All is not gloom. High-revenue business and first-class passengers prepared to pay more are increasing at a phenomenal rate. Recent figures from American Express show airline revenue from premium-class fares is increasing albeit slowly due to the after effects of September 11th 2001. Now, companies are alarmed at the rise in airline fares, and accountants are constantly trying to persuade executives to downgrade. So, as Matthew Davis of American Express says, 'canny airlines have jumped to the rescue by... offering the business traveller a broader range of options', such as British Airways' superb upgraded club class product as an alternative to first class.
Video conferencing was supposed stop many business flights, but seems to have had the opposite effect. Companies have a video call to set up their meeting, than fly to the meeting.
All this extra high-income revenue travel means that not only are more cabin crew needed to supply upgraded services, but also more support staff such as VIP Lounge receptionists, more check-in staff, dedicated porters, limousine drivers, etc.
The general public sees working for an airline as a glamorous job, but cabin crew has to combine working as a flying waiter or waitress, mobile shop assistant, clearing up if someone is sick, handling air rage, etc. Then when you arrive at your destination, some airlines now expect crew to clean out the aircraft. You don't often get a stopover in a glamorous destination - particularly when you start. It's usually a turn-round within the hour, and back on your feet again, handing out food and drink on the returning flight.
Airports
It is not only airlines that are making money from air travellers, airports make a profit by charging planes every time they land or take off, and the biggest success story has been airport shopping. When the British Airports Authority (BAA) was privatized it realized the tremendous retailing asset contained at airports, with a captive audience. Now many airports make as much profit on retail business as they do on landing fees, etc. Consequently, airport retailers are major employers worldwide. Airport retail is helped by the escalating problem of delays to incoming aircraft. You might imagine that spare aircraft are parked in a hanger to be used if one goes u/s (unserviceable). The reality is that unless airlines keep aircraft flying actually in the air at least 16 out of 24 hours, it is difficult to make a profit.
Delays
Recently, the Association of European Airlines said that the number of delayed flights within Europe had doubled in the past decade. Now it is estimated one in five charter flights will be delayed by an hour or more. In the same period, demand for air travel between Britain and the Continent lies increased by around 80 per cent - with charter airlines carrying around 35 million passengers a year. And this is expected to rise.
All sorts of problems can cause an aircraft to arrive late, and with less than an hour for most flights to 'turn around' disembark passengers, clean the aircraft, load on food and drink, passengers and luggage - there is a full chance it will leave late.
Problems include: bad weather, a 'technical' (engineering fault) with the plane, a passenger who checks in their baggage, then spends too long shopping and arrives late on the aircraft, a strike by one of the services, be it baggage handlers or coach drivers. All have a knock-on effect around the world.
Delays have meant passengers taking a longer look at regional airports. Their image used to be one of down-market and cheap airports for charters; scheduled flights took off from glamorous international airports. Today, when these airports can advertise and deliver a 10-niinute check-in time from arrival to boarding the aircraft, business flyers are sitting up and taking notice. Regional airports are increasing their throughput, and clever marketing by European airports such as Frankfurt and Schiphol offers flights from these gateways, with a short transfer time onto intercontinental flights. For example, passengers from Liverpool, instead of taking a train to Reading, transferring to a coach and then flying from Heathrow, are now driving direct to their local airport, flying to Amsterdam and transiting onto an intercontinental flight. Much quicker and the duty-free shops at Amsterdam are delighted!
Air traffic control
Other problems come with overcrowded skies. Up above you are 'skylanes' in which planes travel from east to west and north to south, with corresponding lanes underneath/above for traffic-going from west to east and south to north. Like a giant 3D knots and crosses game. But this time the game is played with people's lives. For safety, aircraft keep a certain distance from the one in front and the one behind, plus there is a buffer expanse of sky above and below. These spaces are controlled by air traffic controllers (ATCs) across the world, who have the task of slotting aircraft into the appropriate 'skylane' and monitoring progress.
One good thing is that ATCs talk to each other in English: even in the remotest regions of the earth, the ATC language is our mother tongue. When the Oxford Delegacy Examination Board asked a senior examiner to produce an American and Australian version of the Tourism English Proficiency Exam, she refused, citing that the exam would be taken by airline pilots and ATCs who were taught Basic English and no other versions. She lost her job, but shortly afterwards a plane crashed because the pilot and ATC had not been able to understand each other.
Apart from slotting in when they take to the skies, aircraft have to be parked on the ground, and the world's airports are fast running out of space. Heathrow is desperate to build a fifth terminal, and Schiphol is talking about constructing an airport out in the North Sea. This all means yet more jobs.
Working in the industry
Before you can even start trying to find employment, you have to sort out a maze of employers, and plan how to survive the dreaded interview. Airlines such as United Airlines, all Nippon, American Airlines, etc. recruit in Britain, as do Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, Emirates, Gulf Air, etc. British Airways is one of the largest airlines, and many charter airlines, such as Britannia, Monarch, Air 2000, etc. are major employers. British Midland now has rights to fly across the Atlantic and low-cost airlines constantly need more staff.
However, salaries, especially on 'no-frills' airlines, are much less than you might expect. How do you think airlines offer such low fares? Although allowances can be generous for shift work, the lucrative shifts generally go to people who have worked longest for the company.
