Welcome to Flightinfo.com

  • Register now and join the discussion
  • Friendliest aviation Ccmmunity on the web
  • Modern site for PC's, Phones, Tablets - no 3rd party apps required
  • Ask questions, help others, promote aviation
  • Share the passion for aviation
  • Invite everyone to Flightinfo.com and let's have fun

How to become more profitable...

Welcome to Flightinfo.com

  • Register now and join the discussion
  • Modern secure site, no 3rd party apps required
  • Invite your friends
  • Share the passion of aviation
  • Friendliest aviation community on the web

Peter_Griffin

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 5, 2005
Posts
85
It occured to me as I was responding to another thread that the issue of how fractionals can become more profitable while increasing QOL for pilots would be something I would be interested in hearing others opinions on.

For instance, we waste a TON of cash for the benefit of unneccesary flexibility. I cannot tell you how many times I have airpassed 1200 mile trips into one airport to sedan to another to be there "just in case" when they could have just waited a couple hours and flown me into the right airport for $300-400. This would save almost $1000. Inceasing gateways might help with this... Also restructuring our catering plans might help -- I know we spend a lot of unneccesary cash there too. I appreciate being fed, but a $30 ham sandwich is overkill. Also, they might considering partnering with some of these big hotel chains -- like 10 hour jet cards to award their top execs in exchange for $50 room rates across the system for on duty pilots.

Any other ideas?
 
waste

Your theories make sense to all of us including the 3rd grader who has finally learned to spell the word "savings"...but unfortunately management would have to be smarter than the average 2X4 to see the problems and actually solve them. It comes down to one thing in my opinion....ACCOUNTABILITY! Not one person in the OCC is held accountable for mistakes. $15,000 mistakes simply get swept under the rug on an hourly basis. If a Pilot were to bend metal at the tune of 15,000 you can bet he might get away with it once! This issue has been brought up numerous times to management in their pretty little meetings in DAL, but no one has yet to come up with reasonable solutions. OK while I am on the role, here goes:

1) Accountability - real department heads with some nuts and AUTHORTY to do their jobs correctly!

2) Dictatorship! - You guessed it... you have to have a CEO that is willing to step up to the plate and take charge instead of being drug around like a lost puppy. His "TEAM" is selling him a bunch of garbage about our wonderful turn around in the company. I have never witnessed so many pissed off owners and disservices in my entire 4 years here, and its not getting any better. My thoughts? You drag each of the department heads in on Monday morning to discuss the goals they ARE EXPECTED to meet. If they have a hard time explaining why our airline budget was 400% OVER and cant account for the "reposition" to a broken airplane that is scheduled to be down for another "WEEK" then get rid of them...Dont blame it on the extra 75.00 it takes to get me to the airplane from my domocile...its very easy. Make them justify their position in the company every week. I can tell you it works! I worked for a company with this management style for 9 years and they are still in business and doing well. Dont get me wrong... i love the fact that at F.O. you can bend an airplane, get violated and get promoted in the same week, but obviously that isnt how to make a STRONG, SUCCESSFUL company.

3) Training - someday someone will pull their head out and realize that training costs are going to kill the companies profit margin. Hmmmm... 10K-15K to hire a rookie, or just pay the same dedicated pilot who has been with you for 4 years 8K in bonuses and have some experience in the cockpit.

4) WE ARE NOT AN AIRLINE - so quit running it like one. You can piss off 1 of a million customers who paid you a measly 300.00 to fly to LAX, but You cannot sh$t all over a Million dollar customer and get away with it. You will lose business! WE ARE A SERVICE BASED MANAGEMENT COMPANY. Same rule applies to the pilots. Why would you start taking away from the pilots, producing an ALL TIME LOW morale in the pilot group, when it is these same guys and gals that are appologizing for the companies screw up(lets just use 1 of a thousand examples...uh the trip was scheduled for the same date and time NEXT YEAR so... "sorry MR and MRS Millionaire for the 5 hour delay to the funeral you were scheduled to be at in 2 Hours ago") This has actually happened to me in BFI.

oh well enough for now....let er' rip
 

Latest resources

Back
Top