I cannot wait to be done with all the essays and start my research. Cannot really do it now cause it is hard enough to study full-time and work full-time at the same time..... but soon it is going to be me and my research only. I am receiving many comments mostly via e-mails. I will try to post them when i have a bit of time...:)
Thank you everyone!!!!
Tuesday, 22 February 2011
Monday, 21 February 2011
..... some more comments:) that i've received via e-mail.
So I don't work for a low-cost airline... but since I've been working in the airline industry in the UK and France for 10 years now, I know a bit about them. Actually, in BHX my handling agent (Aviance) used to handle Ryanair, Flybe, Air Berlin, bmi baby, etc. It was also interesting to see how they save money by subcontracting ground handling (and paying for the minimum amount of people to service their turnarounds while keeping them to 25min) and all their procedures to save time.
Of course you may know more about Ryanair than me, but I remember that from my standpoint as a dispatcher, managing a Ryanair (or bmi baby) turnaround was a lot like a Formula 1 pit-stop - everything had to be prepared and was happening all at the same time... Not always easy to produce PAX paperwork, call PAX to the gate, have the refueller and PAX buses on standby, the loading team present, chock the aircraft, then offload up to 189 PAX and their luggage, have the aircraft refuelled, liaise with Flight and Cabin crew, then board 189 PAX, load their luggage, do the loadsheet... all in 25min flat! Madness...
Of course you may know more about Ryanair than me, but I remember that from my standpoint as a dispatcher, managing a Ryanair (or bmi baby) turnaround was a lot like a Formula 1 pit-stop - everything had to be prepared and was happening all at the same time... Not always easy to produce PAX paperwork, call PAX to the gate, have the refueller and PAX buses on standby, the loading team present, chock the aircraft, then offload up to 189 PAX and their luggage, have the aircraft refuelled, liaise with Flight and Cabin crew, then board 189 PAX, load their luggage, do the loadsheet... all in 25min flat! Madness...
Sunday, 13 February 2011
Posted to me by my friend Sayed:)
Greetings Karolina,
Good topic for the dissertation. All the best in exploring the subject with us on the blog, and then with reaching your findings for the end product, or the dissertation.
I see four questions in your opening remarks, I'll take a stab at those in order. First you are wondering, how has the appearance of LCCs (Low Cost Carriers) influenced the scheduled, or as you put it the "Proper Airlines?"
Perhaps the most obvious result of an LCC entering a market is the INCREASED COMPETITION in a given market. Increased competition at the outset could be a good thing for the customers. It could provide more service (increased flights), and could lower the price of tickets in that market. Negative impact of increased competition could be crowding out (by predatory pricing) of the financially uncompetitive, or the weaker companies, which then could bring us to square one as in limited, or no competition in a given market.
Your second question is that "what has changed" (since the introduction of LCCs)? Well, for one the data shows that introduction of an LCC in a market (between the two city pairs) increases the number of passengers in that market, or in simple, it STIMULATES the DEMAND for AIR TRAVEL. Whether "the supply creates it's own demand," or "demand creates it's own supply," which of the two theories is at work here, I think would depend on which side of the life long economic debate is one on.
Third question is, why do people choose cheap(er) flights? Besides the obvious that you yourself have alluded to, that well, who does not want to keep more money in their wallet, I think there is another dimension at work here which is psychological in nature. People it seems don't like to pay for an airline ticket (if the travel is discretionary) if the price of that ticket is more then a certain perceived value. LCCs, and "Proper Airlines," as well now get around this customer behavior by tagging along extra fees, and charges for checked bags, priority boarding, and extra leg-room, etc., to boost their revenues.
