We love it when you meet the challenge and experience the glory.
The benefits of an online training environment that allows participants not only to learn the theory, but also experience the consequences of their actions, are invaluable in the overall education of participants. While participants in our programs learn the business of running an airline, the use of AIRLINE Online has many additional benefits.
Customer understanding
Often organisations tell us that their staff are not really fully aware of their customers’ needs. By running AIRLINE Online throughout the organisation, your staff learn about the needs of their customers, which in turn leads to them interacting with greater empathy and understanding.
Focus on individual and overall drivers
AIRLINE Online allows participants to focus on the detail or the big picture. By running the simulation as a group, branch or regional activity, not only do participants begin to relate to the drivers and issues facing their customers but also to appreciate the scope of their peer’s work roles, abilities and natural attributes.
Demand analysis
The simulation enables participants to analyse demand in a particular market. For the purposes of the simulation, this data will greatly affect the airlines (team or individual) ability to make a profit and maintain minimum load factors. The reality however is that users are in fact also learning about the markets, pressures, strengths, threats and other factors in which their customer or own airline is operating.
Equipment analysis
Having developed an understanding of the drivers in the various markets around the planet, participants learn about fleet and equipment requirements. Many employees do not understand the difference between a Boeing 777 and an Airbus A340, or an A318 and regional jet. The needs of the airline based on their geographical location, market size, market share are all undercurrents of the lessons learnt by participants of AIRLINE Online.
Understand customer’s market
As previously mentioned, a customer’s market is determined by a large number of factors including socio-economic, geographical location, population numbers, however an airline may also have made a business decision to operate mainly, or focus on, a specific type of operation. The drivers of a low cost carrier operating in a large domestic market are quite different to those which would affect the airline in a much smaller domestic market. Far more obvious are the differences challenging business at the opposite end of the spectrum, to those affecting a global premium airline operating mainly long haul flights.
Educate staff on terminology
Airlines have their own language; AIRLINE Online assists in educating your staff in the terminology they use. Learning to speak their language will further enable staff to develop commercial relationships when dealing with others in the industry.
Real world airline information to help understand the customer
AIRLINE Online can be set up to include (as close as possible) replicas of the schedules, markets and fleets of real world airlines. Not only does this enable participants to compete against some of the giants, it also enables them to gain experience and insight into the challenges faced by perhaps the smaller operators or airlines who have struggled with Chapter 11 in more turbulent economic times. The lessons learnt from this component of the simulation are easily transported back to the daily working environment with the information relating to clients readily on hand with a greater appreciation of the customer’s needs.
Staff Bonding
Staff participating in an AIRLINE Online simulation develop an almost immediate sense of camaraderie and team spirit. The challenge presented by AIRLINE Online enables people to demonstrate their skill set to their co-workers, assist other staff in learning about the challenges facing airline and each other in their working lives and by working through issues together a sense of pride and achievement at running a successful airline.
Staff Awareness
Staff throughout the organisation develop a greater appreciation of the customer base of other departments including the job role of their peers. The technical staff, the flight staff, the administrators all start to understand more of the importance of their colleagues roles.
Instant glossary of terms
RASM and CASM, perhaps the two most important abbreviations in the airline world, or Yield Management, PAX Services, MX scheduling are all terms which are simple to most of us in the industry however to many of your new and some of your old staff, they may as well be a foreign language. Use of AIRLINE Online and participation in a simulation allows them to experience and use the terminology relevant to their customers.
AIRLINE Online is not just a structured training tool; it is also perfect for the ongoing professional development of staff, building staff awareness of their customers and creating more empathy and understanding of the roles and responsibilities of their peers.