US Airways - April 2013 - (Page 11)
?
embark
Did You Know?
How do airports
prepare for heavy
summer travel?
This summer, US Airways
will begin seasonal service to Athens, Barcelona, Glasgow, Lisbon,
Shannon, and Venice.
To prepare for the
heavy seasonal travel,
the first order of business is
staffing and training. Many
employees work in the reservations department during winter and then work as
airport supervisors and
agents during summer.
The next major task
is readying the facilities.
“We work with airports
to make sure there are
adequate check-in
counters, gates, computers, and ground equipment”
says Steve Raeder, managing director of customer
service. “We also work with
catering suppliers to make
sure they’re aware of any
menu changes. And we
work with customs and
security staff so they
know how many
passengers to expect
and when to expect
them.”
All these elements must
be in order by May
when the seasonal service
officially
begins.
What does it take to get a
plane ready to fly abroad?
illustrations by nigel holmes
in February, when sunscreen
and bermuda shorts are still
distant concepts for most
people, us airways starts to
prepare its wide-body fleet for
transatlantic summer flights. aircraft
undergo the requisite inspections to ensure that
everything is shipshape.
“the interiors are also inspected and cleaned,
and some carpet is changed. We check all the
cosmetics,” says scott mcgovern, managing
News, Notes, and
Inflight Insights
How are crews staffed
for the peak season?
★
US Airways
carefully plans
its crew staffing for
peak travel periods,
including summer.
“About ten
months before summer,
we begin to identify our
need for additional crewmembers,” explains Sumit
Batra, director of crew planning and analysis. Batra
and his team estimate the need for pilots and flight
attendants based on several variables, including the
number of hours the airline will be flying.
Current pilots can apply to additional positions
on planes that will be flying extra hours in the summer. Depending on overall staffing, the airline may
need to hire new pilots. Additional positions for
flight attendants are posted based on need.
“Getting additional crewmembers ready to fly
requires aircraft-specific training,” explains Batra.
“We work closely with human resources, flight
operations, and the inflight groups to meet our need
for pilots and flight attendants.”
Crewmembers bid for their monthly schedules in advance. After they
complete their training, the new
crews take flight.
director of technical operations planning. “We do
quite a bit of preventive
maintenance,” he explains,
so the aircraft won’t have to
be taken out of service during
the peak season.
mcgovern and his team also look at
any maintenance issues from the previous season and check the affected planes before they’re
put back into service this summer. “Come may
4,” mcgovern says, “our planes are healthy, clean,
and ready to go.”
usairwaysmag.com
aprIl 2013
11
http://www.usairwaysmag.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of US Airways - April 2013
US Airways - April 2013
Table of Contents
CEO Letter
From the Editor
Did You Know?
Making It Happen
Hot Spots: Best Ballpark Food
Hub Crawl: San Francisco International Airport
Wine & Dine: 20 Wines Under $20
Wine & Dine: True Brew: Puerto Rico Coffee
Great Tastes: Luna Red
Great Escapes: Couples Resorts
Adventure: Cape Ann, Massachusetts
Great Escapes: Fairmont San Francisco Hotel
Adventure: High Springs, Florida
Gear Up: Golf
Special Section: Cabarrus County, North Carolina
Travel Feature: Grazing in Venice, Italy
US Airways Feature: 50+ Year Employees
No Strings Attached: Brad Paisley
The Rise of Hotel Restaurants
Phoenix Flair
Celebrate New Orleans: Art. Culture. Music.
Great Dates
Puzzles
Readers Resource Index
Your US Airways Guide
Video Entertainment
Audio Entertainment
U.S. and Caribbean Service Map
International Service Map
Airport Terminal Maps
US Airways Fleet/Customs & Immigration
Passenger Info/Contact US Airways
US Airways MarketPlace®
Window or Aisle?
US Airways - April 2013
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