary for aviation safety, security, efficiency and regularity, as well as for aviation environmental protection.” This organization allows everyone in the aviation industry to stay connected and up to date on current events that happen internationally. As an airport executive it would be highly beneficial to be able to network globally. It would be my obligation to my employer to continually keep aware of all current aviation affairs worldwide especially within the countries our airplanes would be flying into. Networking globally would not only keep me current, but it would also continually educate me as to the opportunities outside of my current position allowing for continual advancement.

            With all of the professional organizations throughout the industry, I am sure there are others as equally beneficial which will be researched as my career develops and takes direction. There are professional organizations that can help my career that are not aviation specific as well. The more one is able to network, not just with others in their specific industry, but also with other industries sharing the same job description, the greater the chances are to grow as a professional.

 

 

References

"American Association of Airport Executives." AAAE. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2013.

http://www.aaae.org/about_aaae/history/

"ICAO in Brief." ICAO in Brief. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2013.

            http://www.icao.int/about-icao/Pages/default.aspx

"BPA History." Business Professionals of America. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2013.

            http://www.bpa.org/about/history

Mobile Devices in the World of Aviation

In today’s day and age, smart phones have changed the way people live. They connect people to people faster than ever before as well as putting companies and their products at each user’s fingertips. There are apps for almost everything you can think of. These apps include online banking, shopping, business, and travel. Smart phones have connected the world in ways that many could not have imagined fifteen years ago.

            Smart phones have allowed airlines to create a travel experience that is much easier and convenient for its consumers. Almost all major air carriers allow their customers to manage their travel plans through mobile applications. For instance, Southwest airlines have the ability for their customer to handle everything electronically without speaking to anyone until they are at the check in gate. According to Southwest.com, a customer can “book, change or cancel air reservations, book or cancel rental car reservations, check in for your flight, mobile boarding pass, check flight status and set up text notifications, add Early Bird Check-In to an existing reservation, enroll in and access your Rapid Rewards account, view travel and weather alerts, access helpful airport information, view & book the latest DING! deals (iOS app only).”

            According to the New York Times, “eighty percent of all travelers use self-service options when booking travel.” This allows for many positive outcomes for the airline and the consumer. For the airline it saves money. They do not have to hire as much personnel to do all of the jobs that the consumers are now doing on their own. There is little to no need to have a large working staff booking travel, or checking customers in. The airlines are able to take the saved money and put it to other uses. For the customer, it saves time. In today’s world, time can be everything. For business men or women on the go, they are able to book a flight from any location in a matter of minutes. The person traveling does not even need a computer to print out the boarding pass. Their smart phone is the boarding pass, once again saving time and money.

            With all of the positive features mobile devices have given to the aviation community, there are however negative drawbacks, and one in particular that apps have definitely created. Like any other automated system, airline apps have replaced the jobs that skilled professionals once held. With these positions now being filled by the consumers themselves booking their own travel, these professionals are no longer needed. In an already job challenged age, apps have narrowed the job market even further.

 

"Mobile App & Site." Mobile Access. Southwest, n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.

http://www.southwest.com/html/air/products/mobile.html

Stellin, Susan. "Paper Is Out, Cellphones Are In." The New York Times. The New York

Times, 18 Mar. 2008. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/18/technology/18check.html?_r=0

"The Trouble with Using Your Phone to Board." The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 17

Sept. 2012. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.

http://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver/2012/09/mobile-boarding-passes

Yu, Roger. "USA TODAY Today in the Sky." Smartphones Have Changed the Way We Travel.

N.p., 10 Mar. 2010. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2010-03-05-airphones05_cv_n.htm

American Airlines/U.S. Airways Merger

The merger of American and U.S. Airways was thought to be weeks away, until they were notified the merger was put on hold. The U.S. Justice department decided to block the $11 billion deal that would benefit both airlines in the long run. Before the deal can go through, the U.S. Justice department have to approve the deal will not affect society as a whole. The merger would first have to go through several phases because of certain bankruptcy issues. According to the Huffington Post, American Airlines is ranked 3^rd and U.S. Airlines is ranked 5^th when comparing them to other large United States carriers. “When they merge, they will have 1665 combined routes.” The U.S. Justice department put a stop to the merger because they believe there will be too much control over these routes. They think the company will be able to charge as much as they want because of decreased competition. There is a possibility of this happening, but in today’s economy there still has to be logic when it comes to ticket prices. An airline does not want to lose customers because of sky rocketing prices.

