Paul Laherty

Some mainline carriers have announced plans to restart pilot classes in early 2025, signaling a potential rebound in pilot hiring. Regional affiliates have announced plans to resume hiring with the expectation of higher pilot attrition. https://lnkd.in/dSeYuEje .

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ITM Conference Keynote Interview with Doreen Burse United Airlines I’ll be interviewing Doreen on Thursday at the ITM | Institute of Travel Management Conference. I’m planning to cover all the elements of a strong airline category strategy: Cost, Quality, Customer, Sustainability & Innovation. Is there anything you’d add? Or any specific questions you’d like asked? I can’t promise to get them all in but will certainly try … #itm2024 #businesstravel #createbetter

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If We Focus On Creating a Great Customer Experience, Profit and Competition Will Take Care Of Themselves. One of the most thought-provoking discussions at T2RL was the conversation on the future of aviation between Vasu Raja, former CCO of American Airlines, and Richard Clarke, CEO T2RL. There are some points and questions from this dialogue as I interpret them, though they may come across as a bit inconsistent. Vasu Raja: "How are we going to generate enough revenue to cover growing costs? The fundamental business model needs changes, otherwise we risk creating a disaster." __ Vasu Raja: "Airlines, unlike tech companies, only change about 5% of top management every 20 years, whereas tech shifts 20% every 5 years. This long institutional memory could be holding us back." __ Vasu Raja: "We also have to remember: What are we missing for our customer? For travellers, we can’t spoil the experience of travel with the experience of transportation." __ Richard Clarke: " OTAs, are they friends or enemies?" __ Vasu Raja: "OTE have facilitated tonnes of things, and also break rules. Should OTAs and TMCs propose to airlines to sell the most profitable products?" __ Richard Clarke: "Is the airline industry still an interesting place to work?" (good question, by the way!) __ Vasu Raja: "If we focus on creating a great customer experience, profit and competition will take care of themselves. Retailing, after all, gives you the freedom to build products tailored to your customers. And if you’re good at retailing, you’ll see the sales grow." __ Vasu Raja: "Everyone in the value chain can make more money". #T2RL #Aviation #FutureOfTravel

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What Do Airlines Expect from a GSSA Service Provider? 🌍✈️ Airlines rely on General Sales and Service Agents (GSSAs) to provide comprehensive support in specific regions. Here’s what they look for: - Sales & Marketing Prowess: Innovative strategies to boost market penetration, achieve sales targets, and promote the airline's brand. - Operational Excellence: Efficient handling of flight operations, ground services, and cargo management. - Market Intelligence: In-depth market analysis and regular performance reporting. - Regulatory Expertise: Ensuring compliance with local aviation regulations and providing legal support. - Superior Customer Service: Exceptional service for passengers and cargo clients, from reservations to problem resolution. - Financial Efficiency: Effective revenue collection and cost management. - Tech Savvy: Advanced IT systems for reservations, ticketing, and cargo, coupled with innovative solutions. - Strong Network: Leveraging industry connections and developing strategic partnerships. A GSSA meeting these expectations can drive an airline’s success, enhancing market share and profitability. 💼✨ #Aviation #GSSA #Airlines #Sales #Marketing #CustomerService #Innovation #RegulatoryCompliance #OperationalExcellence #GroupConcorde

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I'm delighted to share my insights on the new FAA Part 5 SMS rules in a recent article published in the May/June addition of Business Aviation Insider!

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There is this incident that I have to tell to make this topic real. One of my super smart colleagues, Dr. Franz Josef Weiper and I visited a Line Maintenance MRO a few years back to address the problem statement – they were getting battered daily with the request for more Line technicians to manage the growing demand across all their line stations. How can Ramco help determine the resource count and skills needed to manage the demand? We ran their data (airline arrivals/departures across all line stations, tasks, technician count, skills, and availability) through Ramco's in-memory optimization tool. The answer was an eye-opener and a game changer – after optimal loading of resources across all stations, it seems they not only didn’t need more resources, they actually had excess. Now, suddenly the problem statement changed from "how many more resources needed" to "how much more demand can they take", while improving their productivity, turnaround times, and customer satisfaction. It cannot get any more real than this for the topic of resource and supply chain constraints in the Aviation industry today. With the advent of AI, these insights can be even further enhanced to find more ways to do more with less. The future is bright!

