The fact that airline executives are still not aware about the full impact of disruptions on airline costs and overall business
performance can raise lots of concerns. Current software solutions, such as scheduling, network planning, operations control, aircraft maintenance,
departure control, crew planning, and various optimisation tools, are
designed to fulfill individual planning and operational functions.
Consequently, improvement decisions are primarily made to fulfill departmental targets where
even the best solutions do not guarantee the best overall results. System integration and optimisation emerge as the most significant hurdles.
Integration of basic operational software applications has
always been on vendors’ agenda despite airlines’ scepticism. A senior
operations executive at a Big Three US carrier once said that the ‘dream of
completely integrated system that provides intelligent real time
decision-making in Station Operations Centre, maintenance and airport operations
is just that – a dream. There is a notion that at some point in the future this
has to converge in an integrated system but it’s just not out there. The
decisions we make today are far more complex than the systems are integrated to
handle’.
Airlines and vendors have put in lots of effort to optimise
the process of schedule recovery, but not many of their solutions have proved
to be reliable and used in practice to their true potential. Some of the most
costly airline disruptions have been caused by implementation of optimisation
tools and ocassional software issues.
Airlines can make improvements in operational efficiency as long as they invest
in workable solutions, rather than wasting their time and money developing the
impossible. A Sabre’s Chief Scientist said over 20 years ago: 'The issue in operations is that you
have a pretty complicated set of flows for aircrew, passengers and aircraft. There
are an awful lot of possible solutions or recovery strategies for each
component. If you are looking for a typical US domestic hub with complexes of
40 flights out, you’re talking literally billions of possible solutions out
there. Not surprisingly, identifying the best solution, whether in terms of
recovery costs or passenger service impact, is just impossible. Even airlines
with the best data processing systems tend to look at some relatively simple
localised solutions that may work for a particular hub at a particular point in
time but that may have some downline impacts either for that particular hub later
in the day or tomorrow or at other stations around the systems.'
It is obvious that major improvements in the development of fully
integrated information systems are still not in sight. The situation is pretty
much the same at the other end: airline executives are still not much aware of the impact their decisions have on operational performance. Their
efforts to establish these links are sporadic and mainly subjective. From these points of view, the situation may seem unresolvable.
But, what if we start seeing the disruptions from a different perspective? What if instead of just being immersed in a
myriad of daily problems we step above operational to a strategic planes where operational plans are conceived? With the support of the right
tool, we would be able to gain a broader understanding of disruptions, to get to know their true origins, and identify those with biggest impact on airline cost and service quality.
We will certainly become more selective about where we direct our attention, allowing us more time to focus on problems that really
matter. We will also gain better understanding of internal relationships,
recognise airline, airport, and ATC limitations from a broader perspective, and take appropriate action.
This new approach to still
unexplored area of airline management, as described in my book Beyond Airline Disruptions, opens up new opportunities for airline executives to act selectively and efficiently, resulting in continuous improvement in operational
performance and the quality of services.
