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Sound Bites

In a bid to spur more passengers to use LA/Ontario International Airport next year, officials want to offer airlines temporary incentives to start new service at the airport.
But temporary landing fee reductions may not be enough to drive in significant new service, said Alan Bender, an airline business expert and business professor with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
“Judging from the last 10 or 15 years, the results are a mixed bag,” he said. “In no way is this a slam dunk.”
Bender said fuel prices and competition with other airlines sometimes dwarf the importance of airport incentives.
-- “Plan aims to spur Ontario airport growth,” Press-Enterprise (Riverside, Calif.), Nov. 11, 2007

An inadequate tower can reduce the safety “padding” that controllers allow themselves to avoid problems, said Bill Waldock, a professor of air safety science at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Ariz.
-- “Local air controllers see danger ahead,” Arizona Daily Star, Nov. 18, 2007

“KC-135Es that have served our nation so well for 50 years have exceeded available engineering data,” said U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley, “and we can no longer accurately anticipate what element of the weapon system will fail next.”
That is a legitimate concern for a 50-year-old aircraft, said Bill Waldock, professor of safety science at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Ariz. “It’s reached the point where they’re starting to detect some changes in the structures,” he said. “Once you get metal that’s old enough, you could develop some unpredictability in critical areas.”
-- “Fly it or park it?” Air Force Times, Nov. 19, 2007

Since the aviation agency is already trying to put about half of the recommendations into effect and a representative from the agency was on the panel, known formally as the Flight Delay Task Force, at least some of the measures stand a good chance of being adopted. The real question, airline industry experts say, is how quickly the F.A.A. acts and whether those actions can keep up with demand for more takeoffs and landings.
“It takes a considerable amount of time to get things done in Washington,” said Cass Howell, chairman of the aeronautical science department at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, in Daytona Beach, Fla. “They have some very good people at the F.A.A., but the reality is with a bureaucracy as big as it is, and a strong controllers’ union, and issues they have to comply with, they are not as efficient as they should be.”
-- “Port Authority and airlines offer ways to ease delays at New York airports,” New York Times, Dec. 7, 2007

Beds on an airplane is not a new idea. In the 1930s, Pan Am’s Clippers, which took off from the water, had berths that folded down into beds. Post-World War II, the airline’s Boeing 377 Stratocruisers offered sleeper seats. Eventually the beds were eliminated.
But because of deregulation and increased competition, the economics of the airline industry changed, said Dan Petree, dean of the College of Business at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
“I think now we’re seeing attempts by airlines to differentiate their brands, to try to create additional value in terms of the service they provide their customers,” he said. “I think that’s one of the reasons we are seeing this tendency to pay attention to the relatively high-margin business flier.”
-- “You can take your flight lying down,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Associated Press), Dec. 14, 2007

While the carrier is not scaling back efforts to hold on to leisure travelers, the airline says it is increasing its emphasis on corporate travelers.
Airline economist Alan Bender, a professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, says Southwest is at a crossroads and needs to make some changes.
“But these are just baby steps that they’ve made so far,” Bender says. “There’s not much risk in them, and not much cost but, I fear, not much reward either.”
“The problem, Bender ways, is how much change can Southwest make without losing its unique identity and brand. And, he says, it’s possible that Southwest could go so far as to offend longtime loyalists drawn by the egalitarian charm and free spirit that have played a big role in its success. Also, some possible changes carry higher cost, negating some of the revenue benefits.
“Do they offer assigned seats? That slows down (airplane) turnaround times and increases costs,” he says. “Do they offer a lounge? That increases costs. Do they offer a first-class section for perhaps a nominal fee? Plenty of other low-cost airlines do that. I think that’s something worth looking at.”
-- “Southwest hopes ch-ch-changes add up to some ch-cha-ching,” USA Today, Dec. 28, 2007

Nigeria is the largest oil producer in Africa and the 11th largest producer of crude oil in the world, according to the Energy Information Association. ExxonMobil, which produces 750,000 barrels per day in Nigeria, plans to invest $11 billion in the country’s oil sector through 2011.
This could translate to lucrative business travel. International flights are more profitable because corporations tend to buy higher-priced luxury seats, said Alan Bender, professor of aeronautics and airline economist at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
“You’re not going to stay with a company if it makes you sit squished up in a flight for 12 hours,” he said.
-- “As continent develops, Delta ready with service,” Cincinnati Business Courier, Dec. 14, 2007

