AIRLINES 101
2021
Martine A. CADET
Chef de Service
des Relations
Publiques OFNAC
Windows User
In Civil Aviation, English is the international recommended by ICAO as the
language of the SKY. Therefore this class will mostly be in English. Here we will
watch, understand, get info and pay more attention to the different Airlines in
the world: how they were created, operate and how they provide services to us
who use them more and more as our main transportation around the world.
I was an employee for American Airlines for 8 years. My experiences with this
airline gave me the opportunity to discover this world in the sky through
different departments I worked in and it will be my pleasure to share them with
all of you.
So Guys,
We’re glad you’re here
“Welcome Aboard”. (Video 1, 2: Welcome)
What are Airlines?
In the aviation world, Airline Companies provides air transportation for people
(Travelers or Passengers), for Freight (Cargo, Luggage). As we all know, theses
airlines use airplanes (aircrafts such as Boeing - Air Bus – etc…) to give these
services and these planes come in all shapes and sizes. It also make us think of big
fleets that cost millions to buy and operate.
(Video 3: Passenger Aircrafts 2019)
The airline companies either have their own fleet of aircrafts or lease aircrafts.
Then they need to be recognized with an Air Operating Certificate (AOC) or a
license issued by a Governmental Aviation Authority as example OFNAC.
Airlines are considered to be one of the fastest ways of transportation. They are
one of the emerging industries providing customers with impeccable services and
they created a great impact on of the customers as the ultimate service provider in
the transportation industry.
They also need to use a space called Airport (APO) to put up their system via
Ticket Counters and Baggage Claims Carousels etc... to assist the passengers and
get them to their destinations. As for the airport space, it is responsible to receive
comfortably and safely the passengers and transfer them to the aircraft: with the
support of the FAA in the United States or OFNAC/AAN for us in Haiti.
Airline services can be categorized as being: International, Domestic, Regional,
Intra-Continental, and can be operated as scheduled Commercial Flights, Charters
or Ferry.
(Video 4-5: What’s an Airport? - FAA 101)
Who invented the first Airplane?
The Wright brothers invented the first successful airplane. On December 17,
1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright flew 4 times. The 1st flight lasted 12 seconds
and went 120 feet.
As for commercial air travel, it began in 1914, when the world's first scheduled
commercial flight set off between Tampa and St Petersburg, piloted by Tony
Jannus. The St-Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line only lasted 3 months. The flight
covered 29 kilometers (18 miles) and took 23 minute and safely transported 1,204
passengers across the bay.
National Air and Space Museum Archives.
Pilot Tony Jannus is on the right; the airline's organizer, Paul E. Fansler, on the
left.
(Video 6: Wright Brothers)
What is the difference between cargo and passenger aircraft?
The difference between cargo and passenger aircrafts is, of course, what they
transport. While passenger planes fly travelers with minimal luggage stored in the
hold, cargo planes transport goods.
They also differ in their time of operations, the length of flights, and the parking
location at the Airport. In a cargo plane, unlike the passenger’s plane, there are no
seats. Cargo planes operate with old aircrafts and still manage to last longer than
commercial ones. But the basic of their Flight is the same. They are equal as in
Aircrafts, Airline Company, Route and Pilots.
(Video 7: cargo planes).
This industry of machineries has some amazing aircrafts that we would never think
could be created. For example the largest Passenger Aircraft is the Air Bus A380,
which can carry more than 800 passengers and the largest Cargo Aircraft is the
Antonov An-225 Mriya.
(Video 8: biggest planes).
How many aircrafts and Airlines exist today?
It is amazing to think how far the world has come since the Wright Brother’s first
flight 100 years ago. Aviation analysts estimated the total number of aircrafts
currently in service in the world, Passenger and Cargo, at about 39,000 planes. As
for the Airlines, over 5,000 are recognized by ICAO / IATA with codes. In a more
logical perspective, there are close to 800 commercial Airlines globally operating.
(Video 9: IATA codes) See list of codes.
The number of flights performed globally by the airline industry has increased
since then, by 2019, it reached 39 million of flights. However due to COVID-19,
the number has dropped to 16 million.
The world's largest airline by fleet size and passengers carried is American
Airlines (AA), operating from the United States. But the No 1 in the world is
Qatar Airways (QF) this year. Qatar was the first carrier to complete the IATA
Operational Safety Audit (IOSA).
(Video 10: Best Airline in the world 2021)
Airline Alliances…. What are they?
When we travel or book tickets online or via an agency, we sometimes noticed that
our itinerary may have more the one airlines name if we have connecting flights to
reach our final destination. For example if you are traveling to Singapore, you
might have PAP/MIA with AA and have MIA/DOH/SIN on QF to get to the final
destination. Or you might have heard that this airline is a member of the ONE
WORLD Alliance…. All of that mean that some airline created a partnership
between or among them in order to give more services, more choices and more
benefits to the customers as well as to themselves in getting more routes more
growth for their companies. Some benefits are:
CODESHARE FLIGHTS
POINTS OR MILES
SHARED BENEFITS
SHARED SERVICES
The 3 Global Alliances in the world are:
ONE WORLD ALLIANCE
It is the smallest of the alliance founded in 1999. It has 15 members which includes
American Airlines, British Airways, Qantas etc.., with 535 million passengers per
year.