Finally, "do we not care about the standards of service... ?" This is my favorite among the four questions. I think what you really mean is "quality of service." Standards are easy to perhaps define. I think you, and the most here on the blog would agree, that if an airline is SAFE, it's flights are 95% of the time ON TIME, and it's aircraft are CLEAN, the standard/s has/have been met. For standards alone, it would not matter if you, or I, or anyone else was flying on a LCC, or a Proper Airline. Ah, quality on the other hand is a tougher proverbial nut to crack, or define. Robert Pirsig's book, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance does a great job in tackling the subject of quality. As Pirsig says in his book, quality is there in an object, you can see it, you can feel it, and you can touch it, but it is hard to define. Not to be deductive of Pirsig's book, in business I would say, quality is how a business values its customers, or how a business treats its guests. Even for quality then I would conclude, it does not matter if an airline is low cost or not; if the airline treats it's passengers right, the customers will satisfactorily value that they got what they paid for.
Good topic for the dissertation. All the best in exploring the subject with us on the blog, and then with reaching your findings for the end product, or the dissertation.
I see four questions in your opening remarks, I'll take a stab at those in order. First you are wondering, how has the appearance of LCCs (Low Cost Carriers) influenced the scheduled, or as you put it the "Proper Airlines?"
Perhaps the most obvious result of an LCC entering a market is the INCREASED COMPETITION in a given market. Increased competition at the outset could be a good thing for the customers. It could provide more service (increased flights), and could lower the price of tickets in that market. Negative impact of increased competition could be crowding out (by predatory pricing) of the financially uncompetitive, or the weaker companies, which then could bring us to square one as in limited, or no competition in a given market.
Your second question is that "what has changed" (since the introduction of LCCs)? Well, for one the data shows that introduction of an LCC in a market (between the two city pairs) increases the number of passengers in that market, or in simple, it STIMULATES the DEMAND for AIR TRAVEL. Whether "the supply creates it's own demand," or "demand creates it's own supply," which of the two theories is at work here, I think would depend on which side of the life long economic debate is one on.
Third question is, why do people choose cheap(er) flights? Besides the obvious that you yourself have alluded to, that well, who does not want to keep more money in their wallet, I think there is another dimension at work here which is psychological in nature. People it seems don't like to pay for an airline ticket (if the travel is discretionary) if the price of that ticket is more then a certain perceived value. LCCs, and "Proper Airlines," as well now get around this customer behavior by tagging along extra fees, and charges for checked bags, priority boarding, and extra leg-room, etc., to boost their revenues.
Finally, "do we not care about the standards of service... ?" This is my favorite among the four questions. I think what you really mean is "quality of service." Standards are easy to perhaps define. I think you, and the most here on the blog would agree, that if an airline is SAFE, it's flights are 95% of the time ON TIME, and it's aircraft are CLEAN, the standard/s has/have been met. For standards alone, it would not matter if you, or I, or anyone else was flying on a LCC, or a Proper Airline. Ah, quality on the other hand is a tougher proverbial nut to crack, or define. Robert Pirsig's book, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance does a great job in tackling the subject of quality. As Pirsig says in his book, quality is there in an object, you can see it, you can feel it, and you can touch it, but it is hard to define. Not to be deductive of Pirsig's book, in business I would say, quality is how a business values its customers, or how a business treats its guests. Even for quality then I would conclude, it does not matter if an airline is low cost or not; if the airline treats it's passengers right, the customers will satisfactorily value that they got what they paid for.
Friday, 11 February 2011
SO WHAT DO YOU REALLY THINK!!!????
Hey everyone!
I need some help here!!!:) I need to do a wide research for my dissertation. The research begins here.....
I need your opinion.... positive, negative .... i don't mind.... but need to know what's on your mind when you think-------> low-cost airlines !!! Is is a good thing that they do exist??? For passengers/ cabin crew/ level of services..... WHY???? Or maybe some of you do think that low-cost airlines are the worst thing that could have happen to the aviation world???!!!!!
I need some help here!!!:) I need to do a wide research for my dissertation. The research begins here.....
I need your opinion.... positive, negative .... i don't mind.... but need to know what's on your mind when you think-------> low-cost airlines !!! Is is a good thing that they do exist??? For passengers/ cabin crew/ level of services..... WHY???? Or maybe some of you do think that low-cost airlines are the worst thing that could have happen to the aviation world???!!!!!