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Hello Aviation Community! We sent out an email survey after our NWO AME Conference, but you know how emails go, sometimes they end up ignored or in junk/spam folders. Here it is for everyone to see. Please help us help you! For more than 26 years, the North Western Ontario AME Committee has strived to provide training, information and networking opportunities for our aviation industry in Ontario and beyond. The annual conferences have brought engineers, apprentices, industry experts, vendors, and service providers together for a unique opportunity to learn, remain current and network with other like-minded professionals, vendors and service providers that are essential to keep our industry moving. Throughout this time, our industry has seen many changes and the needs of those who rely on our products and services have also changed. To remain relevant and continue to provide a positive value-based conference for the region, we are asking for your feedback. We need your invaluable input to ensure that we are also evolving with the needs of the industry. Please follow the link below and complete the short survey. Your answers will help to guide and direct the Committee to continue to provide you – the regions aviation professionals, with a service that meets your needs.   Time is money – we do understand that. As a sincere thank you for taking the time to complete our survey, please add your contact information at the end of the form and you will be entered to win a $100 Visa gift card (draw date December 15).  https://lnkd.in/geXXiUT6

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Top 5 things I picked up on the news feeds this week and best listens, not all industry related. #Top5 1. Brain Rot is an official addition to the Oxford English Dictionary's word of the year 2024, I think we are all guilty of this. The question is, how to reduce it? 2. Interview with Chris Patten on Leading (Rest is Politics Podcast), these interviews with key people in history never disappoint. 3. Scott Galloway, (2 for 1) , Interview with Michael Saylor - CEO at MicroStrategy, his Bitcoin strategy (contd..), and, Office Hours Q&A - a poignant reminder about generosity and how to be a better spender. 4. Interview with aircraft leasing veteran Steven F. Udvar-Házy on CAPA, https://bit.ly/4f4J7xM , for #avgeeks only. The story about Ryanair's first jets I didn't know. 5. Just when you thought the peak of Airline Safety videos had been reached, Qatar Airways added another couple of floors on top this week featuring Kevin Hart - I thought it was pretty funny and just about balanced the safety and fun aspects - always a fine line to tread. https://lnkd.in/ezDz3Uga Happy Friday.

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I love that National Business Aviation Association is initiating these conversations and educating the private aviation community on the importance of #data and data-driven decision making. Matt Liotta speaks to what all great leaders know: You can’t improve what you don’t measure. Travis Kuhn also brings up two important factors for any company embarking on the journey of improving their KPI’s:    1.     What are you measuring? Company goals can largely inform what are defined as its KPI’s. This takes thought leadership. What’s working well? What needs to be improved? Having a standardized way to view the metrics tied to these goals is foundational to understanding performance, tracking root cause, and outlining mechanisms for improving. It’s also crucial to prioritize each of these areas for improvement, identify who is/are responsible for each initiative, and tie each one to the company’s OKR’s. 2.     What is the data telling you? "Data doesn’t lie", but interpretations can vary widely. With such a large variety of business models within our industry, it is difficult for consumers to compare when evaluating potential providers. This leads to another good point raised by Doug Gollan. As new consumers of private aviation enter the marketplace, negative selling degrades trust in the entire business model. If your plan for success is to make your competitors look bad, your approach may quickly backfire. Lead with integrity, solid knowledge of your craft, strong data, and effective communication.  There is so much more to explore on this topic. I look forward to seeing how our industry evolves and improves its use of data. Thanks to NBAA for starting the conversation. Christy Hutchison, CAM, it would be a great topic for panel discussion at next year's S & D conference. Lastly, shout out to Rajat Khurana from whom I learned so much on this subject!

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Over my three decades of experience, I’ve seen many low-cost carriers (LCCs) flourish and continually evolve. Their strategies for growth can vary, but they remain centered on ways to expand their network and deliver value to customers on their own or with their chosen partners.  Today, at Navitaire, an Amadeus company we have many LCC and hybrid airline customers that have added and continue to increase the number of interline and codeshare services they offer.  They have found that interline partnerships can bring a lot of benefits for travelers, as well as airlines.   For passengers, interlines mean they can book ‘through itineraries’ to more destinations on two or more airlines with less hassle than booking each one separately. They can often check-in through to their destination and don’t need to transfer their bags.   Beyond the opportunity to extend their network via partners, interline deals give LCCs more ways to help them grow, as identified in our Travel Technology Investment Trends research.  For example, 54% of LCCs see access to higher value fares as the leading benefit from such arrangements, and 50% said it would offer opportunities to drive more bookings overall. Other perks included a chance to sell additional ancillary services such as express boarding or extra leg room.   Some 36% of LCC respondents said that they are already partnering or interlining with traditional full-service carriers (FSCs) today. We at Navitaire, an Amadeus company expect this number to increase as the next generation of airline technology makes these connections between business models easier than ever.   Find out more in our full report, here: https://lnkd.in/gX5W8eEp   #AmadeusTechTrends2024 #ModernRetailing #ThoughtLeadership #Aviation #Navitaire 

