Chapter 2 A

The Air Transportation Industry

OBJECTIVES:Define airline industry terminologyExplain how various types of aircraft are used in commercial aviationCategorize airline typesDescribe what factors affect air ticket pricesDescribe airport procedures

Aviation:Industry that builds and flies aircraft

2 parts Military Aviation-flown by air force and other branches of its militaryCivil Aviation: industry that flies public from place to place

FAAThe Federal Aviation Administration: controls air traffic operations, licenses pilots, inspects aircraft and oversees maintenance

ATA

Air Transport Association: regulates ticketing, keeps ticket purchases standardized

ARCThe Airlines Reporting Corporation: controls the distribution of tickets, collects the money for tickets

TSATransportation Security Administration: government entity responsible for security at airports in the US

Air Service and RoutesAircraft can’t simply fly wherever and whenever they want.

When dealing with business or vacation flying you deal with scheduled service- transportation that operates regularly at set advertised times, no matter how many people book the service

Charter FlightsCompanies sell seats, to or through tour operators or mass-market sellersFlight may be made several times a week, however, may be canceled if there aren’t enough passengers.May be called a direct air carrier

Private JetsOwned by individuals or companiesMay be owned by several individuals or companies and called fractional ownershipOften less expensive for a company than buying first class or business class for executives

Flight TypesNonstop Flight: One on which a traveler goes from Point A to Point B on the same aircraft with no stops in between. Example: LAX airport in Los Angeles to JFK airport in New York City with no stops in between

Flight TypesDirect Flight: one on which a traveler goes from Point A to Point B on the same aircraft but stops at an airport in between. Example: La to Dallas to NYC with no plane changeSometimes called continuing or one-stop flights

Flight TypesConnecting Flight: A traveler must change planes once, twice, or more times to get to the destination

Itinerary RoutesOne-way Flight: customer goes from Point A to Point B and that’s it.

A one-way flight may be more expensive than a round trip

Round Trip Flight: Most common, Customer goes from Point A to Point B and then returns to Point A

Itinerary RoutesOpen-jaw Flight: Flies from point A to point B, travels by rail or rental car to point C, then returns by air from point C to point ATranscontinental Service: flies from coast to coastCircle Flight: Fly from Point A to point B, stay a while, Fly to Point C, stay a while, then fly back to Point A from point C

Hubs and SpokesHub: key airport where a carrier bases most of its flights from, economic for airlinesSpokes: vast system of flights out of the hub, may be direct or nonstopDomestic Hubs: handle mostly domestic (local in the US) flightsInternational Hubs: handle mostly flights to other countries

Hub and Spoke Example

Chicago

O’Hare (ORD)

SEA

LAS

LAX

SAN DFW MIA

PHL

BOS

AircraftJet engine: driven by jets, faster than prop planes, go farther, tend to be larger-Narrow-body jets and wide-body jets called jumbo jets-747,777,DC-10Propeller or Prop: driven by propellers, smaller, go relatively slow, travel short distances

SeatingPitch: also called legroom, distance between seat rows, more pitch, more leg room, affects comfortWidth: how wide the seat is, affects comfort, average 18 in., some just 16.5Recline: seats lay back, 10% to 45%, but some 100% like bed (according to class)

Class of ServiceFirst Class: at the front of the plane, wider seats, greater pitch, more recline, elaborate meals, complimentary alcoholic beverages, free movies

Class of ServiceCoach Class: also called economy, standard level of service, narrower seats, less pitch and recline, simple meals or snacks, maybe no meals, soft drinks. Alcoholic beverages cost extra as well as movies. Usually separated from 1st class by wall called bulkhead

Class of ServiceBusiness Class: Some airlines may have a business class between the first class and the coach, somewhat better than coach and with less than first class. Almost always, business and first class feature fewer seats per row (more comfort)

Seating AssignmentIn most cases a passenger can reserve a specific seat in advanceSometimes you can reserve a seat when you check in at the airportSome airlines will not let you book a specific seat.Southwest lets you sit where you want, first come, first serve

OverbookingAirlines sometimes allow bookings to exceed the number of seat available on a slight-oversold or overbookedCompanies have computers that estimate (guess) how many people will not show (no-shows) for the flight

RewardsVolunteers are asked to fly later to release overbooked seatsSome are offered vouchers worth hundreds of dollars toward future tripsSome are offered “FREE” flight, upgrades to first class or even cash

BumpedPassengers must check in for their flight no later than 20-30 minutesIf you are late, you may not be able to board and may be “bumped” to a later flight

Airlines4 basic categories of airlines1. Major U.S. Airlines-huge companies, services U.S. and international cities2. Secondary Airlines: not as large as majors, offer great service, most have connecting hubs ad crisscross the U.S.

Airlines3. Low-Fare Airlines: Low-frills, low fares, target leisure travelers, establish hubs in secondary airports (smaller), have fewer nonstop flights, rarely offer meals or movies, have coach seating only, use only 1 or 2 aircraft models, their tickets are usually not accepted by other larger companies

Airlines4. Regional Airlines: commuter airlines, limited sections of country, usually affiliated with a major airline, use small jets and prop planes

Airline TermsCommercial Flight: seats sold to general publicCode-Sharing: partner airlines use each others carrier codesRed-eye flight: overnight flight where passenger tries to sleep, and usually does not get any sleep

Airline TermsGateway: airport that serves an airline as its departure/arrival point for international travelFlight Attendants: Airline personnel who see to the safety, comfort and needs of passengers on the plane