COVID-19 has left an indelible mark on the aviation industry. For essentially all of the aviation world, its entrance will be remembered as a single point in time, early 2020, and mentioned as a single-word event, “COVID.” The memories it evokes will be those of contraction, reduction, and uncertainty. It was an unplanned and unwelcomed surprise, leaving chaos in its path.
But, as history has taught us, all major change causes major adaptations. The aviation industry is no different, and it is learning to react. Alongside it, the flying public is making appropriate changes as well. It’s hard to find any other regulated industry that reacts and adjusts as quickly as aviation does to unannounced surprises. This time is no different.
In the US and abroad, we already see airlines implementing new, innovative processes to ensure their crew and passengers are safe and have the confidence to
travel. Aircraft cleanliness has become paramount, as Delta, United and other airlines have announced large-scale initiatives and health-focused services:
Delivering on new clean standard, Delta now sanitizing every flight
Outside of the US, Lion Air is educating the flying public around the new requirements being implemented by Indonesian authorities to maintain health while flying:
Lion Air Group to resume domestic flights on Wednesday
Naturally, we should also look internally at operations and processes within the airlines.
How will internal airline operations and processes need to adapt to the changes brought on by COVID?
Most airlines have already announced the shrinking of both fleets and internal staff, in an effort to reduce costs. While these are both painful steps, they seem necessary to ensure that airlines are correctly sized to meet the reduced demand for travel. Of course, we all hope that the reductions are short-lived and completed with as much respect and dignity as possible.
However, the industry can only sustain for the longer-term when revenues and expenses are balanced appropriately. This is a lesson that airlines know all too well.
In an effort to not only survive but thrive in the longer-term, we are seeing some airlines take it a step further and take a hard look at any legacy processes that existed pre-COVID. The intent of these transformation projects is to maintain an equal or better level of effectivity, given the required reduction in personnel.
But, this proposition doesn’t actually provide help, or even a place to focus. It’s simply a goal that any airline hopes to achieve, but may not have the capacity or experience to undertake such a transformation project.
We at API want to help, and, due to the slowdown from COVID, this is an optimal time to take on a transformation project. Specifically, we offer this advice to the aviation industry:
Now is the time to strip out any non-core activities to running the airline. Booking and managing crew layovers is one such activity — let API prove to you how we can help accomplish this activity while reducing the OpEx to the airline – All provided via a no- fee solution.
API offers both the services and technology platform to deliver a greater level of effectivity around the accommodating of crew members on layovers.
As we move from “surviving to thriving,” let’s work together to reimagine the ways that we can align and improve those old legacy systems and processes that only really add chaos and disorder to the operations.
At API, we truly wish to partner with you in an effort to pull the non-core activities out of the airline, and replace them with a technology integration that aligns departments and provides data to drive decisions — decisions that are not arrived at from intra-departmental silos, but from a holistic, airline-centric position.
From sourcing hotels, to booking, billing and reconciliation of accounting, hotel spend business analytics, and even to the crew members having access and inclusion in the overall process itself, API can replace an expensive, legacy process out of the airline and provide equal or (more likely) better results. We have incredible hotel buying power and sourcing experience, we have a technology platform that integrates and aligns all facets of the chaotic, legacy, cross-departmental challenge of crew accommodations management, and we have a demonstrated performance record of 80+ clients over 35+ years.
If you’re interested in simply exploring the solutions we have to offer or the savings we can achieve for you, simply book a call with our Business Development team, and we can learn more about your specific needs and tailor a solution to fit your challenge.
API is the World Leader in Crew Accommodations
Additional questions? We’re here to help!
Our sales and support teams are ready to talk with you about the many benefits of API technology and services.