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Earlier this week, Accelya launched FLX ONE! FLX ONE is Accelya’s new platform, built to give airlines control and flexibility over their retailing. Bringing Offer, Order, Settle, and Delivery (OOSD) into a modular platform, airlines can manage the transformation at their own pace. FLX ONE transforms airline retailing by replacing outdated legacy systems with modern, modular components designed for a new digital transformation era. Find out how FLX ONE is designed to grow with you, offering value at every step while keeping you in control of your strategy. 👉https://ow.ly/ej1C30sHEvV #Accelya #FLXONE #AirlineRetailing #IATAWPS

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Excited for the Aviation Industry's Rebound? Cirium’s Chief Strategy Officer, Kevin O’Toole, shares insights on the rebound of airline traffic in 2023 and what lies ahead for 2024. 🚀 Key Highlights: - Revenue Recovery: In 2023, passenger revenues surged 5% above the previous peak. - Near Pre-Pandemic Levels: Passenger numbers ended the year just 3% shy of 2019 levels. - Challenges: Business travel lags, and long-haul demand faces hurdles, but the market is returning to normal. #Cirium #IndustryInsights #Diio Read the full article below:

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The need to Address Industry Gaps: Our organization identifies and addresses critical gaps in the aviation industry, including workforce shortages, insufficient training programs, and a lack of diversity. By collaborating with schools, colleges, and aviation stakeholders, Take Flight Consulting develops innovative curricula, enhances training opportunities, and provides targeted support to aspiring professionals. Take Flight also works to ensure that aviation education aligns with evolving industry needs, including technological advancements and regulatory updates. Happy Flying

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#CommercialAviation, which typically flies aircraft with over 100 seats, represents more than 80% of revenue seat miles flown and emissions generated in the aviation sector. However, we haven't seen much investment in breakthrough approaches for more the larger #aircraft that serve these operations. Investors have made big bets in breakthrough #aerospace technologies for smaller aircraft (e.g. #eVTOLS, #eSTOL and #hydrogen themes), which address less than 16% of aviation emissions and less than 10% of current aircraft. #SAF investments can help commercial #aviation move forward with #sustainability goals, but SAF is likely to cost 2-3X as much as JetA, which will create significant demand destruction and financing issues for airlines. #Boeing and #Airbus have explored breakthrough technologies for commercial aviation that would increase aircraft efficiency beyond what traditional tube and wing aircraft can achieve -- Boeing's X66 Truss Braced Wing concept for example. However, the only programs currently planned -- next generation tube and wing #aircraft -- will deliver gains that fall far short of the industry's needs to achieve its sustainability goals. The #BWB concepts in progress, of which JetZero is the most advanced, can help fill this gap in product development and sustainability for the most important part of the #airline business by cutting fuel consumption per RPM by 30-50%. SAF will continue to play an important role, which BWB concepts will accelerate by eliminating the trillions of dollars of incremental cost that would have put a primarily SAF based solution under immense pressure. In the end, the fuel savings tied to new equipment will help the industry achieve its sustainability goals while reducing costs and accelerating industry growth. That makes for a healthier industry going forward. Alaska Airlines has a strong history of pragmatic thought leadership in the aviation industry. With this investment they have led the industry towards an attractive future where a robust, profitable industry and sustainability have become mutually reinforcing goals that build on the industry's legacy as the world's most fuel efficient. large scale transportation system. Many investors focused in sustainability have not had the right combination of vision and pragmatism to take this type of step. Congrats to Alaska Airlines and JetZero on moving us in the right direction. Matthew Ridley Jonathon Counsell Pasha Saleh Diana Birkett Rakow Tom O'Leary Shane Tackett Sergey Kulyagin Jerry Griffin Chris Kelly Singley Brian Flynn David Spurlock Traci H. Azim Barodawala Jeff Schox Jeff Johnson Daniel Moczydlower,MSc,PMP Stefan Sandoval Yepes Holger Blankenstein Jose Suarez Andrew Broderick Dionisio Pérez Jácome F. Peter Fiene Myles Goeller Derek Gerow Stan Pace Jim Harris

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Another successful transaction.

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Successful, well rounded #aviation organizations are beginning to understand their success rests with those who bring leadership and business acumen, not just seniority to the table. Great read here:

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