The U.S. Airline Industry’s Five-Point Weight Loss Plan For 2022

The most popular New Year’s resolution is to lose weight. The problem for most people is that while they are willing to express this goal, they do not put together a practical plan or track the results on a regular basis, and finally the solution is a word. It’s just that. Successful people set specific goals, attach practical and realistic plans for diet and exercise, and track the results on a regular basis. What does this have to do with US airlines?

Well, airlines also have weight issues. In fact, there are five areas that airlines can prove useful in adopting the 2022 weight loss plan.

Remove physical weight from each plane

Airplanes get heavier as they get older. With the additions and changes of equipment, almost every plane flying in the United States is heavier today than its first flight. Although not required every year, it is recommended that the airline complete a weight audit of all planes in the fleet. Determine the weight added to the plane and the parts that can be removed to save weight. This audit is also a way to save energy costs, as weight increases fuel combustion.

In my experience, getting rid of 100 to 300 pounds from an airplane that has been flying for years is not that difficult. For wide-body aircraft, the weight savings can be even greater. This is approximately the weight of a packed passenger and its bag. They will scream about the ongoing cost of this extra weight if some regulations are enforced that require airlines to place a single £ 300 item on each plane. Get that weight now and start saving more fuel!

Eliminate the layer of management

It is the physical weight that is removed by plane, but in an organization, “weight” is due to too much redundancy, isolated departments, and a narrow range of control. If you look at the org charts of major airlines (and for that matter, big companies), you may find something that looks strange. There’s always rationalization — we had to keep that person, this was a temporary setting that wasn’t over yet, no one else understood this process, and so on.

Increasing the average span of control rewards will do more and empower those who want to have that ability. Reducing the number of layers, that is, reducing the number of steps between the CEO and frontline staff, makes everyone more accountable and creates a bigger and more important role. Reduce bureaucracy, reduce time for results, and make the entire organization more agile. There is no better time to evaluate this for your organization.

Reduce the number of policies

As with regulations, corporate policies are continually added, but rarely removed. For airlines, policies related to ticket refunds, baggage handling, or other items can be surprisingly complex and time consuming. This is because when a non-functional situation occurs, a new policy is created to address the issue.

Policy audits reveal company policy inconsistencies, redundancy, and complete conflicts. By reducing the number of policies, even if these could be commendable goals in their own right, you don’t have to lose control or grant new privileges. In most cases, this review surprises many and makes some laugh, but the important thing is to clean up the policies and have only the ones you really need, which makes things easier for employees and customers. Is to become. While doing this, you may be able to rewrite many policies to add clarity.

Lose a safety net without sacrificing safety

Many organizations, including airlines, have many built-in safety nets. These are not always obvious. You can find them by looking at how different departments have overlapping responsibilities. Also, the policy points above may reveal some. Of course, some redundancy is good, and some organizations’ safety nets are protective and necessary. However, many are just extra weights that confuse the organization as well as layers and policies. Ask yourself if you need to do everything that everyone is supposed to do. By doing this, you’ll find out where the extras are and remove them if they’re wasted, but protect them if they’re important.

Follow the 15B rule

When Gordon Bethoon was the CEO of Continental Airlines, he used a simple rule that I remember as the 15B rule. Gordon may have called it the 13D rule or named it after the seat of another aircraft. The rules are simple. If you want to spend money on something, go to any aircraft and ask the customer sitting at 15B if you think it’s a good idea. If they agree, create your case and have the money approved. If not, rethink your thoughts.

The beauty of this rule is its simplicity. Gordon realized that everything the airline did should be good for the customer. Customers want safety, better service, and cheaper fares. There are many ideas that our customers can support. But do customers want a shiny new office for executives? Marble floor in the airport lobby? Probably not, so it’s probably not the place where airlines should focus on limited capital. As with any weight loss plan, it’s important to change the pattern so that it’s not just about gaining weight. Adopting the 15B rule is a great way to ensure long-term corporate weight management.