Airline Operations: With a proliferation of air services worldwide, demand for various sorts of services has also emerged. Passengers now have a good array of options when it involves flying, including hiring their own aircraft custom made to match their needs.
This module shall specialise in the variability of air services available today making aviation industry ever more robust in terms of catering to passenger demands.
Scheduled and Non-Scheduled Air Services
Scheduled and non- scheduled air services are two categories of air services offered by airlines. because the terms suggest these air services are differentiated by the regularity in their schedule of operation.
1. Scheduled Air Services (Airline Operations)
Scheduled Airlines are those air service providers who operate flights as per the schedules involved, well beforehand, that cover several months or maybe years at a time. they need a hard and fast timing and a hard and fast flight number and operate between fixed routes.
These airlines are thus committed to operating flights for the said periods on the said routes whether or not they have full occupancy or not. In so doing they provide a hard and fast or predetermined range of services and may thus be booked up to 1 year beforehand in some cases. Below listed are a number of the prominent features of Scheduled air services:
a) Scheduled Airlines operate as per a hard and fast schedule predetermined by the airline.
b) Scheduled Airlines have a hard and fast / predetermined flight number which indicates represents its time and route. Example Air India flight operating between Delhi and Mumbai at 7.00 Hrs is assigned a flight number AI 0887.
c) Scheduled Airlines’ schedule is involved alright beforehand and therefore the passengers have the convenience of booking their flights a minimum of a year beforehand.
d) Scheduled airlines offer a variety of services on board which are fixed and also a number of these services are often booked beforehand.
e) These air services will still operate even when there’s no full occupancy within the flight.
Point to Point Air Service
Point-to-Point Air Service may be a sort of flight operation model in scheduled airlines where a plane travels on to a pre-determined destination as per the schedule, instead of browsing a central hub. Advantages of this operational model are:
a) This model minimizes connections and therefore the time period.
b) There are less baggage transfers; there’ll be less incidences of missing luggage.
c) As there’s no interdependency of flights and hubs – a delayed flight or a closed airport won’t significantly affect other flight schedules.
Hub and Spoke Model Service
In this model airlines have one airport as their central location from where all their other flights originate. A hub, for an airline, may be a central airport that flights are routed through, and spokes are the routes that planes remove of the hub airport. Most major airlines of the planet have multiple hubs. this technique enables the airlines to supply more flights for passengers.
This system was developed so as to beat the disadvantages presented by point-to-point model. Under the direct-route, or point-to-point airlines are forced to fly directly between two locations. This model leads to many flights routinely flying under capacity, and as a consequence the airlines lose money.
Today, most airlines have a minimum of one central airport as hub that their flights need to undergo. From such a hub, the spoke flights take passengers to pick destinations.
Advantages of this model are as below,
a) Lesser routes are needed to serve the network as all flights originate from one or a group of fixed hubs.
b) As there are less routes, assuming the number of planes is an equivalent, airlines can schedule more frequent flights along each route and fill use of the capacity of every plane.
c) Operations at these hub airports tend to be centralizing resulting in economies of scale and greater profits.
Codeshare Air Services (Airline Operations)
A codeshare may be a common sort of agreement in aviation business. it’s an appointment where two or more airlines share an equivalent flight where each airline publishes and markets the flight under its own airline designator and flight number as a part of its published timetable or schedule.
Passengers can buy seats any of the airline’s designator and flight number, however, is operated by just one of those cooperating airlines, commonly called the operating carrier.
Advantages of Codeshare arrangement for passengers include, clearer routing for the customer, allowing a customer to book travel from point A to C through point B under one carrier’s code, rather than a customer booking from point A to B under one code, and from point B to C under another code.
Under this arrangement cooperating airlines strive to synchronize and match their schedules so as to suit one another’s’ timings. Airline Operations
For airlines, codeshare is advantageous as flights from both airlines that fly an equivalent route as this provides a clear increase within the frequency of service on the route by one airline.
Also, this arrangement enables airlines to supply a way for carriers who don’t operate their own aircraft on a given route to realize exposure within the market through display of their flight numbers.
Further, when an airline sacrifices its capacity to other airlines as a code share partner, its operational cost will generally be reduced to zero.