But many academics, like Daniel Petree, dean of business at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, prefer to stick with a lightly regulated market economy than return to protectionist barriers of years ago. In the long run, Petree said, continued devaluation of the dollar will help curb imports.
But Petree also acknowledged he is concerned about annual trade deficits that have grown to the $700 billion range in the past decade, up from the tame $100 billion range in the early 1990s.
“We can’t keep this up forever,” Petree said.
-- “It’s getting harder to find items produced in the good old U.S.A.,” Daytona Beach News-Journal, Jan. 20, 2008

Before Thursday’s crash, there had never been an accident that destroyed a 777, a long-range twin-engine jet introduced in 1995. The jets have logged 3.5 million hours, according to Boeing.
“It’s a mystery from what I see so far,” said Dennis Lessard, chairman of aeronautical science at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Ariz.
Lessard, who is not involved in the investigation, said investigators typically will examine whether complex computers aboard the jet malfunctioned and gave the engines the wrong instructions.
They will also pay close attention to the jet’s fuel supply, which is suspected because the problem involved both engines, according to Lessard.
So far, the pilots appear to be heroes for guiding the plummeting jet to a field just short of a runway, but even their actions cannot be ruled out as a potential cause, he said. “The pilots really saved the day,” he said. “Is there a possibility of human (error)? There always is.”
-- “Crash of popular Boeing 777 scrutinized,” USA Today, Jan. 23, 2008

“This is going to get worse before it gets better,” said Marty Lauth, a former FAA air traffic control supervisor who is now an assistant professor of air traffic management at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida. “You are going to have less controllers to work airplanes, and less-experienced controllers are going to be put into the situation of handling a lot more airplanes than they have had to in the past.”
-- “FAA exodus sparks concerns over fatigue,” Washington Post, Feb. 3, 2008

“The old concept of The Right Stuff – the rugged test pilot, the individualist – is just not going to work,” says Jason Kring, who studies human-spacecraft interaction at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
-- “For NASA, ‘The Right Stuff’ takes on a softer tone,” USA Today, Feb. 4, 2008

Responding to harsh criticism from air-traffic controllers and members of Congress, federal officials say new takeoff procedures from Philadelphia International Airport not only are safe, but also are helping to reduce flight delays.
And at least two independent air-traffic experts, in interviews, supported the Federal Aviation Administration’s assertion that its new flight plan is at least as safe as the previous system.
Sid McGuirk, an associate professor and head of the air-traffic management program at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla., said he believed “pilots are pretty bright people” and should not be confused.
“New headings are assigned by air-traffic controllers all the time,” said McGuirk, who was a controller for 35 years.
-- “Safety of new Philadelphia flight paths defended,” Philadelphia Inquirer, March 5, 2008

“There are a lot of legitimate grievances and complaints from the traveling public,” says Richard Bloom, director of terrorism, intelligence and security studies at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. “To collect them and read them and think about them and take action is a positive thing to do.”
But “only so much can be done to react to public feedback,” he says, because of budget and political constraints. For example, can TSA pay screeners more and provide better training?
-- “Passengers air grievances on TSA blog,” CNN, March 16, 2008

Under fire for lax oversight of inspections at Southwest Airlines, the Federal Aviation Administration yesterday ordered an audit of maintenance records at all other U.S. carriers.
Southwest was one of the first domestic carriers to outsource maintenance, a move other carriers have made in an effort to cut costs, said Frederick Mirgle, an aviation maintenance expert at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, a college known for training airline workers.
As airlines struggle with an economic slowdown and high fuel prices, there’s more pressure to delay preventive maintenance, Mirgle added. “They’re tightening their belts more,” he said. “The maintenance is still being done to a satisfactory level, but you may put things off for a year or two that don’t have to be done right now.”
-- “All airlines face review,” Baltimore Sun, March 19, 2008

“You go back to financial problems airlines had before 9/11 and passengers said airfares were too complex,” said Dawna Rhoades, a management professor and associate dean of research at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
“So airlines simplified pricing. But now complexity is creping back in, and most passengers won’t be entirely sure what the charges are.”
-- “New charges for bags, aisle seats,” Tampa Tribune, Apr. 26, 2008

“When the economy is bad, it’s often a good time for startups because (out-of-work) pilots want to work, planes can be acquired for very little and people want to pinch pennies,” said Alan Bender, professor of airline economics at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. “But with fuel prices being what they are, I believe that kills the whole notion.”
-- “Soaring fuel costs limit prospects for ultra-cheap carriers,” Boston Globe, Apr. 25, 2008

“86. Skip class to catch a live space shuttle launch with the aeronautically-minded students (and instructors) at Daytona Beach’s Embry-Riddle University.”
-- “101 things to do before you graduate,” SIonCampus.com (Sports Illustrated), May 6, 2008