Flight cancellations can be incredibly frustrating for passengers, especially those who are traveling for a vacation or an important business meeting. However, flight cancellations are a significant burden for airlines too, as they negatively impact crew members, cause significant financial losses and lead to dissatisfied customers.
So what can airlines do to reduce the likelihood of flight cancellations? Let’s talk about the issue of flight cancellations and how airlines can improve their flight scheduling and crew management to minimize cancellations.
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Enhancing Operational Resilience
One of the best ways to reduce flight cancellations and thus the costs associated with cancelled flight compensation is through improving operational resilience.
Airlines with a strong operational resilience can adapt to disruptions while minimizing the impact on operations. Here are some ways that airlines can improve their operational resilience.
Investment in technology and automation
Technology can serve a wide range of functions to improve operational resilience. Airlines can use automation to streamline processes and optimize flight scheduling. In addition, analysis of flight data can help airlines find ways to improve their operational resilience.
Improve employee retention
An airline can only have resilient operations if it has skilled employees. If an airline has high employee turnover, it will have less experienced employees on hand. When an airline increases employee retention, it will have more experienced employees who can find solutions to flight disruptions.
Improve communication
Efficient communication can be a significant factor in reducing the likelihood of flight cancellations. Airlines can improve communication by establishing an airline policy for communication, holding regular meetings and using technology that improves communication.
Strengthening Crew Management
An airline can only successfully manage disruptions if they have a strong and capable crew. Airlines can strengthen crew management by:
- Providing adequate training and development
- Use crew feedback to improve systems
- Encouraging open communication between teams
- Utilizing technology that optimizes crew management
By adopting these practices and promoting a culture of continuous improvement, airlines can strengthen their team’s ability to deal with disruptions and find solutions to minimize cancellations.
Leveraging Technology and Data Analytics
As Technology continues to develop there are more and more options for leveraging technology to improve operational efficiency.
Photo by Stephen Dawson on Unsplash
Real-time data
Today, airlines have access to real-time data and flight tracking. Airline staff can identify issues like bad weather conditions or air traffic control issues in real time, and make the necessary adjustments to avoid disruptions or delays.
Data Analysis
Using historical data, airlines can analyze when most disruptions or cancellations occur and change their operations to reduce the likelihood of flight cancellation. Airlines can also use predictive analysis to predict a flight cancellation before it happens.
Mechanical issue detection
By analyzing data from aircraft sensors, airlines can predict mechanical issues and fix them before they cause a flight cancellation.
There is huge potential in using technology to optimize scheduling and operations, and these are just some of the ways airlines can use technology to reduce cancellations.
Building Flexible Scheduling and Routing
To minimize the chance of flight cancellations, airlines must be flexible and build scheduling and routing plans that allow them to change flights based on real-time data.
When designing scheduling and routing, an airline must consider a variety of factors, such as cost, customer experience and crew staffing. An airline can leverage technology to analyze its needs and build flexible scheduling and routing accordingly.
Policy and Regulation Reform
Where airlines fail to reduce flight cancellations, policies and regulations can help.
One regulation in the EU that some believe has contributed to a reduction in flight cancellations is EC261/2004. This regulation entitles passengers to compensation for cancellations with less than 14 days’ notice, with compensation ranging from €250 to €600 for cancellations.
With regulations like this and companies like Skycop who fight for passenger rights’, airlines have considerably more motivation to reduce cancellations, as compensation costs can cause a significant financial loss for airlines.
In conclusion
Regulations like EC 261/2004 require airlines to pay out compensation for canceled flights, which is a huge expense for airlines. In order to compete in the aviation industry, airlines need an effective airline policy and strategy that addresses the issue of flight cancellations and minimizes costs.
By placing more focus on employee retention and communication, airlines can make significant improvements in operational resilience. Airlines can also leverage technology to analyze large pools of data, predict disruptions and create flexible scheduling. All of these actions combined can dramatically reduce cancellations.
Photo by Rami Al-zayat on Unsplash
Please note this post is a collaboration.