According to Doug Parker, currently the CEO of U.S Airways, told the Senate panel “that the deal would be good for consumers by creating a bigger airline with service to more locations than either American or US Airways can offer on their own. It would be the world's biggest airline.” A larger airline would give the consumer a broader variety to choose from when they choose flights. This would take away some competition, but it would not create a non- competitive market like some believe. There are still other large airlines such as Delta, United and Southwest that compete against one another every day. There are companies such as Virgin America that have voiced their opinion against the merger. Virgin representatives say that “proposed deal between U.S. Airways and American would further solidify already considerable impediments to new entrants.”

If this merger is allowed to proceed, a big task for upper management will be to find the best way to merge the seniority employee list of both companies. They would try to repeat what has happened when U.S. Airways and America West merged many years ago. The almost 8 year old dispute has went on long enough, and has dates set to finalize a decision. According to  thestreet.com, “the two sides agreed to a binding arbitration, but the result was a controversial Nicolau ruling that strongly favored America West pilots.” This caused the U.S Airline pilots to leave the Airline Pilots Association and form the U.S. Airline Pilot Association. The entire process has been a headache so to speak, which has still not been finalized. If the new merger happens, finding ways for both sides of pilots to mutually agree on the merging of the seniority list will be a priority. Upper level management will need to learn from previous mistakes so their pilots are not divided.

 

 

Fairchild, Caroline. "American Airlines-U.S. Airways Merger Would Reduce Competition:

GAO." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 20 June 2013. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/20/airline-merger-competition-gao_n_3471090.html

Koenig, David. "Local News." Challenge to US Airways-American Merger Sets up Legal Fight.

Charlotte Observer, 19 June 2013. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/08/13/4233445/justice-dept-challenges-us-airways.html#.UoFV9xYo7IU

Reed, Ted. "US Airways Pilots Look to Endgame in Seniority Dispute." The Street. N.p., 09

Aug. 2013. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.

http://www.thestreet.com/story/12004190/1/us-airways-pilots-look-to-end-game-in-seniority-dispute.html

Bartz, Diane, and Karen Jacobs. "Virgin Jumps Into Debate Over US Airways, American

Merger." Fox Business. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.

http://www.foxbusiness.com/investing/2013/11/11/virgin-jumps-into-debate-over-us-airways-american-merger/

Professionalism

 

           The aviation industry is held to a certain standard of professionalism. The general public expects the aviation industry to live up to these standards, with professionalism being important for success. Most of the people in the industry conduct themselves in a professional manner because it is what is expected. Professionalism is defined as any one person or company to hold themselves to a high level of standards. They will possess the correct skills, act appropriate, dress accordingly, follow rules/guidelines, be honest and ethical while providing good experiences for customers.

With the industry holding pilots to a high level of professional skills, I believe that professionalism is accomplished everyday with every successful flight. In the case of  U.S. Airways Airbus A320 that was in route from New York, NY to Charlotte, NC.,  ran into a flock of birds causing the aircraft to lose both engines. According to NBC News, “Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger of Danville, CA., floated the plane into the Hudson River, saving the lives of everyone on board.” Captain Sullenger conducted himself in the most professional manner possible under the circumstances. He did not panic, and used his skill set to save the lives of all passengers onboard. His choice may have not been the most popular decision, but it was the one that saved the lives of his passengers and crew.