Good morning!:)
Just back from work and straight to my ....blog!!!:) i think i am becoming a blogoholic:)
Below is a comment that my friend Debbie send me in her mail yesterday:) :
Yes ... I think the low cost airlines have certainly ruined the industry in that none of the airlines think they have to provide much by way of customer service ... food isn't good ... etc.
On another more serious note,though ... the low cost airlines don't pay their employees enough money. I heard a news story yesterday about one of the horrible crashes we had in the United States last year ... a commuter plane crashed into a house ... killed all the people on board and the people in the house. The pilots had neither one slept in a bed the night before ... just kind of rested in the airport lounge ... because they couldn't afford a hotel room.
That is tragic.
What more to say!!!!????
Thursday, 10 February 2011
This is going to be hard!!!!
I am trying to think if this is not too much...... But this is something i really really want to write about!
Research wise ..... i should have started years ago:)))))
There is a few things that i need to decide on..... do i write about how everything has changed in general (giving examples in the text) or do i choose two, three..... seven airlines and compare how the have been affected by low-cost carriers???
I wanna find out if low-cost airlines have done everyone a favor by appearing on the market??? Price wise - surly (from pax point of view), that i know because everyone can travel now. Major operators are not so happy about this i bet.... but still 95% of seats are being sold everyday.... There are still customers that do care about the standards....
I would like to find out the passenger and the cabin crew point of view..... HOW EVERYTHIN CHANGED!!!????
This is what i have to do:
- interview cabin crew from PROPER airlines (pilots as well???)
- interview cabin crew fro low-cost airlines
- management????
- passengers......
........
What can i say..... GOOD LUCK!!!!!
Research wise ..... i should have started years ago:)))))
There is a few things that i need to decide on..... do i write about how everything has changed in general (giving examples in the text) or do i choose two, three..... seven airlines and compare how the have been affected by low-cost carriers???
I wanna find out if low-cost airlines have done everyone a favor by appearing on the market??? Price wise - surly (from pax point of view), that i know because everyone can travel now. Major operators are not so happy about this i bet.... but still 95% of seats are being sold everyday.... There are still customers that do care about the standards....
I would like to find out the passenger and the cabin crew point of view..... HOW EVERYTHIN CHANGED!!!????
This is what i have to do:
- interview cabin crew from PROPER airlines (pilots as well???)
- interview cabin crew fro low-cost airlines
- management????
- passengers......
........
What can i say..... GOOD LUCK!!!!!
Where have the glamourous days gone...????: Dissertation topic.
Where have the glamourous days gone...????: Dissertation topic.: "Ok! So i have started my first ever blog. The purpose..... DISSERTATION!!!! I wanna write about airlines! I do work for a scheduled airline..."
Dissertation topic.
Ok!
So i have started my first ever blog.
The purpose..... DISSERTATION!!!!
I wanna write about airlines!
I do work for a scheduled airline .... as i like to call it THE PROPER AIRLINE!
I used to work for Ryanair ..... only for 6 months .... those days are gone.... thank God!
So i thought i will find out how has an appearance of low-cost airlines (like Ryanair or Easyjet) influenced the scheduled airlines. What has changed? Why people do choose cheap flights (apart of the obvious reasons - prices). Do we not care about the standards of the services that we pay for anymore?.....
So i have started my first ever blog.
The purpose..... DISSERTATION!!!!
I wanna write about airlines!
I do work for a scheduled airline .... as i like to call it THE PROPER AIRLINE!
I used to work for Ryanair ..... only for 6 months .... those days are gone.... thank God!
So i thought i will find out how has an appearance of low-cost airlines (like Ryanair or Easyjet) influenced the scheduled airlines. What has changed? Why people do choose cheap flights (apart of the obvious reasons - prices). Do we not care about the standards of the services that we pay for anymore?.....
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