2. Non-Scheduled Air Services (Airline Operations)
Non-scheduled air services also are commonly mentioned as Air Charter services. These are air services that operate in certain seasons or times, mostly during peak seasons. While the scheduled airlines concentrate on selling transportation by the seat, air charter companies specialise in individual private aircraft and itineraries, urgent or time-sensitive cargo, air ambulance service, and other sorts of unplanned air transport.
It’s estimated that there are on the brink of 15,000 business jets available for charter within the worldwide fleet. US and Europe are the most important markets for charter services with growing activity within the Middle East, Asia, and Central America.
Charter airlines’ fares area unit relatively lower as compared to it of scheduled airlines. this can be as a result of charter airlines charge lower fares by associate hereticating a full load as an alternative pre-selling the plane’s capability to an agent, World Health Organization then sells off the seats to passengers.
So, as to try to therefore, however, charter airlines should be assured of a full load then they often operate solely at peak periods on specific routes. for example, for instance, the Caribbean is served by variety of European charter airlines throughout the height holidaymaker season of Nov to Gregorian calendar month.
Non-scheduled air services conjointly embody business jets or non-public jet. it’s a jet craft designed for transporting tiny teams of individuals. These could also be custom-made for different uses like the evacuation of casualties or categorical parcel deliveries, and a few area units employed by public bodies, brass or the military.
Air Taxi Services – Domestic and International
An air taxi may be an industrial craft that makes short flights on demand very similar to the letting services. These area unit tiny aircrafts and ordinarily used for brief travels. This service used worldwide by business executives, celebrities, political personalities et al World Health Organization area unit ironed for time.
This air service is associate degree economical thanks to save time as they’re not compelled to fly as per the schedule of standard airlines. These days, several area unit mistreatment non-public air taxis for luxury travel boost their comfort and to reinforce their expertise.
Air taxi services tend to be dearer as compared to scheduled airlines because the entire craft is at the disposal of the one who hires these services. at the side of the air taxi, services of the pilot and crew are provided for the asking.
These air taxis could either operate from regular airports or non-public air terminals. once operative from non-public air terminals passengers will avoid the hustle and bustle of busy airports and also the queues through security. the benefits of mistreatment air taxi area unit as below:
a) Air taxis area unit rather more luxurious and cozy as compared to regular airlines.
b) Air taxis provide privacy, security and discretion for passengers like celebrities and passengers seeking to avoid the standard hustle and bustle of airports.
c) Air taxis modify passengers to fly at their own chosen time given them larger flexibility in terms of schedule.
d) Air taxis provide access to personal air terminals.
e) Air taxis will be accustomed travel anyplace within the world; even these places that catered by scheduled air services.
f) The passengers have a option to choose any craft of their preference.
Short Haul and long-standing time Air Services
In aviation terms ordinarily, the flight length is outlined because the distance of a flight. Short Haul and long-standing time air services area unit classified supported their flight time. Short haul refers to shorter routes and long-standing time refers to longer non-stop routes. Airline Operations
Flight time naturally depends on the space between purpose of origin and destination that flight is certain towards. For aircrafts to fly long distances non-stop they need to be wide bodied aircrafts that have larger engines and a lot of fuel storage capability. so wide-bodied aircrafts area unit most well-liked and used for long-standing time flights and smaller slim bodied aircrafts for shorter routes.
The definition of short and long-standing time service varied from airline to airline and country to country. However, there’s some concurrence or agreement that a long-haul flight lasts from half dozen to twelve hours and is usually created by a twin-aisle airplane like a Boeing 767, Boeing 777, airliner A330, airliner A340, airliner A380.
These flights area unit usually nonstop. long-standing time flights area unit used for trans-continental flights. for instance, flights from Delhi to London.
Short haul flights area unit flight taking but three hours to finish their journey. Most domestic flights in Bharat area unit short haul because the journey time is never quite three hours and distance travelled is beneath three,200 kms. for instance, flights between Mumbai and city.
There is another class known as the medium-haul flights, that last from three to six hours. These area unit usually created by aircrafts like airliner A320, 321, 319, 318 or a Boeing 737-700 or Boeing 737-800.
Larger airlines ordinarily have a mix of all 3 classes as they service a good vary of destinations. Smaller and new airlines sometimes begin operations with short and medium hauls wherever they service reachable destinations.
Low price Carriers (Airline Operations)
A Low price Carriers (LCC) area unit best-known by several different names like No-Frill airlines, Budget airlines or Discount airlines. LCC area unit those that usually have lower fares and fewer comforts as compared to Full Service or Regular airlines.