There are many examples over the years of people in the aviation industry that have strayed from the expected professional behavior. The case that sticks out in my mind the most was the incident when the Southwest Airlines pilot accidently didn’t know his mic was stuck. He began to ramble on “about how his flight crews have been nothing but a bunch of gays, grannys, and grandes, which prevented him from being able to party and have fun.” This ended up being broadcast over an air traffic control frequency that was heard through out the greater part of Texas. Even though he did not mean for his words to be heard outside of the cockpit, it is still a case of unprofessionalism. It offended those that count on him daily and showed a moment of sheer weakness in his character. With the aviation industry already under a microscope, it cannot afford for an incident like this to happen. This incident made national news and added to the public’s negative perception of pilots in the industry.

As a student, I am trying to hone my professional skills for when the time comes that I am in the professional aviation world. First, by continually updating my resume, and collecting experience within the aviation industry and related logistic practices I am providing the most up to date information to my perspective employer. It will continue to change and become perfected as I gain new experience. I am continually updating my knowledge to any new laws and ordinances nationally, as well as within my state and city of employment. I am continually perfecting my people skills, remembering to always stay true to myself and the truth in every situation. I will try to remember not to exaggerate my capabilities or my qualifications. Also, remembering to treat my colleagues and my employees how I want to be treated. Never expecting someone to do something I am not willing to do myself. Looking them in the eye when I address them with respect for providing me with support. My grandfather always said, “I even treat the guy taking the garbage out daily with respect, because without him, I am taking the garbage out.”

None of us can plan for every situation that might arise within a day. All we can do is prepare mentally with resolutions to possible problems. By doing this the brain recognizes it has been there before and responds. My plan is to treat colleagues and those holding authoritative positions with respect, and by holding myself to a higher standard, both in thought and action.

 

 

Wilson, Simone. "Southwest Pilot Calls Flight Attendants 'Gays, Grannies and Grandes' on Plane

to SoCal, Forgets to Turn off Mic (AUDIO)." The Informer. N.p., 23 June 2011. Web. 04

Nov. 2013.

http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/2011/06/southwest_pilot_rant_gays_grannies.php

Msnbc. "N.Y. Jet Crash Called 'miracle on the Hudson'" Msnbc.com. N.p., 15 Jan. 2009. Web.

05 Nov. 2013. http://www.nbcnews.com/id/28678669/

Smith, Steve. "Professionalism: A ‘Must Have’ For All Aviation Workers." AviationPros.com.

Ed. Dr. Bill Johnson. AviationPros, 21 Dec. 2011. Web. 05 Nov. 2013.

http://www.aviationpros.com/article/10456996/ramp-workers-must-be-professionals-to-ensure-safety

Boeing vs. Airbus

          Boeing and Airbus have emerged to become the two powerhouses in the building of commercial airliners along with other aerospace technologies. Boeing is a publically traded United States based company while Airbus is based in Europe and ran by several partnering countries. Even though they are on two different continents, they compete for the same business in the worldwide aviation market. These two competitors have created a duopoly over the past twenty plus years; shutting most startup companies out before they are able to make an impact.

Boeing and Airbus have competed year after year in airline sales. Their narrow body designs, the A320 and the 737, have been the most obvious competition between the two companies. They still upgrade the plane designs every year to sell them to customers in hopes to sell more than the other. Fuel efficiency seems to be the largest focus for both airline builders. In the jumbo jet market, Boeing has had great success with the 747 while airbus manufactures the “super jumbo” A380. According to Adam Levine-Weinberg, Boeing is trying to upgrade the 747 in hopes to better compete with the A380. Boeing may have the leading edge to date. They have developed the 787 Dreamliner, which sent sales through the roof, even though it was delayed much longer than expected. According to Adam Levine-Weinberg, Boeing has a better grasp on composite technology. Airbus is still trying to develop ways to use this technology, but is not as advanced as Boeing.

Both Boeing and Airbus have planes flying throughout the world. Boeing has more than 12,000 planes currently in service compared to only 7443 that airbus currently has flying (Boeing)(Airbus.com).  Airbus is a European based company employing more than 63,000 people. Boeing is a United States based company employing almost 171,000 employees. With these statistics alone, you can assume that Boeing has a leading edge both in size and amount of planes in service. Why would Boeings statistics almost double that of airbus? There could be many factors that play into this. Marketing could be one of the largest contributors to Boeings success. It is rumored that Boeing may even use negative situations such as that of a pilot shortage to a marketing advantage. Another reason could be location and political power. Airbus is backed by European nations which would give them the advantage in that market, where as Boeing is located in the U.S. where there is a very strong political backing.

