The real issues and conflicts that may affect efficient and timely ground handling at airports

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The real issues and conflicts that may affect
efficient and timely ground handling at airports
Remedies to expedite aircraft turn-arounds

• by Tone Magister
• at London Metropolitan University
• Feb.23,2004.

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Ground Handling DEFINITION

• contains
• Passenger, baggage and cargo handling through
  terminals
• Informing, directing, channeling
• Ticketing
• Check-in
• Handling, conveyance, sorting, reclaim
• Security
• Goverment controls
• Ramp activities
• Aircraft ramp services
• On-ramp aircraft servicing
• On board servicing
• Off-loading/loading of an aircraft
• Flight dispatch
• Flight planning
• Aircraft weight balance
• Flight crew briefing
• Flight watch

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Ground Handling EFFICIENCY

• Efficiency is the quality of being able to do a
  assigned task successfully
• in a defined period of time,
• under any given circumstances,
• and without wasting time or resources since
  efficiency output/input lt 1.
• Efficiency of ground handling process depends
  upon
• Availability staffing, scheduling, allocating
  equipment, positioning,
• Adaptability to traffic peaks work tasks to
  METEO cond.
• Capability, performance, compatibility
• of ground handling staff and equipment and
• Speed expeditiousness of aircraft turn-around
  process.

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Ground Handling FACTS

• Aircraft turn-around is a product of ground
  handling activities.

• During apron turnaround no productive revenue is
  earned.
• Process of ground handling is complex
• and consequently time-consuming.
• Ground handling activities
• are labor and equipment demanding.
• Ground handling activities are carried
• out by some mix of
• airlines,
• airport authority,
• special handling agencies and,
• government agencies.

REAL ISSUE LOSS Ground handling function is
not an area of considerable profit labor and
equipment costs are high and revenues either
barely cover attributable expenses or are
actually less than costs

• Airline/Airport ground operations are the second
  largest contributor to flight delays after ATC
  related delays.

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Ground Handling INEFFICIENCY
REAL ISSUES Natural consequences of inefficiency

• Inefficient ground handling lead to
• low level of aircraft and staff utilization,
• low level of airline airport productivity,
• congestion on airport apron gates.
• Financial effects of aircraft delay fall (almost)
  entirely upon the airline
• Added operational costs,
• Lost revenue passengers permanent disloyalty.
• Financial effects of inefficient ground handling
  upon airport
• Revenues not gained due to the congestion on
  airport apron gates.

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EFFICIENT Ground Handling

• Turnaround time of an aircraft is minimized in
  order to produce more revenue-making flight time.
• If an airline can fly multiple-aircraft schedule
  with less aircraft it saves in capital
  expenditures which results
• in lower fares for customers and,
• in profit for shareholders.
• Cutting ground time would reduce operating
  expenses.
• Turnaround serviceability is essential to the
• improvement of schedule punctuality while turning
  around aircraft,
• maintenance of flight linkages,
• aircraft rotation stability.

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CONFLICT of Efficient Ground Handling

• When departure is scheduled according to the
  departure slot or next arrival slot we gain
  nothing but operational costs with fast ahead
  of time turnaround.
• Fast efficient ground handling lead to
• congestion on airport terminal, apron, TWY/RWY,
• congestion in airspace.
• Scarcity of peak-hour flight slots and gates at
  the busiest airports puts a practical limitation
  on growth expeditiousness of aircraft
  turn-around process.

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REMEDIES to expedite turn-around

• should be implemented at all levels concerning
  Ground Operations
• Management
• Organization
• Training Drill is necessary for expeditiousness
  of aircraft turn- around process but incurs
  higher labor costs due to longer
  non-revenue duty period.
• Flight Scheduling
• Execution
• Overall Supervision Departure Control is
  required to ensure that there is sufficient
  coordination of operations to avoid
  unnecessary ramp delays.

CONFLICT ADDED LABOR COSTS
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MANAGEMENT

• Upon aircraft selection door and servicing
  point layout has to be arranged to permit
  simultaneous operations the short period that the
  aircraft is on the ground during turn-around
  service.
• Upon procurement the compatibility of
  apron/ground handling devices
• with aircraft,
• other apron and,
• terminal equipment, ..
• Backup equipment to avoid unavailability will
  incure higher costs of ground handling operations
  and might deepen financial loss of it.

• Decision about distribution of Ground Handling
  operations
• the size of the aircraft,
• the type of operations,
• the frequency with which an airline uses the
  airport,
• the operational philosophy adopted by the
  airport/airline,
• Control of Ground Handling Efficiency
• complaint reports,
• punctuality reports,
• cost analysis,
• monitoring the adequacy of Ground Handling

CONFLICT COSTS OF BACKUP
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ORGANIZATION

• Ramp activities are integral part of Ground
  Handling process.
• Organization has to ensure
• synchronization of ramp activities with
• a process of passenger, baggage and cargo
  handling through terminals,
• flight dispatch watch.
• that many services of ramp activities are carried
  out concurrently,
• appropriate staffing,
• appropriate staff scheduling,
• timely adequate staff allocating,
• timely adequate positioning of staff
  equipment of hired services,
• timely adequate positioning of apron equipment,
  
• preventive maintenance of apron equipment ensures
  availability but incurs higher costs of ground
  handling operations and might deepen financial
  loss of it.

CONFLICT COSTS OF PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE
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FLIGHT SCHEDULLING

• An airline have to be able to optimize its
  aircraft rotational schedule in a flight network
  in order to minimize its operational costs while
  maintaining punctuality.
• Use of schedule buffer time in the scheduled
  ground time of a turnaround aircraft would be
  able to optimize the schedule punctuality
  performance while maintaining a short turnaround
  time for aircraft.
• Optimal trade-off between schedule buffer time
  and the expected system cost is needed and system
  costs are
• aircraft departure delay costs (type class of
  aircraft),
• passenger delay costs (average wage rate, flight
  class, trip characteristic, delay time
  perception),
• schedule time costs.

CONFICT SCHEDULE TIME-OPPORTUNITY COSTS Since
scheduled ground time can be alternatively
utilized as revenue-generating airborne block
hours, use of schedule buffer time for turnaround
aircraft may reduce the expected departure delay,
but incurs schedule time-opportunity costs
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Southwest IDEAL of EXECUTION
Can we turn a plane in ten minutes? Of course we
can Most of us had no idea that we couldnt do
this, so we just did it. Lardon, Southwest

• When plane pulls into the gate employees in
  ground operations run for the aircraft like a pit
  crew scrambling to get F1 car back on the track.
• Airline negotiated labor contract that allow
  flexibility employees have the flexibility and
  the willingness to step outside previously
  defined job categories and do whatever it takes
  to get a flight out on time.
• Flight attendants and pilots working with the
  provisioning and ramp people to stock airplanes,
  pick up trash, folding seat belts, load bags,

CONFICT UNIONS of European Teatre Will union
demands remain moderate at a time of airline
prosperity?