LCCs provide cheap airfares and that they attain by reducing on operational expenses and charging an {extra} quantity for extra services. LCCs became widespread and wide utilized in several countries since their origin in early Eighties. World’s initial LCC was Pacific Southwest Airlines within the us. In India, Air Deccan was the pioneer in Low price air services that started operations within the year 2003.
A number of the opposite LCCs in Bharat area unit Go Air, Indigo Airlines, Spice Jet, Air Bharat categorical etc. however do these airlines provide lower fares? Following paragraphs shall discuss the business model of LCCs.
A. Aircrafts – Most of the LCCs don’t obtain new aircrafts as this may boost their investment and expenses. they’re either purchased used or typically even employed. In cases once new aircrafts are purchased, LCCs like inserting bulk orders so as get a worth advantage through discounts. In many cases the aircrafts employed by LCCs are of one configuration that makes it easier and fewer costly for the airline to keep up the aircrafts.
Aircrafts employed by LCCs, usually operate with a minimum set of facultative instrumentation on board that additional reducing prices of acquisition and maintenance, also as keeping the load of the craft lower and therefore saving fuel. Some airlines conjointly do away with no in-flight amusement systems and rear pockets connected at the rear of the seat. This reduces improvement expenses and different extra maintenance expenses. Airline Operations
B. Point-to-Point Services – LCCs usually provide Point-to-Point air services and provide services to smaller airports and cities. this protects LCCs from paying higher flying field charges that additional would boost transportation.
Several LCCs develop one or additional bases to maximise destination coverage and defend the market that they serve. Most of the LCCs don’t care for the standard hub and spoke model, however rather target additional cities.
C. Extra Revenue through sale on Board – most frequently food oversubscribed on board is for an extra quantity charged as per consumption. several airlines in Asian country, provide seats with higher legroom are offered at an extra worth. Some airlines even provide pillows and blankets available on board. there’s conjointly a little section of merchandise that’s oversubscribed on board.
D. Minimum straight forward and straight forward and easy Comforts – The aircrafts employed by LCCs provide simple and minimum comforts. Seats are terribly basic and food offered on board is straightforward and basic too.
The amount of airline crew is additionally unbroken minimum so as to save lots of additional operational expenses. As LCCs provide terribly restricted food on-board the turnaround which incorporates improvement of aircrafts is additionally restricted. this permits the LCCs to supply quicker and faster services and that they can give several routes per craft.
E. Minimum Personnel value – LCC staff, in several cases work multiple roles. At some airlines arrival staffs conjointly act as gate agents or assume different roles that to some extent limit personnel prices.
F. Single category Seating – LCCs don’t provide multiple categories seating like Premium and Business category. this straightforward seat configuration avoids use of huge several on board crew.
To total the vital options of LCCs, below listed are a number of them,
i. Point-to-point operations
ii. Short-haul routes most frequently between regional or secondary airports
iii. target price-sensitive market phase, principally leisure passengers
iv. easy and minimum services with restricted or no client loyalty programmes
v. extra revenue through sale of different rider services like on-board job, pre- choosing seats and additional baggage etc.
vi. several LCCs don’t provide alcoholic beverages as a part of inflight providing.
vii. Low to average fares, with a powerful target price struggle
viii. totally different fares offered counting on the time of booking and range of seats on the market on the flight
ix. No commission to travel agents and dependency on bookings created through
the Internet
x. High craft exercise rates as a result of short turnaround between operations
xi. Fleet includes of only 1 or 2 craft sorts
xii. Aircrafts carry restricted additional fuel
xiii. LCCs avoid flying fields with high airport charges once operational in cities with multiple airports
During the initial years of LCC operation, globally there was a perception that LCCs weren’t as safe because the full-service airlines. it had been conjointly assumed that cutting prices in several aspects would mean payment less on rider and payload safety. Airline Operations
However, over the years these airlines have performed on par with the complete service airlines providing easy however economical service to its passengers.
Further flying was thought of an opulent and glamourous within the initial years once LCCs created their debut. LCCs with their minimalist providing weren’t seen as most popular airlines by the affluent category.
Eventually this perception underwent a modification with LCCs providing economic and competitive rates to destinations that weren’t maintained by Full-Service airlines earlier. Airline Operations
Also read Airport Security Management