These two companies have not shown any signs of slowing down in the near future. I believe they will only continue to grow and sell more aircraft with increasing technologies being developed and integrated every year. It will be almost impossible for a startup company to compete with Boeing and Airbus on a size and economic scale. The duopoly they have created will dominate the worldwide aviation community for years to come.

 

 

Levine-Weinberg, Adam. "Boeing and Airbus Step Up Their War of Words." (BA). N.p., 17 Aug. 2013.

Web. 28 Oct. 2013.

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/08/17/boeing-and-airbus-step-up-their-war-of-words.aspx

"About Us." Boeing: Commercial Airplanes. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2013.

http://www.boeing.com/boeing/companyoffices/aboutus/brief/commercial.page

"Orders & Deliveries."  | Airbus, a Leading Aircraft Manufacturer. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2013.

                http://www.airbus.com/company/market/orders-deliveries/

"Boeing 747-8 vs. Airbus A380 -- the Airline Giants Face off." CNN Travel. N.p., 17 Dec. 2011. Web.

               28 Oct. 2013.

http://travel.cnn.com/explorations/life/boeing-747-8-and-airbus-a380-death-match-152563

General Aviation in China

In today’s world, China has begun to venture into markets in which they have very little previous experience. China’s aviation involvement has grown rapidly over the recent years. Currently, they are the fastest growing region in the world. It is only fitting that China would sooner or later begin to venture into the general aviation field. China has begun to acquire U.S. general aviation companies such as Cirrus, Continental aircraft engines, Epic Aircraft, Superior AirParts, Thielert diesel engines, Brantly, and Enstrom Helicopters. Cirrrus CEO Dale Klapmeier notes that, “owner China Aviation Industry General Aircraft (CAIGA) is committed to supporting the company’s development efforts and that the Vision is among several products on the drawing table” (Aviation week, 2013). Another U.S. general aviation company that has aircraft built by Chinese companies is Cessna. The Cessna skycatcher is built by a Chinese company, and they have said they will start producing jets in the near future. With China able to build and produce aircraft at a rapid rate, it will make it hard for U.S. companies to stay competitive.

Flying in general has become much more accessible in China over the past 15 years. With the amount of money and people that China currently has, you would think that aviation would have been integrated a long time ago. According to AIN online, the largest issue with general aviation growth in china is that the Chinese military has control over the airspace and currently only about one third of the airspace is available to general aviation to use, due to it being under an experimental phase. Once certain airspace restrictions are lifted, general aviation in China will grow at an extremely rapid rate. They are a competitive people and looking to be number one in acquiring businesses, resources, and products that would allow them to achieve and maintain super power status in the world.

With China looking to build up their general aviation, it will require more employees to work at these general aircraft companies. All types or production, line, engineering, etc.  positions should increase at a tremendous rate for a quite some time. Training facilities will also need to be established, which will require trained pilots to train new pilots. The job market in this field should be a bright one for those that do not have a problem with relocating in order to get one of those new positions. China still has a ways to go before they are on the same level of general aviation regions such as North America and Europe. They are taking all of the necessary steps to position themselves to be world leader and future producer of general aviation aircraft.

 

                                                       References

Morris, John. "Will China Be the Savior of U.S. General Aviation?" Will China Be the Savior of

U.S. General Aviation? N.p., 30 July 1013. Web. 20 Oct. 2013.

http://www.aviationweek.com/Blogs.aspx?plckPostId=Blog:7a78f54e-b3dd-4fa6-ae6e-dff2ffd7bdbbPost:f2d6a878-a26b-40b4-b8ff-f0b6c5f52c00

Thurber, Matt. "Jason Liao Sees Rapid Growth For General Aviation In China." Aviation

International News. N.p., 17 Apr. 2013. Web. 20 Oct. 2013.