SKY TEAM ALLIANCE
It is the smallest of the alliance founded 2000. It has 20 members which includes
Delta, Air France, etc…, with 630 million passengers per year.
STAR ALLIANCE
It is the smallest of the alliance founded in 1997. It has 26 members which includes
Lufthansa, Air Canada, etc..., with 727million passengers per year. They are the
largest Alliance until now
(Video 11: Airline Alliances 1/2/3)
How does an Airline work?
Just like any other business, the airline industry provides a transportation service
for a set price. Airlines are most often represented in public by those employees
who have the most contact with travelers, but there are many more airline
employees working behind the scenes.
Line personnel: This is the group of people you most often see during a flight, and
they form 85 percent of an airline's labor force.
Airport Personnel
Ticket Counter agents
Reservation Clerks
Gate Agents
Flight Crew Personnel such as Flight attendants, Pilot and Co-Pilot, Stewardess
Airport check-in Personnel
Gate personnel
Security guards
.
Operations: These people are responsible for scheduling aircrafts and flight
crews for the aircraft. Operations personnel maintain guidelines to
meet FAA standards, and they train the flight crews. Included in operations are
the dispatchers, who track all of the airline's flights.
Maintenance: Airplanes are multi-million-dollar vehicles that must be maintained
in order to prevent the airline from losing money. About 10 percent of an airline's
work force is dedicated to aircraft maintenance.
Sales and marketing: If you wonder who sets your prices, you can usually find
them in the sales and marketing divisions of an airline. These people are also
tasked with advertising, cargo sales, reservations, customer service and food
service.
To work for an Airline, you need to get Training on Dangerous Goods (DG).
Dangerous goods are items or substances that when transported by aircraft are a
risk to health, safety, property or the environment. These include obvious things,
such as: explosives, radioactive materials, flammable liquids, dangerous or volatile
chemicals, strong acids, compressed gases, poisons and aerosols. The DG is
classified in nine (9) classifications.
(Video12: Dangerous Goods 1/2)
Airline Reservation .-
A reservation for an ITINERARY is made in the airline system, either directly by
the passenger or by an agent. The itinerary includes all the above details needed for
the issuance of an air ticket, except the ticket number.
When the reservation is made, a Passenger Name Record (PNR) will be created
which is used to manage the reservation and check in. I
Airline Tickets.-
An airline ticket is a document or electronic record (e-ticket) issued by an airline or
a travel agency that confirms that an individual is entitled to a seat on a flight on an
aircraft.
(Video13: Airline Ticket)
The ticket, in either form, is required to obtain a boarding pass during check-in at
the airport. Then with the boarding pass and the attached ticket, the passenger is
allowed to board the aircraft.
Airline Check-in.-
It is the process used by the airlines in order to accept passengers at the airport
prior to travel. The airline use a counter at the APO to handle the check-in with the
agents “passenger service agent” who are there to greet the passengers and assist
them with their reservation and their baggage and provide them with a
BOARDING PASS to get access to the aircraft and put a bag tag on the bags that
will be going under the aircraft.
(Video14: Airport check 1/2)
“SSSS” stands for “secondary security screening selection”. Simply put, it means
you’re getting an extra thorough search when you go through security.
Passengers – Travelers: a traveller on a public or private transportation other than
the driver, pilot, or crew.
Commercial Flight: A commercial flight refers to a traditional flight that
transports passengers from one destination to another, with a pre-booked ticket
Fleet: A group or assemblage of aircrafts.
Charter Flight: a flight by an aircraft chartered for a specific journey, not part of
an airline's regular schedule.
Ferry Flight: A flight for the purpose of delivering an aircraft from one location
to another, or they do not carry revenue passengers.
OFNAC: Office Nationale de l’Aviation Civile.
ICAO: International Civil Aviation Organisation.
IATA: International Air Transport Association.
FAA: Federal Aviation Administration.
AOC: Air Operator Certificate (AOC) is a certificate authorizing an operator to
carry out specified commercial air transport.
IOSA: IATA Operational Safety Audit.
DGR: Dangerous Goods Regulations
Itinerary: a planned route or journey.
E-Ticket: An e-ticket (electronic ticket) is a paperless electronic document used
for ticketing passengers, particularly in the commercial airline industry.
PNR: Passenger name Record
Record Locator: Code used to identify and access a specific record on an airline's
reservation system.
Bag Tag: is a Document issued by the Carrier (Airline) solely for identification of
checked baggage.
Boarding Pass: A pass for boarding an aircraft, given to passengers when
checking in.