http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/abace-convention-news/2013-04-17/jason-liao-sees-rapid-growth-general-aviation-china

"China Continues Low Altitude Airspace Trial for General Aviation." Latest World Aviation

News, Airline News, Analysis & Research. N.p., 23 Nov. 2011. Web. 20 Oct. 2013.

http://centreforaviation.com/analysis/china-continues-low-altitude-airspace-trial-for-general-aviation-63297

Qiyu, Feng. "General Aviation: A Promising Market for Future--China Economic Net." General

Aviation: A Promising Market for Future--China Economic Net. N.p., 3 Sept. 2013. Web.

20 Oct. 2013. http://en.ce.cn/Insight/201309/03/t20130903_1322107.shtml

Corporate Aviation

Corporate Aviation

In today’s business world corporate aviation is relied on to move employees, sensitive cargo, etc.  There are many critics in the world that believe corporate aviation is unnecessary and a waste of money. There are many that believe companies should send their executives and employees via commercial aviation. What many do not realize is just how vital corporate aviation truly is to a company. According to No Plane No Gain, “three percent of all commercial aviation is cancelled and nearly one quarter is delayed.” This can hinder a corporations schedule if an employee needs to be in another city without delay. According to public perception, corporate jets only carry high paid executives to destinations even when the company cannot afford it. However, according to an NBAA survey, “72 percent of the passengers aboard corporate jets are not executives.” Corporate aviation helps the entire company to succeed and strive forward as long as the company uses it for the right reasons.

Corporate aviation also allows companies to connect to cities that are unreachable by commercial aviation. There are many companies that have built factories and headquarters in small towns which are served by small airports and cannot be utilized by large airplanes. There are many towns across the nation, that are dependent on these factories to survive. If a company needs to send employees or special packages fast, they would not be able to without a small jet. Without a corporate jet they would have to fly into a major city and then have to take a car, sometimes hours to reach their destination. The hours lost could potentially cause the company business. Business aviation serves ten times the number of airports across the U.S. than commercial aviation. Corporate aviation helps the economy by connecting the corporate world to the five thousand plus airports/communities that it serves in the United States.

Feeding the public’s negative perception of corporate aviation, President Obama has stated that he does not believe that business jet owners deserve a tax break. He stated that “people buying jets should not deserve an extra tax break when ordinary people cannot afford the same luxury.”  In my opinion this tax encourages the people who can afford jets the incentive to buy one. If this tax break is taken away, there will be fewer jets bought which would affect the number of jets built. This could once again threaten jobs and cause more unemployment. The NBAA and GAMA have taken the other side and are trying to reinforce the importance of personal and corporate jet ownership.

The corporate companies use accelerated depreciation to write of these big purchases at an accelerated speed.  Allowing the company to write a jet off faster would allow them to save taxes on money earned. This would in turn possibly allow the company to make other purchase or put money back into the company where needed. It is part of the stimulus package because it helps the company and could also create more jobs if the company is able to grow.

All in all, I believe that corporate jets are a vital part to aviation as well as the business world. As long as companies do not abuse these luxuries, it will overall help the economy. Hopefully the general public will one day start looking at the positives effects instead of only focusing on the few negative cases of corporate aviation.

 

References

"Warren Buffet and Business Aviation Facts | No Plane No Gain." Warren Buffet And Business

Aviation Facts | No Plane No Gain. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2013.

http://www.noplanenogain.org/Advocacy_Tools.htm?m=47&s=407#.UlrzWBbD_IU

"Obama Defends Ending Corporate Jet Tax Break." USA Today. Gannett, 21 Feb. 2013. Web. 13 Oct.

2013. http://www.usatoday.com/story/theoval/2013/02/21/obama-corporate-jets-tax-break-wichita/1935861/

"Accelerated Depreciation." Investopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2013.

                http://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/accelerateddepreciation.asp

Kauffmann, Chris. "Aviation Firms Fighting Mad over Corporate Aircraft Criticism." Widgets RSS. N

             .p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2013.

http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/stories/2009/02/23/story14.html?page=all